Winners of the community service internships were recently announced. Gifts for this year’s internships came from the Class of 1973, the Roger H. Hull Community Service Internship Fund and individual alumni support.
Those who received funding are:
Class of 1973 Community Service Internship Funding Recipients:
Peter Donnelly ’14: Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees, Utica, N.Y.
Donnelly, an anthropology major, will be contributing his time at the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees. He will mainly be assisting with the research and implementation of the Refugee Health Navigator Program to assist immigrants in accessing and using the U.S. healthcare system. In addition, he will be involved in a variety of services the Center offers including teaching English as a Second Language classes, participating in resettlement of immigrant families, assisting with community outreach efforts and coordinating projects with other volunteers.
Alexander Pibl ’14: Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, Princeton, N.J.
This summer, Pibl, a sociology major, will be working on several community outreach projects with the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad. Along with his supervisor, he identified multiple underserved populations within the community that needed special attention. He will interview elderly and handicapped residents as well as those in affordable housing communities to develop their “File of Life” which documents basic health conditions. At assisted living and extended care centers he will help managers develop pre-evacuation plans for storms to ensure processes are in place in case of power failures affecting the care of residents and patients. In addition, he will expand on community education programs for children and the English as a Second Language population. Often these groups do not understand how to call for help or what happens when they do. By providing EMS demonstrations, he hopes to ease any fear of care that is provided in an emergency.
Roger H. Hull Summer Community Service Internship Funding Recipient:
Teresa Crasto ’14: Our Lady of the America’s Shrine Church, Albany, N.Y.
Crasto, an English and mathematics double major, will be working in an inner city, multicultural church community serving many immigrant families. She will be involved in several programs including assisting with the coordination of expanding this summer’s Vacation Bible School. As many of the children are from lower socio-economic families and are unable to pay for the activities, she will use some of the funding to provide supplies and food for VBS. She also will assist in the local soup kitchen, food pantry and thrift shop, working alongside volunteers and those in need throughout the neighborhood. She will also provide administrative support for website updates and produce documents in both English and Spanish, as there is only one part-time staff member of the organization.
Becker Career Center Community Service Internship Funding Recipient:
Sarah Wizner ’14: HARC, Inc., Hartford, Conn.
Wizner, a sociology and psychology interdepartmental major, will be working at HARC, an organization that helps people with intellectual disabilities and their families by providing support, education and advocacy. She will be involved in two main programs: one providing early intervention services, and the other affording an opportunity for those with intellectual disabilities to interact with individuals without disabilities. Through the Stepping Stones/Early Intervention program, she will be part of the clinical team participating in home visits to help parents understand their young child’s needs. As a result, HARC will assist in coordinating efforts to provide training and therapeutic support for families, regardless of economic limitations. Through the inclusive summer camp, she will also assist with coordinating activities for campers with intellectual disabilities to interact with those who are not disabled. This helps these individuals learn how to interact in a social situation and also educates those without intellectual disabilities on how they can help people with intellectual disabilities learn to be independent.