Courtney Week 5

All is quiet on the home front. I finally put the finishing touches on my part of the proposal for the summer program and I plan to meet with Savannah tomorrow to discuss it. Then we have another meeting next week with everyone involved to solidify some of the plans for the upcoming months.
I met my mentee yesterday. Her name is Emily (so now I have 'big' Emily and 'little' Emily). She is so fantastic. I am so ready to get started working with her and hanging out. The first meeting was just a meet and greet type of thing. We went over the requirements for the program, discussed her interests and possible activities, and then I drove her to her summer camp and we got a chance to talk some more. I forgot how much 12 year old girls talked.  I signed her in to her summer camp and she gave me a hug before I left.
The program only requires one hour a week for 12 weeks. I would love for more Bonners to get involved with this program and work in the group homes (which are all very close to Stetson!) or work one-on-one with a foster care child.  Male volunteers are matched with boys to mentor and female volunteers are matched with girls.  There are a lot of kids in the homes and the program is totally based off of a voluntary mentor and a child who wants a mentor. It has to be a mutual want, so no one is forced into the relationship.

Other than getting these things situated, I've been trying to compile a list of potential internships in the nonprofit industry for future Bonners. My goal is to have some semblance of a program organized when I graduate so the new Senior Interns can update it and give other people opportunities. Some internships I've found so far: Make-a-Wish Foundation, Foster Grandparent Program (highly encouraged!), and NASCAR. I've also looked at a few organizations in DeLand that might be good for internships like Haven Recovery, a substance abuse clinic that literally has internship-like positions all over Volusia County in law, counseling, nonprofit management, clerical duties, etc. I hope that someone will take advantage of these because the more I go looking for a job, the more they want experience!

To finish up the last couple of weeks, I've been working on Bonner Love packages for the newly instituted 'Bonner Buddies' program that Lead Team is heading up.  We are trying to welcome all the new students really early by sending them handwritten letters, gifts, etc.  Here's a picture of what I recently crafted.