Welcome to the 4th and final edition of the 2015 Nonprofit Internship Program Newsletter entitled “Weekly Word.� This final edition will contain biographies from some of our interns, highlights from our past events, and future activities to come. This summer has been a journey for all of us where we learned about leadership, the importance of philanthropy, and how to engage in communities. We extend our gratitude to this wonderful opportunity dedicated to building leaders for the future. We would like to thank you all for reading our newsletter and following our journey through the NPIP program. We hope that you all had as much fun reading about our experiences, as we had making them. Love, Ashanti, Lauren, and Misha
John Moore University of Colorado
John Moore is a sophomore studying Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder. John is from Fort Collins, Colorado and loves what that area offers. John is an avid skier and enjoys all activities related to the outdoors. In his free time he attends concerts, spends time outside, and hangs out with good people. John’s favorite song is "Follow The Sun" by Xavier Rudd, because it always puts him in a good mood. His dream vacation spot is New Zealand. As an intern for The Denver Foundation’s NPIP Program John looks forward to positively impacting the community. He currently is an intern for OUR Center in Longmont.
Jamil Alfhadi McDaniel College
Jamil is an undergraduate entering his third year at McDaniel College where he has been heavily involved in community organizing and engagement. With the help of fellow students and key professors he organized monthly town-hall-style meetings to create a more transparent campus between students, professors, and administrators. He is working towards a double major in International Relations and Arabic. As the son of a Muslim immigrant from Morocco, Jamil quickly recognized some of the hurdles that many vulnerable groups face in the United States. He hopes he can one day alleviate some of these inequities. During his high school years, he became more involved in volunteer-based work where he became aware of the fight for social, racial, and economic justice, as well as his own privilege. He is thrilled to be applying his previous knowledge and experience towards a meaningful internship at Chinook Fund. He is currently helping with marketing and communications. When he is not working, Jamil likes to bike and play music with friends. He loves to play Jazz, Blues, and Progressive Rock in particular. If he had to pick, his spirit animal would be a panda. He cannot wait to learn more about social justice and the nonprofit world even after his summer at Chinook Fund!
Diego “Chance” LeBeau Metropolitan State of Denver
Chance was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. Before transferring to Metropolitan State University of Denver, he took a year of service with City Year Denver. He served at Charles M. Schenck Community School on the west side, supporting a 3rd grade classroom. The experience was initially a teaching opportunity, but it sparked a flame and passion for social justice work in Chance. At Metro, Chance is a Chicano Studies Major and Native American Studies minor. Of both Lakota and Chicano backgrounds, he hopes to use his studies to create change in underserved communities. Currently Chance is interning at Warren Village, an intentional community dedicated to helping single parent families achieve personal and financial selfsufficiency. As the child of a single-parent household, Chance is dedicated to the mission and values of his host organization. He is very excited to be able to help families with tough life-decisions that he understands intimately. His main summer project is the school supply drive for families. As an office-supply enthusiast he couldn’t have landed in a more perfect place.
Chance is in love with Colorado, however if he had to choose a spot to visit it would likely be Buenos Aires. As a generalist he likes a great array of things: reading/books, the rain, superheroes (Superman is his favorite), tattoos, and food primarily. Chance loves horror movies, his favorites include: Trick ‘r Treat, Halloween (the original), The Wrong Turn Franchise, The Hitcher (remake), and The Craft. His favorite band is Jack’s Mannequin and his favorite song is The Mixed Tape. Chance loves and appreciates all genres of music, so give him suggestions for his ever growing collection of songs. Next to his family and friends, Chance’s other true love is breakfast. He frequents two diners in Boulder: The Village Coffee Shop and The Southside Walnut Café. Both are amazing, but if you frequent Walnut Café, you need to have the pie – They’re famous for it! (Be sure to look for Chance on the front menu, he and his mother are known as: The Pie People). “The only morality in a cruel world is chance.” –Harvey Dent
Elise Flores University of Northern Colorado Alumna
Elise Flores is a multiracial woman who recently graduated with high honors at the University of Northern Colorado with Communication Studies and Sociology. She enjoys tutoring, volunteering, running, playing volleyball and dodgeball, and learning Modern, Latin, and Pacific Islander dancing. Her favorite song is The Lizzie McGuire version of "Why Not" by Hilary Duff because it values never quitting, never settling, and being yourself. Her dream vacation is a family reunion around the world and into space that is full of adventure, fun, and cuisine exploration. She is grateful for this opportunity with The Denver Foundation and Hope Center and she is excited to learn a lot, make connections, and be a catalyst for positive social change and growth. In the future, she wants to learn new languages, be a peer specialist, tutor, ally, and advocate for individuals who are multiracial with invisible disabilities. She also wants to teach dialectical behavior therapy and Zumba.
