This month YPN encourages you to:

• YPN needs you to join us in creating opportunities for youth
• Recap the networking event at Saint Joseph’s University.
• Recap Career and Education Day at McClure Elementary School
• Save the date for YPN’s Signature Event, Success in the City.
• Learn more about YPN’s Volunteer of the Year Award.
• Save the date for the reintroduction of YPN’s annual Golf Outing.

YPN needs you to join us in creating
opportunities for youth

The Young Professionals Network encourages all of its members to support Philadelphia high school youth through Working Solutions. Working Solutions is a program to provide students aged 16 – 21 with summer paid internships. Last summer, the program provided jobs to 1,049 Philadelphia youth with participation from 143 companies. This represented a more than 100% increase in the number of jobs provided from 2006. Mayor Michael Nutter has challenged the business community to again increase the number of summer internships available to students.

Young professionals can get involved in more than one way:

• Providing a job for a Philadelphia High School student if your company can accommodate.
• Donate money to support a student at a non-profit. In order to support a student for 20 hours a week at $8.00 an hour, it is a $1600 investment. Any amount you can give creates opportunity.

To provide an internship, make a donation, or for more information, please visit the Working Solutions website.

Recap the networking event at Saint Joseph’s University

Submitted by Stephanie Gambone, Philadelphia Youth Network

On March 24, 2008 at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter spoke to YPN members about city and regional issues. The Mayor highlighted his plans for education, crime prevention, and economic development. Mayor Nutter also encouraged the Young Professionals Network to participate in Working Solutions and provide opportunities for the city’s youth through paid internships. He answered questions regarding how we can all be instrumental in helping Philadelphia become the "Next Great City."

Michael Nutter "Unplugged" was YPN’s third sold out event in a row, which shows the success of YPN’s programming in recent months. We look forward to seeing members at the April event at the Art Museum and May’s signature event at the Pyramid Club. Stay tuned for further information.

Click here to view pictures of the event.

Recap Career and Education Day at McClure Elementary School

Submitted by Mai-Linh Hoang, SilverFlame Communications

YPN members participated in McClure Elementary School’s career day Tuesday morning, as a kick-off to the start of PSSA testing week. YPN volunteers visited third and fourth graders to talk about their own careers and answer any questions the children had about choosing and getting the career they want. This day proved to be an enlightening day not only for the students, but for the YPN volunteers. Many of the students had aspirations to be scientists, doctors and artists and had many questions about what they needed to do to get there and what kind of schooling is required. Every experience at McClure is always a new one, filled with hope that these students, one day, will become great scientists, artists, and doctors.

The career day ended with a pep rally for the students and a poster contest. Grades three and four made posters with "tips" for taking and succeeding on the PSSA’s, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, a standardized state test. Students, dependent on grade, are tested on math, writing and reading skills.

YPN chose McClure Elementary as their adopted school for YPN members to volunteer and make a difference where it is needed. Past activities with McClure included Principle for a Day, Drop Everything and Read program and an end of the year Spring Fling. YPN’s goal is to help McClure by being a positive impact upon the students.

Thank you to those YPN members who participated:

• Mr. David Russo
• Mr. Steve Grandizio, Friendly Mortgage
• Ms. Danielle Pinto, Kimmel Center
• Mr. Kevin Cafferky, Philadelphia OIC
• Ms. Stephanie Gambone, Philadelphia Youth Network
• Mr. Adam Kerns, Saul Ewing
• Mr. Peter Shrier, Seligsohn Soens Hess
• Ms. Mai-Linh Hoang, SilverFlame Communications
• Ms. Marissa Parker, Stradley Ronon
• Mr. Derek Wood, Tactix Real Estate Advisors
• Mr. Christopher Parker, TD Banknorth
• Ms. Susannah Cobb, The Leader's Edge
• Mr. Andrew Pack, Variety Club
• Ms. Angelic Lopez, Withum Smith & Brown

Save the Date for YPN’s Signature Event, Success in the City

Monday, May 12, 2008
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

The Pyramid Club
1735 Market Street – 52nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103

Following the resounding success of last year’s event, we’re excited to bring you the Young Professional Network’s 2nd Annual Success in the City at the prestigious Pyramid Club.

This event will spotlight nationally prominent figures who got their start right here in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Come hear a panel of successful individuals and business leaders share how their ambition has led to recognition on a national scale, why they chose to do business in Greater Philadelphia, and how our region has contributed to their growth. Mingle with Greater Philadelphia’s most motivated and achieving young professionals. Gain the knowledge and inspiration to achieve your own "success in the city."

Learn more about YPN’s Volunteer of the Year Award

Submitted by Sarah Talasnik, National Multiple Sclerosis Society

For the past year, the Young Professionals Network has supported McClure Elementary in North Philadelphia through various volunteer events. Each of these events, from Drop Everything and Read to Spring Fling to our most recent event, Career and Education Day, are an important component to McClure and the community.

To recognize those individuals who so willingly donate their time to these events, YPN has created the Volunteer of the Year Award. This award is given to an individual who attends YPN sponsored volunteer events, recruits friends and colleagues to also attend volunteer, and exhibits leadership at these events. The winner will receive recognition at the July YPN event and a feature story in YPN newsletter.

Save the date for YPN’s annual Golf Outing

Monday, June 23, 2008

Bala Golf Club
2200 Belmont Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131

The Young Professionals Network is proud to announce the reintroduction of its annual Golf outing. This year, the event will be held at the Bala Golf Club. This event will be two parts. The first being a round of golf with YPN members being paired with members of the YPN board of directors and members of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s board members. After the round of golf, there will be a networking reception for those who played golf and those who opted out of the round. Check in future newsletters and the YPN website for more details as they become available.

Are you a New Member of YPN?

Want to meet other new members and get an overview of the organization? Join YPN Board member Mai-Linh Hoang this month at the Chamber for YPN New Member Orientation. Mai-Linh Hoang is a Media Strategist at SilverFlame Communications, a marketing and advertising agency with a niche in multicultural advertising. She graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a bachelor’s in biology and an MBA in marketing. Mai-Linh also sits on the board of the Greater Philadelphia Net Impact Professional Chapter, promoting sustainable business practices.

The next YPN New Member Orientation will be on Wednesday, April 2, 2008, at 5:30PM. The orientations will be held at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce located at 200 S. Broad Street (Broad & Walnut) on the 7th floor. Please confirm your attendance by emailing your contact information to Jacob Rozran at ypn@greaterphilachamber.com.