| Philadelphia Professional ChapterMarch, 2026 |
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| | I want to start this month’s newsletter by spotlighting our domestic project team. For the past year, this team has been working tirelessly to design a new greenhouse for the Open Kitchen Sculpture Garden in Norris Square, Philadelphia. Recently, the team has started working on their final deliverables, bringing this project into its final phase. I am incredibly grateful for the time, energy, and creativity this team has been bringing to their project and to this chapter, and I am looking forward to seeing all of their work implemented. – Steven Miller, Chapter President |
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| | | March General Body Meeting – Recap |
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| Last Tuesday, March 24th, our chapter hosted Temple University’s Dr. Robert Ryan as a guest speaker. Dr. Ryan has been an environmental engineering professor at Temple for over 18 years and has spent the last 14 years serving as the faculty advisor for the Temple University Engineers Without Borders student chapter. Dr. Ryan spoke to our chapter about his experiences working with Engineers Without Borders, in particular, his work on international projects. I recommend that anyone working on our international project, or interested in international project work, read Dr. Ryan’s presentation. It provides a great summary of the project process and offers very helpful resources. |
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| | | After about 4 years of stagnation, our website has finally seen some major updates. We now have updated chapter project information – including both our domestic and international projects, a new events page, and new donor sites! There are still a lot of updates to be made, but chapter members can refer potential collaborators, donors, or volunteers to the website for project and chapter information. If you are interested in contributing to the website, please reach out to president@ewb-philly.org. |
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| | | As our chapter continues to grow, we are looking to grow our presence both online and in our communities. It is the hope of the current chapter leadership that we expand our current outreach programs, adopt new partnerships in Philadelphia, and begin to explore more project opportunities. If anyone is interested in adopting a role outside of our ongoing projects, including introducing a new local project or leading outreach initiatives, please reach out to me to discuss details: president@ewb-philly.org. |
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| | Recently, as chapter activity has ramped up, we have been fortunate enough to have a great number of new members join the chapter. To any new members, welcome to the chapter! We are excited to have you involved. If you haven’t already, please join Volunteer Village, the Engineers Without Borders portal, and register under our chapter here. As many people have experienced issues with registration in the past, please feel free to reach out to steven@ewb-philly.org with any questions or concerns. |
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| I would encourage anyone interested in getting involved with the chapter to explore our Google Drive and to read our goals in our 2026 Chapter Roadmap, both accessible through the links to the right. |
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| | | | | Since our first kickoff meeting, our international project has continued to gain momentum; our project teams have continued to grow, and with them, our relationships both in Philadelphia and abroad. This past week, we received our first major corporate donation from Arcadis, with a $1,000 contribution to our project. This already brings us up to over $3,000 raised so far, of our $14,000 goal for the year. |
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In addition to our fundraising updates, our Logistics and Design teams have been regularly meeting and making progress on our next major project milestone, our Pre-Assessment Trip Report. The Pre-Trip Assessment Report serves as the basis for our planning in the first phase of our project and is required for our first trip to the community, currently scheduled for September or October. Anyone who is interested in working with our team should join the WhatsApp linked below to get involved. |
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On June 13th, at 8:30 am, our chapter will be hosting our first Water for All 5k fundraiser! This event, hosted by our international project fundraising team, will serve as the first major fundraiser for our Mambarare Water Supply project. Anyone interested in supporting our project or participating in the race is encouraged to join; invite friends, family, coworkers, or anyone else from your community! Registration is $45, and you are welcome to run, walk, spectate, or participate virtually. You can find more information here: |
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For further information or to further support the project, visit @waterforall5k on Instagram, where our Project Lead Darien Schreffler is running 7km a day, every day, until the 5k in support of the community members who walk 7k every day to retrieve water. |
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| | | Our local project team continues to work on the Greenhouse project for our community partner, Open Kitchen Sculpture Garden. The project is currently in the final stages of its design phase, as the team is currently producing final deliverables for the Greenhouse. The remaining work includes QA/QC of the blueprints, finalizing a bill of materials, and completing the construction manual. Anyone interested in getting involved in the project should reach out to project lead Olya Zhugayevich: o.zhugayevich@gmail.com or join the WhatsApp below: |
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| | | | Summer5k Fundraiser – Jun. 13thIn support of our new international project, EWB Philly will be hosting a 5k run (or 1-mile walk) fundraiser in June. The fundraising team is currently working to plan the event, and anyone interested in getting involved in this process should contact Matt Walton: vicepresident@ewb-philly.org. To register or donate, follow the link provided in the 5k section above. |
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| | For any questions regarding the content of this email or chapter operations, please reach out to our chapter president at: president@ewb-philly.org. |
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