This summer, I had the privilege of working as an intern for Richmond Memorial Health Foundation (RMHF). Besides knowing the Foundation’s mission, the staff bios, and some of its community partners, I had no idea what to expect. What I did know, though, was that I was excited to work on the other end of philanthropy; where decisions are made, objectives are set, and policies are established. My prior experience with other non-profit organizations had been on the volunteer side, like assisting as a tutor and delivering meals to those in need.
I imagined I would be assuming a typical summer intern role, like running errands, answering phones, clearing files, and other busy work. I couldn’t have been more wrong. On my first day, I was given a tour of the office. Gaye Ryan reminded me that the entire office is a loop. So if you get lost, “Just keep going and you’ll end up where you started.” I was introduced to the staff, and I was given a number of resources to familiarize myself with the Foundation and its members, partners, and mission. I could not have been more excited. Many of the goals, presentations, and visions for Richmond and the achievement of health equity aligned with my academic and personal interests. I specifically remember a pamphlet titled “A Vision for a Thriving Community.” I kept this pamphlet on my desk the entire summer as a reminder of the goals RMHF works toward.
The graphic on the pamphlet discussed universal Pre-K, extreme weather management, and universal access to healthcare. It made the “social determinants of health,” which can sometimes sound vague, much more tangible. To this day, I still can’t seem to get this graphic out of my head. As I travel around my own community and beyond, I keep a mental checklist of whether these places reflect the “vision for a thriving community.” I’ve noticed that there are quality open spaces, community engagement opportunities, and multi-generational strategies, but housing doesn’t seem affordable for all, nor is there diversity in income levels. These truths have made me reflect on how fortunate I am to experience a “thriving community” but not all of Richmond has such an experience. So, is it really a “thriving community” when there are nearby areas that do not enjoy the benefit of access to resources, safety, and opportunities? This is just one of the many lessons I have learned during my time at RMHF: to look at my city and my community in a new way.
I also had the pleasure of working with Natisha Knight on planning the State of the Legislature event. I learned about the detail that goes into planning an event such as this, like scheduling speakers, drafting an agenda, and creating invitations. Much of my role consisted of importing attendees to a database. It was like I was doing flashcards for health and racial equity nonprofits in Richmond – I’m confident that I know them all by heart now, including their CEOs, locations, and missions. Though a bit tedious, reading the bios of leaders and learning about the incredible work being done right here in Virginia was inspiring. Aside from studying the impact and features of various health non-profits and learning more about the work taking place in my community, I also increased my Excel proficiency. Time and time again, Gaye Ryan provided wise life advice on the correct formatting for addresses and P.O. boxes and how to find emails (some strategies I had never even considered).
I gained a lot of experience during my work on the State of the Legislature event. I learned that sometimes, outsourcing event planning and using an app to organize it can be difficult. Sometimes items won’t upload or content won’t save; sometimes you have to do certain tasks multiple times before everything works. I would go as far as to say that our work required a lot of repetition and patience, but ultimately, I was able to use my experience, skills, and the lessons I had learned from staff to make sure everything was organized properly.
One of my favorite projects was reading the biographies and experiences of candidates for a leadership award and ranking them based on certain criteria. I love assignments where I can employ critical thinking and insight. I made a table with each candidate, their bios, and how well they aligned with the criteria. I enjoy assignments that allow me the opportunity to analyze data and information and draw conclusions. In the end, Reggie Gordon and I were both pleased to see that my rankings were aligned with the board’s determinations.
After the boost of confidence from that project, I was given the opportunity to meet directly with Richmond leaders and Foundation partners. I was eager to begin a media piece for RMHF’s July newsletter. My first assignment included a visit to ChildSavers, where I interviewed the CEO, Robert Bolling. I was captivated by Mr. Bolling’s charm, passion, and story. Writing the piece following our discussion came easily as I was excited to share the meaningful work of this organization and recognize Mr. Bolling’s journey, perspective, and goals. I am grateful to my coworkers for helping arrange this opportunity. I would also like to offer a special shoutout to Natisha Knight for her thoughtfulness in putting me in touch with local leaders that she felt would be the most helpful and informative throughout the entirety of this summer.
I later got to work with another incredible leader in the nonprofit world, Shanteny Jackson, a truly inspiring woman who is the Chief Executive Director of the Virginia Community Health Workers Association (VACHWA). I enjoyed hearing her perspective on her work and why it’s so important. I found a lot of their policy and advocacy work to be especially fascinating. For example, the efforts of VACHWA to achieve certification for community health workers and title protections illustrate the intersectionality of health, nonprofits, and policy. This real-world application is just one of many instances where I have been able to connect what I have learned in my various public health classes in college to my hands-on internship. I think it is immensely valuable to get an inside look at the inner-workings, opportunities, and challenges that go into legislating.
While the projects and tasks made this experience valuable, the connections I made with the team at RMHF are what made this experience transformational. I will forever be grateful that I was treated as a member of this family; someone who could contribute ideas and produce content, despite my age and lack of experience. It goes a long way to be invited to every Board, staff, or project meeting. I always felt like I belonged because the team was very inclusive, whether that was Kendra Jones popping into my office to let me know that there was an interesting conversation occurring in the kitchen and that they’d love for me to join and hear my thoughts, or Albert Walker scheduling meetings to help me organize my tasks. I admire each and every one of the individuals who helped make this experience not only educational but inspiring. I am excited to share with others the impactful work being done by the Foundation and its community partners and spread the word about my wonderful and considerate colleagues and the leaders that I met this summer. I am proud of the work that I have accomplished, the lessons I have learned, and the relationships that I have developed.
Thank you, RMHF!