Today, the 11th class of the Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship program starts. These individuals went through a very competitive application and interview process – more than 250 applications were received for only 16 placements. The interns represent a variety of majors such as international business, human rights studies, social work, and urban planning.
This year’s host site projects are truly reflective of the challenges and opportunities faced by the nonprofit sector. The projects address topics such as business formation and development, land reutilization, youth development and urban agriculture. They also build the capacity of organizations in functional areas such as finance, development, outreach, marketing, and research.
We were deliberate in connecting young talent with meaningful, game-changing projects. This follows the program’s objectives of exposing young people to the local nonprofit and public sector and increasing organizations’ ability to conduct important short-term projects. Please join us in extending a hearty congratulations to some of Cleveland’s best and brightest.
Cleveland Foundation Summer Internship Class of 2010
Modesto Acosta
A junior at Oberlin College, will be placed at Near West Theatre. Modesto will be responsible for community outreach efforts with four area nonprofits.
Seerat Bhaniwal
A graduate student at Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Metropolitan Cleveland Consortium for STEM. Seerat will focus on providing content for the cyber communications plan which will include a new website, Facebook, e-mail blasts and Twitter. She will also assist in the design and implementation of meetings and activities for Urban Debate, and assist with the follow-up for the governor’s statewide and regional STEM conferences.
Ann Brewka
A junior at Fordham University, will be placed at Cleveland Tenants Organization. Ann will work directly with the shared development director in facilitating resource development and fundraising activities for three local grassroots housing advocacy organizations: the Cleveland Tenants Organization, Environmental Health Watch and the Housing Research & Advocacy Center.
Kali Fencl
A junior at the College of Wooster, will be placed at Cleveland Public Art (CPA). Kali will work with the organization’s project management and marketing staff to develop an art exhibition in CPA’s storefront gallery space.
Amy Freede
A graduate student of Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Towards Employment. Amy will work with the training services manager to formalize its Networks 2 Success and Networks 4 Success Job Readiness Workshop instructor materials. She will also be responsible for creating an instructor curriculum manual.
Donte Gibbs
A senior at Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Neighborhood Leadership Institute (NLI). Donte will be responsible for managing the NLI summer out of school time programs, which include the City of Cleveland’s tennis program as well as the Schools as Neighborhood Resources (SNR) locations.
Joseph Gruber
A junior at the University of Dayton, will be placed at Shaker Square Area Development Corporation (SHAD). Joseph will be responsible for providing assistance with the administration and marketing of SHAD’s exterior housing repair program, a targeted one-to-one matching grant program to assist owner-occupants of distressed homes with the completion of exterior repairs to their properties.
Taryn Higgins
A graduate student of Case Western Reserve University, will be placed at Ohio State University Extension (OSUE) in Cuyahoga County. Taryn’s primary responsibilities will be to enhance and update OSUE’s community gardening guidebook so it is more user-friendly. She will support the development and implementation of a hands-on summer learning program for preschool-age children, “To the Garden We Grow.”
Monica Laco
A senior at Xavier University, will be placed at Recovery Resources. Monica will identify, develop, and maintain social media outlets for agency involvement and promotion including development and maintenance of agency blog, enhancement of YouTube channel and Facebook page, plus exploration of LinkedIn and Twitter.
Liam Martin
A junior at Taylor University, will be placed at ShoreBank Enterprise. Liam will be responsible for reviewing existing infrastructure, estimating repair/replacement timelines, contacting vendors, obtaining quotes for work, analyzing proposals, aggregating information and assisting in the development of a long-term capital improvement plan.
Colin McCormack
A graduate student of the University of Akron, will be placed at the Cleveland Mediation Center. Colin will be responsible for conducting an in-depth market analysis of the mediation/conflict resolution training market in Northeast Ohio. He will also create a marketing plan for its trainings.
Sarah Narkin
A junior at John Carroll University, will be placed at Voices for Ohio’s Children. Sarah will help coordinate logistics for policy meetings, update portions of Voices’ website, write articles for Voices’ Newsletter, attend related policy meetings and activities, and conduct general policy research.
India Pierce
A senior at Ohio University, will be placed at Union Miles Development. India will be responsible for vacancy data collection and residential code enforcement support. She will also work with partners to implement a phytoremediation (the use of green plants to remove pollutants from the environment or render them harmless) sunflower garden.
Nicole Velasquez
A recent graduate of Clarion University of Pennsylvania, will be placed at The City Club of Cleveland. Nicole will assist in the overall planning of the 100th anniversary activities. She will also work with the public relations and programs manager to plan and implement a marketing plan that will include, among other things, targeted marketing and use of social media. She will also help to plan Forums.
Joseph Wingenfeld
A senior at Miami University, will be placed at Neighborhood Progress, Inc. Joseph will work on the implementation, documentation, and assessment of the Re-Imagining a More Sustainable Cleveland Pilot Project, in which 58 land re-use projects will transform vacant land bank lots into greenspace, market gardens, and phytoremediation (use of green plants to remove pollutants from the environment or render them harmless) sites.
Adam Yasinow
A senior at Washington University in St. Louis, will be placed at BioEnterprise Corporation. Adam will be responsible for identifying and researching imaging companies and will conduct a competitive analysis of imaging assets found in other parts of the country. He will also analyze new technologies and markets and develop a profile of assets that support the development of new imaging technologies.
