Internship Project Assignments and Reports
During the 2009 summer internship, interns worked on major projects to help 
further DRF initiatives. Each project was a team effort with a designated project leader. Some of the 2009 projects listed below include links to examples of the actual work presented by the interns to our Foundation.
Each report or presentation is unique, reflecting the values and judgments of the interns, based on what they learned about the region. The interns used a variety of techniques to gain opinions from within the region and quantitative data about the area. Recommendations and ideas presented are those that the authors believe might be beneficial to the area and may be important contributions to discussions in the region and beyond. DRF does not necessarily agree with all of the ideas or recommendations presented, but we share the information in the interest of supporting a better informed public discussion about transforming the region and creating a better future for all the region's residents.
| Project Title | Area of Focus | Description of Assignment | Example of Work |
| 1. Creative Walking Tours | Health & Wellness | Review existing walking tours and determine which are best for further development as exercise options. | |
| 2. Obesity Reduction | Health & Wellness | Develop a long-term (10 year) plan for obesity reduction and overall health improvement in the region, building upon information in the Dan River Region Health Assessment by ETSU, Obesity Prevention and Reduction Program Development Report by Michael Beachler, and the CHAMPION Obesity Prevention Plan by the Virginia Department of Health. | Change 4 Life |
| 3. Mapping Education Systems | Education | Assist in obtaining accurate and universal baseline data for current educational efforts, mapping the formal and informal education systems and facilitating collaboration and cooperation among these systems. | Education Report |
| 4. Green Jobs | Workforce | Develop an understanding of the green skills that can be associated with current training efforts. Produce a final report that identifies potential sectors and opportunities for Green Job training collaboration. | |
| 5. Kennedy Service Grant | Capacity Development | Develop implementable recommendations on what the region can use as a "Regional Report Card." Report Card will be an indicator of the Dan River Region"s ranking and progress in comparison with State of Virginia, other regions/ localities and the nation. | |
| 6. Regional Report Card | Capacity Development | Develop implementable recommendations on what the region can use as a "Regional Report Card." Report Card will be an indicator of the Dan River Region's ranking and progress in comparison with State of Virginia, other regions/ localities and the nation. | |
| 7. Danville Compete | Economic Development | Examine regional competitive advantage and develop specific recommendations on how the region can develop expanded competitive advantage and strategies to move in that direction. | |
| 8. Local Food Can it work here? |
Economic Dev. & Health & Wellness | Identify model systems from around the US that is succeeding with local food efforts. Research whether the Dan River Region gets the double benefits of healthier people and stronger economy through a local foods effort. | |
| 9. (a) Marketing & Communications Plan | Civic Engagement | Develop a three to five year marketing plan and budget for DRF. | |
| 9. (b) Knight Foundation Grant | Convene interested parties from the Region to assist in the development of a new proposal for the Knight Foundation Community Information Challenge | ||
| 10. DRF Evaluation | Mission Level | Conduct a review of best practices in the field of philanthropy on evaluation so DRF can assess the impact of its work over the near and long term. | |
| 11. Recruiting & Retaining Young Professionals | Provide implementable strategies on how to recruit and retain young professionals in the Dan River Region. | Recruiting and Retaining Young Professionals |