The Summer Begins

May 20, 2016 • Tom Sowders • No Comments

The following post was written by Tiffany Turner, a rising junior in the Bonner Leader Program at the Campus Y who received a Bonner NC Summer of Service grant for her internship at TABLE; she also received a Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation summer fellowship.

The summer begins and I have been granted two awesome opportunities that will last me through August, but will provide me with experiences and lessons that will last me a lifetime! The first opportunity is a fellowship through the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation in Raleigh, NC. The Foundation strives to engage leaders and organizations in issues that will impact the future of our community locally and at large, such as education, poverty, hunger and food justice. They have partnered me with a new social enterprise in Raleigh, Carroll’s Kitchen, that collaborates with other local agencies to empower women coming out of homelessness. My official title with them is “Communications Correspondent” and I will be working on developing their communications strategy. In addition to my work with Carroll’s Kitchen and the Foundation, I will be continuing my Bonner work with TABLE during the summer; thanks to the Bonner NC Grant! At TABLE, I will be working heavily with social media, specifically FaceBook and LinkedIn, but will also complete other tasks at TABLE’s staff’s request.

I am excited to be able to continue my Bonner work with TABLE this summer, as it will give me a new perspective on TABLE’s work. I will be given the opportunity to learn more about our summer programs and what it takes to run TABLE year-round.

What I’m Doing . . .

Inputting data into excel from a parent survey TABLE has recently conducted.
Being creative with TABLE’s chalkboard display.
Purchasing materials for TABLE’s spring appeal and to re-make Tar Heel TABLE’s Tri-fold.
Scheduling posts on FaceBook.
Creating a “Kids Card” about Sugar Snap Peas to go home in the kids’ Weekend Meal Backpack Program bags.

What I’ve Learned Already . . .

How TABLE sends out its newsletters through MailChimp.
Proper Spanish grammar as I translated the “Kids Card” from English into Spanish.
How to create quality advertising materials using fonts, color schemes, etc.
How to create a quality, professional operational/work plan.

With Samira and Cameron’s recent graduation, I have felt anxious about the immense growth of my responsibility at TABLE, as well as my ability to fill their shoes and continue their legacy! I think that my summer experience will help to ease me into this transition, as well as makeTABLE chalkboard (done by Tiffany) me more confident in my abilities to meet deadlines, produce quality outputs, and interact with staff, volunteers, and donors. I know that everything I learn this summer will assist me in being the eldest Bonner at TABLE next fall.

I am excited to use the skills that I have already learned at TABLE and put them to use in this new setting with Carroll’s Kitchen and the Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation. I am also ready to use the skills that I learn with Carroll’s Kitchen and the Foundation to further my work and responsibilities at TABLE.

Thank you so much for this awesome opportunity!