Friday, August 31, 2012
Lend a Hand 2012
The Community Against Poverty is hosting a volunteer fair on Sunday, September 23rd at The Heights in Richmond Heights that will bring together over twenty-five agencies in need of volunteers. Bring a donation of food to benefit area food pantries and help make St. Louis a better place! For more information, visit the Community Against Poverty website.
One Week at the JCRC
On Monday, August 27th, I began working at the Jewish Community Relations Council as their Fall 2012 Poverty Intern. Although I am new to blogging, I wanted to document my experiences and share with others my involvement with the JCRC this semester. I applied for the Poverty Intern position because I am passionate about the fight for social justice in the St. Louis area. I aspire to dedicate my career to public interest and I believe the JCRC is a fantastic starting block where I can get my feet wet in the world of social justice advocacy, education, and action.
On my first day, I began making phone calls to local agencies that will receive an application for the Rabbi Robert P. Jacobs Jewish Fund for Human Needs. The agencies must provide assistance to individuals facing critical human problems on a non-denominational basis in order to qualify for an application and must have an operating budget in which a JFHN grant will make a meaningful impact. My role in this process is to contact the agencies that applied last year and ensure that the basic information we have for them, such as their budget, main funder's, and mission statement, have not changed over the past year. I am learning very quickly how to speak to an organization on the phone as well as the importance of being prepared when contacting an agency. It helps me to pull up the agency's website during the phone conversation as well as taking detailed notes that I can recall later.
The JCRC supports an event on Christmas Day known as the Jewish and Muslim Day of Service. On Christmas Day, a large group of people from both the Jewish and Muslim communities donates their time to about twenty different agencies throughout the St. Louis area, allowing the Christian volunteers and employees of these organizations time to celebrate the holiday with their families. Another one of my roles as the Poverty Intern is to contact the organizations that hosted volunteers last year and secure their participation for this year's event.
The insight I am receiving into the social justice campaign in the St. Louis area is incredible. I am becoming familiar with the budgets, funders, and organizational structures of numerous nonprofit organizations whose efforts are making a profound impact. I am learning how to draft an email to these organizations asking for money or their support as well as how to leave a message with one of their employees. The amount of knowledge I have gained and the skills I have been forced to develop throughout only the first week of working at the JCRC are only the tip of the iceberg of my experience here. I am thrilled to be working with Gail Wechsler and cannot wait to learn more from her over the next three months.
On my first day, I began making phone calls to local agencies that will receive an application for the Rabbi Robert P. Jacobs Jewish Fund for Human Needs. The agencies must provide assistance to individuals facing critical human problems on a non-denominational basis in order to qualify for an application and must have an operating budget in which a JFHN grant will make a meaningful impact. My role in this process is to contact the agencies that applied last year and ensure that the basic information we have for them, such as their budget, main funder's, and mission statement, have not changed over the past year. I am learning very quickly how to speak to an organization on the phone as well as the importance of being prepared when contacting an agency. It helps me to pull up the agency's website during the phone conversation as well as taking detailed notes that I can recall later.
The JCRC supports an event on Christmas Day known as the Jewish and Muslim Day of Service. On Christmas Day, a large group of people from both the Jewish and Muslim communities donates their time to about twenty different agencies throughout the St. Louis area, allowing the Christian volunteers and employees of these organizations time to celebrate the holiday with their families. Another one of my roles as the Poverty Intern is to contact the organizations that hosted volunteers last year and secure their participation for this year's event.
The insight I am receiving into the social justice campaign in the St. Louis area is incredible. I am becoming familiar with the budgets, funders, and organizational structures of numerous nonprofit organizations whose efforts are making a profound impact. I am learning how to draft an email to these organizations asking for money or their support as well as how to leave a message with one of their employees. The amount of knowledge I have gained and the skills I have been forced to develop throughout only the first week of working at the JCRC are only the tip of the iceberg of my experience here. I am thrilled to be working with Gail Wechsler and cannot wait to learn more from her over the next three months.
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