Christine de la Luna Metropolitan State University Christine de la Luna is a middle-class undergraduate student, person of color, passionate about feminism and the diversity of women’s voices. She currently studies at Metro State University in Denver double majoring in Women’s Studies and Africana Studies. Christine is devoted to continue in her self-reflection on the historical legacy of all feminists and to remain conscious of the work and research offered to humanity. She believes we have work ahead of us to correct the assumptions deeply embedded in the cultural psyche that feminism is anti-male. She believes feminism is anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-classist and supports the diversity and inclusivity of all sexual and gender identities. Thus, a male who has divested of male privilege, who embraces feminist politics, is a wellintentioned companion in the struggle, and in no way poses a threat to feminism. However, she emphasizes, a female who stays wedded to racist/sexist/classist thinking and behavior infiltrating the feminist movement is the most dangerous threat. Christine sees this as fundamentally necessary to the understanding of inequality and inequity as humanity moves forward in the pursuit of social equality, diversity and inclusivity that leads a truly equitable society. Christine is currently interning at Mile High Connects a program of The Denver Foundation.
Kaitlyn Kraybill University of California Berkeley Kaitlyn is a rising junior at the University of California, Berkeley but calls Denver home. She studies Earth Science and Science Journalism because she loves nothing more than chasing butterflies on a sunny ridge, understanding the stratigraphy of a beautiful rock formation, and understanding the biology of a mushroom. The process of synthesizing what she learns into a piece of writing, a drawing, or a video sparks her "flow state" and is her greatest passion.
Kaitlyn strongly believes access to and understanding of the natural world deeply impacts the psyches of both children and adults and therefore believes green space should be a fundamental human right. Kaitlyn is currently at Environmental Learning for Kids which inspires responsible leadership through science education and outdoor experiences for underserved, urban youth ages 5-25.
Learning Workshop 4 Thursday, July 23rd, we attended our final Learning Workshop of the summer. The event was held at the Vickers Boys and Girls Club, and it began with a moving speech by Mr. Barclay Jones. We learned about engagement in philanthropy, power, and politics. Mr. Jones taught us the 4 T’s of the giving circle: time, talent, treasure, and testimony. We learned that if we dedicate to each T, we become a part of the giving circle. Following the presentation, we went on a community walk engaging in the history of the Holly area of northeast Park Hill. The walk was led by Mrs. Gerie Grimes, the president and CEO of The Hope Center. The tour began at the Boys and Girls Club, and continued at the HOPE Center Vocational Program. The last location visited was Hiawatha Rec Center. On this tour, we learned more about the community members, available resources, and struggles the community faces. As a surprise to us, we participated in the alumni panel. The guest alumni were Jonathon Stalls, Angela Cobian, Felipe Vieyra, and Velia Munoz. Each alumnus gave wonderful insight into their personal lives, internships, and current professional life. The former and current interns interacted in a question and answer discussion. It was great for the current interns to gain clarification on many issues they are presently facing.
Networking Event
On July 16, the interns participated in the annual networking event. The event was held at the scenic Museo de las Americas. This was an opportunity for the interns to learn techniques of networking, and putting it to use. Interns were able to engage with their supervisors, TDF staff, board/ committee members, and alumni interns. The interns enjoyed learning and connecting with the guests present. The networking event provided an opportunity to learn further about nonprofits, philanthropy, and make lasting connections for the future.
Site Visit This past week, Ashanti, Alejandra, Lauren, Misha, and Cristine were able to have their version of a site visit. Since the five of them are hosted at The Denver Foundation, their visit looked different than the other interns. On their visit, they were all able to invite two guests, and give a presentation in front of them and their supervisors. Each intern spoke for 10 minutes detailing their role at the Foundation, department makeup, and takeaways from the internship. Some supervisors even jumped in to compliment the interns on their work and congratulate them on their progress this summer. Guests, supervisors, and interns bonded over lunch and light conversations. The site visit ended with a quick tour of the Foundation. This was a great way for the interns at the Foundation to have their version of a site visit.
Upcoming Events
NPIP Closing Event August 6, 2015 9:00am – 4:00pm
The Denver Foundation (TDF) 55 Madison, 8th Floor Denver, CO 80206