Board Member John Kepner Featured in VISTA Today

Photo Courtesy of VISTA Today

GMercyU board member John Kepner sat down with VISTA Today to discuss growing up in North Jersey, his career in law and healthcare, and how his passion for social service – including the College Student Basic Needs Program (CSBNP), which provides resources to food- and housing-insecure students – led him to GMercyU.

Kepner first became associated with GMercyU after he took a self-imposed one-year “sabbatical” after retiring from Holy Redeemer Health System (now Redeemer Health) in August 2015. By the end of that year, he decided to devote his energy into board positions that could impact young people.

“Gwynedd Mercy University fit the bill,” Kepner shared with VISTA Today. “Gwynedd Mercy’s mission, core values, and the sisters’ principal concerns – Earth, Immigration, Anti-Racism, Non-Violence, Women – all resonated with me.”

In his first year on GMercyU’s board, Kepner learned of CSBNP through a fellow board member. At the time, Catherine’s Cupboard, GMercyU’s own food pantry, contained only a few shelves of food. Feeling compelled to help students in need, Kepner reached out to local contacts at Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) and Manna on Main Street, a full-service food pantry in Lansdale, Pa. GMercyU and Catherine’s Cupboard now has seven community partners within CSBNP to help under-resourced students.

Read more about Kepner’s story on VISTA Today.