Foundation works to recruit summer interns to Danville

College student interns work this winter break in the offices of the Danville Regional Foundation to recruit more interns to the Dan River Region for the summer.

The Danville Regional Foundation will recruit interns not just for DRF, but also for other businesses and nonprofits in the region that could use an infusion of young talent, program officer Wendi Goods Everson said.

The key way for the region to compete in the 21st century is through retaining and recruiting smart, well-educated young people, said President and CEO Karl Stauber of DRF.

Summer internship information sessions

• From 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday: Pittsylvania County Public Library Gretna Branch
  
• From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: Caswell Senior Center
  

Summer internship opportunities open house

• Giveaways and free refreshments
  
• From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Danville Regional Foundation at 103 S. Main St. beside Stratford House.
  
• Undergraduates, graduate students and recent grads may apply for paid internships. DRF also is looking for businesses and nonprofits that would like interns in the summer.
  

Learn more

• Become a fan of Danville Regional Foundation on Facebook.
  
• For more information call (434) 799-2176 extension 314 or visit their Web site,
  where there are examples of reports and projects by past interns.
  

“How do we retain and recruit such talent? By showing them this is a place of opportunity,” Stauber said. “When people see opportunity to make a real difference, they are most likely to become part of our future.”

Last year, two winter interns recruited 165 college students to apply for 10 paid internships with the foundation. The foundation additionally placed about 40 applicants with other businesses and nonprofits in the region.

This year, three winter interns — Amanda Oakes, of Blanch, N.C., Courtenay Dobbins, of Danville, and Tamela Warren, of Pittsylvania County — work to garner interest from college students both from inside and outside the area. A third of applicants last year came from outside the Dan River Region.

The foundation will help the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research recruit around 45 students with science, technology, engineering and math backgrounds, Everson added. About another 70 interns could be placed throughout Danville, Pittsylvania and Caswell counties.

Interns at DRF may earn up to $14.50 an hour, depending on experience and education level. Pay for other interns depends on where they are placed.

Interns will have a chance to really impact a community, Everson added. For instance, DRF uses data collection from past interns in its mission to serve as an agent for transformation and develop and sustain a thriving region.

DRF interns will also develop recommendations on what the region can do to attract and retain more young professionals.

The winter interns use social media like Facebook to spread the word and will host an open house and information sessions this week.

At the open house, applicants can eat free food, meet up with other young people and talk to past interns about their experiences.

Warren, 20, had applied for an internship last year and was brought on as a winter intern. She’s an education major and pursues interdisciplinary studies at Hampton University.

The winter internship helps her develop her communication skills and gives her professional work experience.

“It’s just been a good opportunity to work on your own in a professional setting to accomplish a goal,” Warren said.

Oakes, a 20-year-old communication major with a concentration in public relations at North Carolina State University, said the winter internship helps her fulfill part of her major’s requirement and gives her hands-on experience.

“It gives you a chance to actually do what you’re learning in class,” Oakes said. “I think it’s fun.”