My name is Shelby and this fall I had the pleasure of interning for Ride for Joy.
I was interested in this internship because of the valuable knowledge I hoped to gain during my service at such a wonderful non-profit, with the bonus of being outdoors with horses. In my normal 9 to 5 job, running an elementary school's pantry, having consistent donor support is extremely important to keep our school pantry running. Without donors, we wouldn't be able to operate or serve our students and their families.
So, to gain a better understanding of the world of volunteers and outreach, I got to come to RFJ every week and see how it's done. Candace was my supervisor, who shared her world of a Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. She not only showed me tools she uses to keep track and keep contact with volunteers but also trusted me and another intern to help run her position while she was traveling out of the country. It was a little rattling at first, feeling the responsibility of not wanting to mess up someone's job but with the support from Candace and the RFJ team, us interns rocked it.
The last thing I will say about my experience, that I want to share with future interns, is that your time is short. 8 weeks will fly on by, so ask questions, assert yourself and be brave in your experience. With the positive environment RFJ has going on, they will only support you and your ideas. Find what you love and what you don't love, pay attention to what comes easy and what might challenge you. You got this!
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