Since it is summer vacation, most of our Ambassadors are travelling with their families and are unable to come to the Wigs 4 Kids Wellness Center for counseling regularly; therefore, Corey, our social worker, is only at the Wellness Center once a week. On the day he is in, I work with him doing paperwork and observing therapy sessions. When Corey does not have therapy, I do anything that needs to be done at the Wellness Center. The Wigs 4 Kids 11th Annual Gala is coming up in September, so most of my work relates to the gala: testing out the popcorn machine, drafting e-mails seeking corporate sponsorships, making gift certificates for the raffle baskets, and much more. I also work in the administrative offices daily, drafting thank you letters to hair donors, answering the phone, making appointments for Go Green Salon (the fully-functional salon located in the Wellness Center), and so on. My projects are very diverse!
When I was offered my internship position at Wigs 4 Kids, I was excited but very nervous. This was my first internship, so I did not know what to expect. Once I finished my first week at Wigs 4 Kids, however, I knew that I was in for a challenging but gratifying experience.
On my very first day at Wigs 4 Kids, I was greeted with such warmth that I could not stop smiling all day. The individuals who work at Wigs 4 Kids are incredible- all are very passionate about the work they do. Jen (Marketing Director), Danielle (Volunteer Coordinator), Christina (Finance Director), Jackie (Staff), and Maggie (Founder and CEO- my employer) were all very accepting of me and have been extremely helpful. The environment there is so welcoming, although the Wellness Center can be chaotic; the FedEx delivery man came in once and said it was like walking into a ray of sunshine, and I completely agree! What a wonderful environment for sick children to find solace. This definitely made the transition into my internship easier.
During my first week, my employer put me in charge of a very special art project, as my intended career path is art therapy. Fox 2 Detroit has partnered with Wigs 4 Kids to broadcast a music video in which our Ambassadors will sing along to an empowering song. My assignment was to lead our volunteers in designing and creating posters for the kids to hold up in the music video. I was very pleased but surprised to have been given so much responsibility during the first week of my internship.
My poster project was so much fun. The volunteers I lead were very eager to follow my direction, which I felt greatly improved my leadership and interpersonal skills. My employer gave me high praise for the posters, which gave me so much confidence in my abilities to lead and create. Following this wonderful experience, I was assigned to work with our social worker Corey. I was allowed to observe a therapy session, something I have never had the opportunity to do before. The experience was so fascinating! It was intriguing to learn Corey’s methods and how he approaches each case differently. I work with Corey now every Wednesday afternoon, observing his therapy sessions and completing the necessary paperwork afterwards.
My first impressions of Wigs 4 Kids were wonderful. The whole environment of the center was so positive and inspiring. The work I did during my first week showed me that while I would enjoy the rest of my internship, it would still be challenging. I knew I was going to be learning a great deal and developing many skills during my experience.
Hi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such an amazing, warm community at Wigs 4 Kids! It's great to be involved in an organization that you feel passionate about, as that makes the learning experience that much better. It's also cool that during your first week you were able to express some creativity/take on responsibility with the poster project. I know a couple people who want to go into art therapy and it sounds like a very rewarding career. Hope the rest of your weeks are just as inspiring!
This sounds like an incredible organization to have been working for! It sounds like your experience was very heartwarming and meaningful, while also productive for your major. This is such an inspiring thing you are doing!
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