Friday, September 5, 2025
Penn College students showcase items that were collected and donated to a medical clinic in Kenya, including, from left, Logan W. Snyder, of Northumberland; Emma C. Rude, of Williamsport; Matthew C. Lavallee Harris, of Williamsport; Emma M. Fox, of Myerstown; Marissa R. Rupert, of Danville; Jacob M. Bussard, of Greencastle; Dakota M. Hugo, of New Albany; Shannon K. O'Day, of Honesdale; Shaye E. Fries, of Williamsport; Will C. Long, of Virginia Beach, Va.; and Gavin S. Morse, of Roaring Branch.
Emma M. Fox, of Williamsport, a member of the Penn College chapter of Alpha Chi National College Honor Society, along with Alpha Chi President Matthew C. Lavallee Harris, of Williamsport, and Vice President Marissa R. Rupert, of Danville, organized a drive in the spring to collect first-aid items for a medical clinic in Kenya. Fox and Lavallee Harris are biomedical sciences students at Penn College, while Rupert is majoring in both automation engineering technology and software development & information management.
Tammy A. Miller, assistant professor of general biology and microbiology and adviser for the college’s Pennsylvania Xi chapter of Alpha Chi, said each of the students worked diligently to collect thousands of dollars’ worth of items, including thermometers, syringes, gloves, suturing and catheter kits, surgical supplies, stethoscopes and more. Fox and Lavallee Harris solicited items from UPMC and the Penn College nursing and paramedic programs, while Rupert focused on gathering items from her classmates and faculty (all non-health science programs) and organized a bake sale to raise funds to purchase additional supplies.
“I am so impressed with the amount of items they were able to collect,” Miller said. “Nursing and paramedic faculty cleaned out all of their unused and outdated supplies that they were no longer using for us. They were so generous.”
Fox spent time in Keyna over winter break with Intercontinental Christian Ministry, accompanied by Wes W. Bates, of Manheim, also majoring in biomedical sciences at Penn College, and his grandfather. Fox said the two had been searching for opportunities to gain medical experience, share God’s word and help underserved communities.
“During our time in Kenya, we visited numerous small towns, providing food, clothing and medical supplies to those in need,” she said. “We spent two days working in a medical camp and also had the chance to visit ICCM’s medical clinic, where we observed their treatment facilities and supplies firsthand.”
The mission trip, she added, profoundly changed her life and altered her career path. Fox hopes to take her dream of becoming a doctor one step further by participating in clinical rotations in developing countries and joining “Doctors Without Borders,” an international organization that delivers emergency medical aid to people in crisis.
Lavallee Harris and Rupert both agreed that Fox’s experience in Kenya was inspiring. It was because of her story that the trio decided to raise money and collect donations to get Kenya what is needed most, Lavallee Harris said.
“She told us how badly they needed help, and we decided to do something about it,” Rupert added.
The Alpha Chi National College Honor Society is open to bachelor’s degree students from all academic disciplines and is limited to the top 10% of an institution’s junior and senior classes. Its purpose is to promote academic excellence and exemplary character among college and university students and to honor those who achieve such distinction.
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