Anyone that knows me is fully aware of the fear that I hold towards the “real world.” Going into my senior year at Valpo, the interrogation of what I am doing after graduation is in full swing. While I am still at the point where I cringe when I sense the conversation heading in that direction, I am beginning to feel comfortable in my answer: “I don’t really know, but I’m trying to figure it out.” I don’t hide the fact I am nervous about the future, but I know being afraid of the future will not help me figure things out. Be that as it may, this internship is serving as a stepping-stone for my career, as well as being largely empowering.

During a meeting last week, my boss once again triggered my excitement to work in community development. We were discussing the upcoming focus group conversations when my boss affirmed, “You’re in charge of changing the face of the community.” At that point, as much as I enjoy my project, I was beginning to feel exhausted by the extensive research aspect of the initiative. Not being from LaPorte County and having no prior investment set in the county was clouding my enthusiasm for the job. I lost sight of the final goal and I forfeited the fact we are creating community change.

I can only blame myself for allowing that to happen and after that meeting I felt rejuvenated. An hour after the meeting I kept repeating those words said by my boss to myself and while I would be repeating those words, I would picture groups of people with smiling faces in my head; I was back in the game. It also worked out that the next day, the interns got a pretty cool intern task to complete.

Garrett and I went to the beach this past Friday; it was a beautiful day with just enough heat to make a person look for the ice cream truck. We were assigned the task of handing out United Way beach balls to as many beach-goers as possible; we stuffed un-inflated beach balls into these handy-dandy gym bags and were on our way. With the beach only a block away, it was a perfect job for a sunny Friday afternoon. Looking out on all the people enjoying their day, I could not help but be nervous; how were people going to react to some random girl come over and hand out a beach ball? I was anticipating the majority of people to be skeptical, to shoo me away with angry eyes.

United at the Beach

After giving away over thirty beach balls and talking with more than a handful of people about United Way community engagement, however, my hard feelings lifted. While my feet were in undeniable pain due to the incredibly hot sand, my mood was indisputably sanguine. I did not assist people in signing up for volunteer hours, I did not contribute to any major service event, but I did give people a gateway to community action. I presented people with an opportunity to create change by individual engagement. When we made our way back to the office, the smile on my face was long lasting and my face was gleaming (partially due to the sweat, but mainly due to excitement).

I anticipate the upcoming year will be filled with triumphs and losses, along with scary crossroads; but something that I do know for sure is that this opportunity to work for the United Way of LaPorte County, as well as being part of the CAPS Fellows Program in general, has given me ample skills that I intend to use regularly from this point on.

Live United,

Grace

I got lost three times the morning of my first day and ended up asking for directions to my office while literally ten steps away from the front door. Of course, tears were accumulating in my eyes and I was sweating like I just finished playing an intense game of FIFA soccer, but I made it on time (two minutes early to be exact).

My day in the office started with a tour of our massive building along with learning all about its history (sorry, I was too focused on controlling my sweat to pay attention). However, the tour did include the discovery of free candy and coffee for the interns, which instantly made me gain five pounds. Next, my boss sat me down in her office to give me the incredibly detailed overview of what our project really was; I was excited, overwhelmed, nervous, and extremely inspired to take this job on.

The United Way, nation-wide, is asking all county agencies to re-evaluate and modify how they allocate their funding to smaller non-profits. For that reason, the United Way of LaPorte County is holding Community Conversations, intended to get the people involved in the development process and create an impact plan to affect outcomes in the key focus areas of education, financial stability, and education. Our job is to facilitate those conversations throughout the county, making sure we gather input from a demographically representative group of LaPorte County citizens. The second aspect of our job is to analyze the data we compile from those conversations to decipher the specific, countywide needs the LaPorte County community desires. As well as researching present resources and best practices regarding specific issues other United Way agencies around the country have found successful.

I came into work not really knowing what this project entailed, but after only an hour, I had enough information to make my head spin. Garrett, CAPS Fellow and my co-intern, gave me the grave news that a past intern had decided to quit the job without finishing a major project needed for the Community Conversations; a seventy-page binder analyzing and explaining all the different components of education problems in LaPorte County along with best practices research for those problems. Now, it was up to us to start and complete a project in one week that the past interns had four months to complete (still my first day). Thankfully, the past interns that did not quit and completed other binders for the impact areas came to our rescue by helping complete the education binder. After that minor stress-attack, it has been smooth sailing; along with my normal community conversation project work, I have also designed outreach flyers, conversation handouts, a poster, and had the privilege to sit in on development meetings for a potential shared service center for area non-profits.

Two years ago I applied to work at the United Way back in my hometown and did not get hired. Just over two months ago, I was the student that did not have anything planned for the summer and I was not handling it very well (my friends can testify). The United Way of LaPorte County, in the short time that I have worked for them, has proved to be the best blessing-in-disguise I have come to experience. My boss continuously inspires me to critically thinking about the inter-connectedness of aspirations, challenges, and resources within a community and reminds me that even as individuals, we create an impact. While at a community conversation, she said something that instantly made me dissect its core meaning; “No matter what you’re doing in your community, SHOW UP. Invest in your community.” As emerging leaders, which I believe we all are, it is vital that we remember to show up for our cause: to lead and serve.

Live United,

Grace

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