Over the past six weeks, the Community Forklift team hosted an Impact Intern through the University of Maryland’s Do Good Institute. The program provides UMD students with community experiences, funding opportunities, and curriculum to enable them to apply their skills and ideas to make a positive impact. Community Forklift was fortunate to welcome Anna Meringolo, a rising senior majoring in Government and Politics with minors in Nonprofit Leadership and Social Innovation and Art History. In a summary of her time here at the reuse warehouse, Anna wrote:
“I was part of a variety of important projects with Katy in the Sustainable Development department and Scott in the Marketing and Communications department. This included getting hands-on experience in an office setting and attending all-staff meetings, helping in the warehouse, writing posts for the Community Forklift blog, and being a part of the grant writing process. I also had the unique experience of interacting directly with the community and seeing the positive influence of Community Forklift through participating in our First Friday events.
All of this has helped strengthen my desire and passion for the nonprofit sector. The experience has solidified to me the importance of nonprofit work and more specifically, the work and the significant impact of Community Forklift. Before this summer, I had not had the opportunity to work for a nonprofit organization, and I can confidently say that Community Forklift provided me with the best introduction to this environment that I could have asked for.
I have had a great time working for this organization and have learned many valuable skills along the way that I will carry with me in my future endeavors. I am so thankful to all of the staff here who welcomed me and contributed to my positive experience. Lastly, a special thanks to Katy and Scott for making my time here so memorable. I can’t wait to come back and visit for August’s First Friday!”
Thanks to Anna for her hard work, her flexibility and positive attitude, her interest in supporting and learning about the many facets of our organization, and her dedication to Community Forklift’s mission! It was a pleasure having her here at the reuse warehouse. Thank you to the Do Good Institute, the School of Public Policy, and the University of Maryland for connecting us with Anna and facilitating the internship program!
“All of this has helped strengthen my desire and passion for the nonprofit sector. The experience has solidified to me the importance of nonprofit work and more specifically, the work and the significant impact of Community Forklift.”
Every time you donate or shop at Community Forklift, you’re helping us lift up local communities through reuse. We turn the construction waste stream into a resource stream for communities in the DC region – by keeping perfectly good items out of the landfill, preserving historical materials, providing low-cost building supplies, and creating local green jobs.
