An Intern’s First Week at United Way

          When I began my first week as a Social Justice intern, I faced many unknowns. I knew the general goals of my eight weeks at United Way, I had met two of the four employees in my interview, and I knew a person I had never met before was picking me up in the morning. So, at exactly 7:50AM on Monday, with my lunchbox in hand, I left the residential hall, entered Kayley’s truck, and began my first week at United Way of Wayne and Holmes.

           As I walked into the office, dampened by a cold rain, I was immediately enveloped in warmth. Within the light blue walls, three women introduced themselves to me with a smile and I gradually felt more comfortable in the new space. After learning how to operate the coffee machine and where to keep my belongings, I was invited to a “welcome brunch.” Over omelets and coffee, I learned more about the organization and the four women who would serve as my supervisors and mentors for the next eight weeks. With a full stomach, I spent the rest of the day touring the office, cleaning eight hundred ducks from the previous day’s Duck Derby, and being part of my first Facebook live.

           My second and third day was an opportunity for me to feel the sunshine on my face, have dirt under my feet (or rather, turf), and meet the community United Way serves. Helping with the “Reading Under the Lights” events brought me face-to-face with people in the community that I would never meet otherwise. As a College of Wooster student, campus is a little “bubble,” with just an occasional visit downtown and uptown on the weekends. While floating around in my little bubble, I often miss the outside community, especially the K-12 students. Seeing their smiling faces while they choose their books and hearing their laughter as they meet a “Pete the Cat” mascot made the sweat on my brow and the soreness in my feet all worth it. I saw parents, who usually pass by in their cars on Beall Avenue on their way to work, sitting with their children to read as a family. The community who seems so far away sometimes was right there, asking me questions and saying hello, and I felt connected to them in a whole new way.

           My interactions with the community did not end with the “Reading Under the Lights” events. I was fortunate enough to attend an Extreme Weather Shelter meeting with my supervisor, located at the Salvation Army. In this meeting, I was able to see the background planning and logistics of running the shelter, such as how many cots can fit in the space or how to find storage solutions. A day later, I helped with United Way’s Annual Meeting, where I met almost one hundred of their partners and donors. As I sat over a nice meal, overlooking the long tables of people chattering, I realized that in my first week at United Way, I saw all of the essential components of a non-profit. Helping a community isn’t just sitting in an office, going to meetings, or even, being face-to-face with the community. Rather, it is the wonderful combination of all those things. Without sitting in front of a computer for hours, making dozens of calls, and writing email after email, organizations cannot operate. But, without making real-life connections with those in the community, one can often lose focus and the drive to do what is needed. The balance is necessary, and it is impossible to function without it.

            And that is what I learned in my first week as an intern at United Way.



- Alexa Carlozzi