Hello everyone and thank you to all the kind supporters and those who read up on Catholic Charities of Eastern Virginia! My name is Lauren Hedspeth and I am currently completing my practicum in the Norfolk office. I have been interning with CCEVA for the past couple weeks now and have gotten a little taste of all the wonderful work that the organization does in our community. I am excited to keep you updated on my internship with our new blog, Inside the Impact.
A little bit about me:
I am a Virginia Beach local who loves the outdoors, spending time with my family and friends and being active in any way! I completed my undergrad at Virginia Wesleyan University with a major in recreational therapy and am now wrapping up a master’s in arts and leadership and nonprofit management. I was a student athlete all four years of college and decided to continue to be with the team for one more year as a graduate assistant coach! I chose to complete my practicum at CCEVA because of the wonderful work they do for the community. I had heard only great things about this organization and wanted to learn more about the services they provide to our area, as well as learn more about the ins and outs of the nonprofit world.
What I have been able to experience so far:
In the few weeks that I have been with CCEVA, I have been able to be a part of one of the Grandparents-as-Parents meetings, meet department heads, learn about the true impact that this organization has, and research community resources to make any necessary updates. The GAP meeting was a great first hands-on experience—we spent the time chatting and creating beautiful red, white and blue wreaths with ArtsConnect Virginia. Getting to meet the participants who choose to take time out of their days to come in and be a part of the Kinship Program was a great experience. Being able to meet with different departments, not only here at the Norfolk office but also at the office in Newport News has been a great way to fully soak up all the different puzzle pieces that make this organization come together.
When I am not meeting with different staff to learn more about CCEVA, I have been working through a stack of paperwork to ensure that the resources we inform the community about are still available and updated. This project has really helped me to learn more about all the resources that are available in our area that I never knew about prior.
Things I am looking forward to:
The thing I am most looking forward to is a bit broad but true. It is also what I have enjoyed the most thus far; learning about the many wonderful things that the people here do for our community. In the Norfolk office, it is all women, and as a young woman it is very inspiring to see and hear about the care and passion the staff has for each person or family they meet and work with. I am also attending the all-staff meeting in June, and while I have already met some staff from two other offices, I am excited to see everyone gather in one place!
As part of my internship, I will be sharing stories, experiences and impacts with you through the summer. Look for my blog updates to stay in touch—thank you for catching up with me! Talk to you soon!