Quaker principles and practice continue to guide the William Penn Charter School, a Friends school founded in 1689. Within a school community that honors difference, we seek that of God in each person. We value scholarship and inquiry. Penn Charter has a distinguished heritage of service unsurpassed by any other school in the Commonwealth. Service is not only a function of what we do at Penn Charter, but also who we are as Americas first Friends school. Penns Purpose will fulfill Penn Charters vision of what a 21st century independent school should look like. The center is both a physical and figurative representation of our desire to imbue Penn Charter students with the capacity and confidence to make the world a better place. Penn Charter has been a leader nationally in developing public/private partnerships that address critical community needs. Penns Purpose will make it possible to enable us to continue working on these models which are aligned with our mission as a Friends school. Our premise is that every non-public school should extend its reach beyond its own campus and constituents for the betterment of the larger community.