Uniting young professionals to make a difference
Moving to an area where you know few people your own age can be a daunting experience for a young professional, something that Amber Depew learned firsthand when she relocated from Harrisburg to Danville to work for Geisinger five years ago.
“It was a tough transition,” remembers the Geisinger Corporate Communications specialist. “I was having a hard time making friends and getting to know my new home, and I knew there must be others who felt the same way.”
From her boss, Vice President of Corporate Communications Phyllis Mitchell, who is active in the Greater Susquehanna Valley Chamber of Commerce, Amber learned about efforts to revitalize the Greater Susquehanna Valley Young Professionals (GSVYP), a group whose membership had fallen off in recent years. For Amber, the culture of volunteering that permeated her workplace made getting involved a natural next step.
“Community service is definitely supported and appreciated in my department, and Geisinger-wide,” Amber says. “I haven’t met anyone here who doesn’t give back in some way.”
Realizing that helping to rebuild GSVYP would be a great way to forge relationships with other young professionals, Amber volunteered as cochair, and has helped create a thriving group of 60 — including several other Geisinger employees — that is making Danville a more welcoming place for young people.
While GSVYP members enjoy many social and professional development opportunities, community service is at the heart of the group’s mission. Collecting donations for the Ronald McDonald House, providing manpower at local fundraising events, collecting books for the Greater Susquehanna Valley United Way and maintaining a portion of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail are just some of the group’s good works that make Amber proud.
“But the most rewarding part has been bringing together so many great people with a common purpose: to build relationships and get involved in our community,” she says.
For more information about GSVYP, visit gsvyp.org.
