Vinyl at Heart: Music to Feed the Soul

At Publicis Health, public service and supporting the people and communities where we live and work are essential tenets of what we believe. April is National Volunteer Month, an opportunity for each of us to give back in ways big and small. Throughout April, we’re happy to share volunteer stories of team members from across Publicis Health.

Lyn Chesna, MA, ELS, Editorial Manager at Heartbeat, shares her experiences volunteering as an event assistant at WXPN, University of Pennsylvania’s public radio station.

Tell us a bit about your volunteering work …

I regularly volunteer as an event assistant for WXPN (88.5 FM), the noncommercial, public radio station of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. The station is nationally recognized as a leader in Triple A programming, and it’s known for discovering/championing new artists in rock, blues, roots, and folk. My volunteer day in October was spent helping the station prepare for a 5K fundraising run to benefit its Musicians on Call program. I helped assemble registration packets with bibs and shirts during the day, and in the evening worked at the early registration desk for runners to pick up their packets. I continued volunteering for the 5K that following Sunday (at 5 AM!) to help set up and then served as a course monitor during the race.

How did you initially get involved with your volunteer organization?

I got involved with WXPN because I’ve been a listener for 20+ years and love their mission to “connect artists and audiences, and build, serve, and engage community.” (Its tag line is “Vinyl at Heart” … gotta love it.) I decided I wanted to help more than just sending a donation. The atmosphere around volunteering—whether it’s working a music festival or hauling boxes of t-shirts for a race—is always fun because we volunteers share a love of the music and the community that has formed around the station. It’s always a day filled with tunes, laughs, and hard work, and all for a great cause.

I also volunteer with Forgotten Cats—a rescue that helps homeless/feral cats in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New Jersey. I work in one of their low-cost spay/neuter clinics in PA, where I help provide postsurgical care, and process and assemble instrument packs for surgery. I also serve as a foster “mama” for adoptable cats and kittens.

How can others get involved with your volunteer organization?

Volunteering has become an essential part of my life. It encourages me to learn new skills and introduces me to the nicest people! Getting involved with causes I believe in gives me a sense of accomplishment and provides, not only challenges (which I love), but joy. Have an organization you support? Give them a call … I bet they’d have some volunteer work for you, too. It’s that easy.