Via The Intelligencer | By Chris English
2018 Summer Youth Corps
For 16 college students in summer internships at nonprofits all across Bucks County, it’s not just about making a buck.
It’s about making a difference.
The students make up the Summer Youth Corps program run and funded by the Foundations Community Partnership. It’s a philanthropic grant-making foundation supporting the behavioral health and human service needs of children and young adults in Bucks County.
Sara Donnelly, of Buckingham, is typical of the Summer Youth Corps members. She could have sought out any old summer job that would have given her some spending money.
Instead, the University of Delaware sophomore and Central Bucks High School East graduate wanted something that aligned with her career goals and college studies — she majors in accounting with a minor in organizational and community leadership — and also fulfilled her desire to help others.
Enter the FCP, which set her up in a summer internship at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store in Chalfont. The facility takes donations of used furniture, books, lamps and dozens of other items and sells them at deep discounts. The money goes toward construction of Habitat for Humanity houses for low-income people.
“It’s an incredible organization to be a part of, helping people who are literally in our backyards,” Donnelly said. “Whenever you buy something at a Re-Store, you’re helping to build a home.”
Donnelly spends part of the time selling items but most of the time in the office on a computer, helping to market the facility through social media and other means.
“I’m also getting exposed to accounting through quickbooks’ principles and other things,” she said. “I hope to one day work on the business side of a nonprofit, so having an internship at this site really aligned with that.
“I’ve always been involved in a cause that benefits other people. It’s just something that makes me feel good. So, to be involved with Habitat and what they do is amazing.”
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A classic win-win, said FCP Executive Director Ron Bernstein of the Summer Youth Corps program.
“Bucks County nonprofits benefit from having bright, motivated students on staff throughout the summer, and the interns have a unique opportunity to learn about themselves and others, and the needs and strengths in their communities while serving mission-driven organizations,” Bernstein said.
The student interns also earn college credits through a partnership with Bucks County Community College, he added.
“Focusing on nonprofit human service agencies providing services to children, youth and families in Bucks County, the Summer Youth Corps is a game-changer for college students looking for meaningful work,” Bernstein said.
- Read the full Intelligencer article, view a video on Summer Youth Corps, or read the press release from Foundations Community Partnership.