Kealia Reynolds has been working with us this summer in the Development Department, and she has been a real joy to get to know. She’s a dedicated hard worker who has gone out of her way to help make a difference through this internship. We’re so sorry to see her go! Below are a few words from Kealia about her experience. -Anna Spears
Five months ago, working for Habitat for Humanity wasn’t even a thought that had crossed my mind. Instead I was prepping for finals, packing for a month-long trip, and trying to scrounge up any leftover money to pay for food for the rest of the school year. I was the epitome of a cliché college student – busy, exhausted and broke. All I needed to do was make it through the last couple of weeks and then my busy summer would start. I thought I was done with figuring out my summer plans – until I heard Anna Spears speak in my Advertising and Public Relations class about non-profits.
In the fall, I had planned to get an internship for the summer, but after being given the opportunity to serve at two YoungLife camps for weeks at a time, I decided that junior year would be a better option. But after I heard Anna speak about the development team at Chatham Habitat for Humanity and what working for a non-profit looked like (my dream is to work for a non-profit organization), I figured it wouldn’t hurt to shoot her an email to learn more about CHFH and see if there were any opportunities available.
Within the hour, not only did I receive more information about CHFH, but I was offered a position to work as a development intern for the summer. I was absolutely thrilled, but extremely nervous considering I didn’t know how I could fit another job into my already jam-packed summer. Fortunately, Anna was kind enough to work around my schedule and allowed my hours to be pretty flexible. After getting my feet wet by participating in their annual Women Build, I began a journey with an organization that impacted my life in the most positive way.
After the last three months, I’ve learned so much more than I ever could have imagined and gained experience in all kinds of different areas. I got to work on PR-related projects that encompassed social media and blog posts, newsletter articles, and video making. I also gained a lot of experience with event planning and learned a lot about what goes in to an event. The amount of fundraising, planning, and time dedicated to one event is incredible and it proved to me that time management really is an important skill to have. And we all know an internship wouldn’t be an internship if I didn’t have an abundance of administrative tasks to do (who knew that writing 400+ thank you cards could actually cause a hand cramp?), but at least I’m a certified pro at that now.
In addition to all of the experience I gained, I learned so much about affordable housing and CHFH’s mission to serve others. Before working here, I had very limited knowledge on affordable housing. My eyes were completely opened this summer, however, and I was able to see the difference this organization makes in people’s lives.
One of the last projects I worked on was a video for the 2015 Apostle Build. We interviewed a Habitat homeowner and asked what home meant to her. It gave her a sense of peace, she said. Just hearing that one simple line made me realize how big of a blessing it’s been to work with a non-profit so dedicated to making a change in people’s lives.
To all the staff, volunteers, and donors of Chatham Habitat for Humanity, thank you for all of your hard work, selflessness, and love. To the development team, thank you for the smiles, laughs, and wisdom. I will miss you all!
-Kealia Reynolds Resource Development Summer Intern 2015