Although many young people leave Lebanon Valley these days—for school, for work, for some other pursuit—oftentimes the habits they pick up here form the basis of a lifelong identity.
Such is the case for Amelia Kuhn, who sees her own Lebanon experience as having shaped a desire to help others.
Kuhn is a 2016 graduate of Lebanon High School and current junior at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. She grew up in Lebanon, part of a family that’s been in the county for generations. “There’s a long line of Kuhns in Lebanon County,” she noted in an interview with LebTown.
While still in high school, Kuhn was a part of numerous clubs and organizations, and was also involved with The World Blindness Outreach.
Kuhn took these volunteer experiences with her when she went off to college, eventually becoming the president of the Saint Joseph’s University’s chapter of the Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.
It was in this position that Kuhn helped to spearhead the sorority chapter’s first-ever Sapphire Ball, which was held March at the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue and drew over 500 people.
In total, over $40,000 was raised to support the Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Foundation and the Phi Sigma Sigma Foundation, which helps promote school and college readiness among disadvantaged children.
Kuhn hopes that seeing such philanthropic success by Greek organizations will help change mainstream perceptions of Greek life in general.
“A lot of times you see on the news or you read online about things that Greek life do, and it’s usually negative,” says Kuhn, “We do so much for our community—at St. Joe’s, in the city, and globally too—and that never really is portrayed, so it’s a great opportunity for people to see that we’re so much more than what you see in the movies or read online.”
Kuhn says she intends to continue with her fundraising endeavors in the future.
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Way to go, Amelia!