FOUNDATION OFFERS SUMMER INTERNSHIPS

By Denice Thibodeau

Published: January 8, 2009

Ten college students will be selected for summer internships at Danville Regional Foundation, which held an open house Thursday night to explain the program to interested students.

The Foundation’s two winter interns, Carlethia Smith and Courtenay Dobbins, worked during the holiday break to set the open house up and coming up with ideas to market the program.

Karl Stauber, president and CEO of the Foundation, said the summer interns will help the foundation with its four key initiatives: obesity reduction, developing an improved work force, preparing children ages 5 and under for school and increasing the high school graduation rate.

“They will look at what the best practices in these areas are around the county and tract the progress in each of these four areas,” Stauber said. “But they will look at other things too, such as how to create a new economy and culture in the region and think of ways to recruit talented young people back to this region.”

Stauber said he has been impressed with Smith and Dobbins, and looks forward to the summer interns being on board.

“They’ve blown my socks off with the way they see the world,” Stauber said. “It’s wonderful to have them here; they see things so differently and have opened my eyes up on so many things.”

Unlike many internships, these students will be paid-- “College students need money,” Stauber said--during the 10-week program, with the pay scale ranging from $11 to $14.50 an hour, depending on each student’s level of education.

The internship will begin on May 25 and end on July 31, 2009. Interns will work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

The interns have to be college students enrolled in an associate, bachelor or master’s level program. First priority will be given to applicants who live in Danville, Pittsylvania County or Caswell County, N.C., though they can be enrolled as students anywhere.

“We are looking for young people who want to make a difference,” Stauber said.

The applications will be available next week on the Foundation’s Web site: www.drfonline.org and must be postmarked by March 16. More information about the program is also available on the Web site.

The Foundation will announce who has been selected for the internships on April 15.