History of Community Engagement at PC

Our school’s founder, William Penn, embraced the call to service as the fundamental article of his Quaker faith. The concept of service was grounded in a humanitarian impulse that was an inherent part of Quaker theology from the very beginning of the Religious Society of Friends in the mid-1600s.

Penn Charter has a distinguished heritage of service unsurpassed by any other school in the Commonwealth. Service is not only a function of “what we do” at Penn Charter, but also “who we are” as America’s first Friends school. The Center for Public Purpose will fulfill Penn Charter’s vision of what a 21st century independent school should look like. The Center for Public Purpose is both a physical and figurative representation of our desire to imbue Penn Charter students with the capacity and confidence to make the world a better place.

Penn Charter has been a leader nationally in developing public/private partnerships that address critical community needs. The Center for Public Purpose will make it possible to enable us to continue working on these models which are aligned with our mission as a Friends school. Our premise is that every non-public school should extend its reach beyond its own campus and constituents for the betterment of the larger community.