Judith Burrola gained skills in fundraising and event planning during her internship with Child Health & Resilience Mastery.
Why did you choose this internship?
Child Health & Resilience Mastery (CHARM) is a non-profit organization supporting children and their families grieving the death of a close family member. At no cost to the families, CHARM provides workshops teaching social and emotional skills. I chose to intern with CHARM because I had volunteered with a program they facilitate for children and their families called Camp Druzy. As a volunteer, I had witnessed firsthand the impact this organization had on children’s lives while they are going through hardship.
Because I have also always been interested in the operations of a nonprofit, I inquired about an internship opportunity. Another factor that influenced my decision was knowing how rewarding it would be to learn from an internship with an organization I firmly believe in since I share their mission, which is “to empower children and families to strengthen their resilience in health promoting ways.”
Describe your internship experience.
The project I worked on as my internship was co-managing the 14th Annual Danica Tanori Memorial Golf Tournament, where all proceeds went to CHARM. I am proud that the total raised for the event was $15,762!
The most challenging assignment was requesting donations for sponsors. I am timid when it comes to speaking in public or to people I don’t know. I really tried to breathe and request what I needed. My supervisor, Dr. Heidi Pottinger, and another team member understood my fear and let me practice and even write down a script of what to tell the sponsors.
One of the most satisfying moments of my internship was the day of the main fundraising event. We had been working so hard and long hours, and seeing how more than 200 people came together to raise money to fund Camp Druzy this Summer was phenomenal. Given the amount that we raised, we will be able to host 25 families going through grief.
Another one of my contributions was to help CHARM secure a grant from the Nogales School District Superintendent's Office of $4,600 for Camp Druzy art supplies. Dr.Pottinger and I worked together to complete the requirements and are now in the process of requesting and paying for fingerprint clearance cards for all volunteers.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
My internship helped me gain perspective of what it is to be involved in a non-profit. I definitely will continue this path. I have committed to CHARM as a long-time Program Coordinator and we will see where this can take my career in the future.