Stephanie Leonhard had been an intern at United Way of Sheboygan County for the past six months. As she leaves us to move on to finishing her final weeks of school and entering into full-time employment, we thought we would give her the opportunity to express her thoughts on working within the nonprofit world.  It was her first time working with a nonprofit and we think she learned much more than how to tend to administrative duties.  – Sandy Leske, director of community development and marketing.

Here at the United Way, my co-workers affectionately refer to me as I-2. I have been an intern here since October and the experience that I had in my short time here has been like no other. I came here for an internship as an administrative professional, but what I learned while working here goes way beyond what I could have learned in a class.  My duties were to cover basic office procedures such as filing paperwork, maintaining databases, and other common administrative type projects. It was great getting real life on-the-job experience, but more important than the skills that I reinforced while completing my projects in the office were the values I took with me from working with this non-profit organization.

Working for the United Way really has changed my life, and I’m not just using an old cliché because it sounds like a good thing to say. It really has changed me. I now realize the impact that nonprofit organizations have on the community. I also now understand the power of volunteering. There is such a great need for volunteers in this community but the amazing thing is that there are just as many people who are capable of volunteering. We recently hosted the first annual Volunteer Fair on April 16^th. The turnout we had at that event was amazing. Over 230 people met with the nonprofits that were present at the event and expressed interest in volunteering. Could you just imaging the positive impact there would be on the community if each of those 230-plus people volunteered just one hour a week?

I learned that you don’t have to do monumental things to make a difference is someone’s life. Simply volunteering one hour a week to visit hospice patients or be a lunch buddy for an elementary student will not only make a difference in their life, but your life as well. Simple things can make a world of difference to someone in need.

No kind act, no matter how small, goes unnoticed. In fact, quite the opposite happens. A good feeling is spread and often times others are inspired to also perform kind acts for others…the ripple effect. When one person does something good for someone else, people want to pay it forward and do good things for others. The effect is endless and touches countless people. There is no way to determine how many lives one person can touch.

This was not just a class that I had to complete. This was a chance to make the community stronger and the world a better place to live. I now think in terms of how I can help others and not just help myself. I myself have been inspired to continue working with the United Way even though my internship is complete. Through our work and the services we provide, we touch so many lives and I know that if I continue to volunteer with the United Way as well as other nonprofits, that I will be able to touch so many more.

I leave my internship with a sense of pride and accomplishment knowing that I positively affected the community and did my part to make the world a better place.