Here at the foundation, we’re committed to supporting Greater Cleveland’s nonprofit and public sectors, and fostering the next generation of community leaders. Our summer internship program does just that. Since 1999, the Cleveland Foundation summer internship program has provided undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates an opportunity to work in Cleveland-area nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies. We call it a “summer of purpose.”

Next week, the 2016 summer intern cohort will begin their summer of purpose. Meet the interns and learn a bit about what they’ll be doing:  

• Katherine Brewer, a junior at Baldwin Wallace University majoring in Public Relations, will support planning and implementation of Asian Services in Action Inc.’s communications and development efforts, including the organization’s 20^th Anniversary Gala.   

• Julia Daniels, a senior at Wheaton College majoring in African, African American Diaspora Studies and a 2016 Porter Cleveland Fellow, will assist with digital content, marketing, and networking at community events for NewBridge Cleveland – Center for Arts & Technology. 

• Danielle Dickinson, a senior at Wheaton College double majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science, is a Porter Cleveland Fellow who will assist with research related to the National Initiative on Mixed Income Communities at the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western Reserve University. 

• Daniel Drees, a senior at Loyola University majoring in Political Science, will work with CEOs for Cities where he will assist with academic research, policy analysis, writing and presentation of case studies profiling successful projects and initiatives in cities across the CEOs for Cities network.   

• Richard Ellis, a graduate of Notre Dame College double majoring in Political Science and Criminal Justice with an Entrepreneurship minor, will be implementing community outreach, marketing and tracking strategies for new loan programs at Hebrew Free Loan Association. 
• Megan Goedeker, a senior at John Carroll University double majoring in Biology and History, will be working with Burten, Bell, Carr Development Corporation to connect neighborhood resident ambassadors to citywide sustainability initiatives and create volunteer outreach events and workshops.
• Isabelle Hanna, a senior at Vanderbilt University double majoring in Economics and Molecular & Cellular Biology, will work with Care Alliance Health Center where she will coordinate documentation and compliance efforts and assist with planning the organization’s fall fundraiser gala.
• Katherine Karpinski, a senior at Cleveland State University double majoring in Business Administration and English, will develop marketing strategies for volunteer programs and assist with assessment of existing volunteer programs at Cogswell Hall. 
• Scott King, a graduate of Capital University with a major in Professional Writing and minors in Creative Writing and Marketing, will work at Cleveland Housing Network where he will help coordinate youth employment programs and events.  
• Iris Kleinman, a graduate of Cleveland State University with a major in Communications, will coordinate special events and help staff implement marketing strategies at DANCECleveland.

• Gabrielle Maginn, a senior at Wheaton College double majoring in Women’s and Gender Studies and Political Science, is a Porter Cleveland Fellow placed at Equality Education Fund Ohio, where she will help organize LGBTQ rights at a state level.

• Haley Marblestone, a graduate of Allegheny College with a major in Communication Arts, will work with Health Tech Corridor where she will coordinate and co-lead tours of the Health Tech Corridor for key audiences and stakeholders. 
• Matthew Markusic, a graduate of Kent State University with a major in Integrated Social Studies and a minor in Sociology, will manage a student retention project and assist with alumni engagement and fundraising efforts for Friends of Breakthrough Schools.
• Eva McKnight, a graduate student at Cleveland State University in the Master of Nonprofit Administration and Leadership program, will work with Providence House where she will conduct research and analysis to explore the expansion of the Providence House program model to other communities and support the organization’s endowment campaign. 

• Olivia Milne, a junior at Wheaton College majoring in Political Science, minoring in Legal Studies, is a Porter Cleveland Fellow placed at the Legal Aid Society, where she will assist with the coordination and organization of Legal Aid’s social media accounts and engagement with Legal Aid’s donor database.

• Patrick Mohorcic, a junior at The College of Wooster double majoring in Business Economics and Political Science, will work with the Village of Fairport Harbor where he will support implementation of their marketing plan and logistics ahead of the Tall Ships Festival in July and coordinate efforts to attract new investment in Fairport’s downtown.
• Stephanie Molnar, a graduate student at Cleveland State University in the Master of Public Administration program, will create and implement volunteer recruitment strategies and neighborhood-based outreach at Greater Cleveland Volunteers.
• Marissa-Ann Pappas, a senior at Cleveland State University double majoring in Nonprofit Administration and Women’s Studies, will work with the Center for Community Solutions AIDS Funding Collaborative (AFC) where she will lead planning and coordination for the AIDS Funding Collaborative’ s AmeriCorps Service cohort and assist with AFC’s grantmaking cycle.
• Rachel Szeles, a senior at Baldwin Wallace University double majoring in Spanish and Psychology with a Legal Studies minor, will assist with strategic planning and the implementation of a marketing plan at Senior Transportation Connection.
• Kirby Suntala, a senior at Cleveland State University double majoring in Urban Studies and Nonprofit Administration, will help manage the Storefront Vacancies Program for Heights Community Development Alliance at Future Heights.
• Bobbie Szabo, a senior at Kent State University majoring in Integrative Studies, will help implement and assess a pilot neighborhood oral history project at Cleveland Public Library.
• Johanna Tomsick, a senior at Boston College double majoring in Biology and Philosophy, will work with Zygote Press where she will support Zygote’s Free the Ink 20^th Anniversary community event series and research community education and engagement program opportunities.

We’re excited to see what this impressive group will accomplish! You can follow their work throughout the summer here on the blog where they will be writing about their experiences and on our social media pages using #SummerOfPurpose.