Our interns have been hard at work this summer with a lot of fun and interesting projects. We want to let the interns tell about their summer experience in their own words over the course of their intership. Today, we are going to hear from Rachel and what she has been up to so far. Here's a little bit from Rachel!
My time at the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation so far has been nothing short of amazing! At first, I didn’t really know what to expect. The first few weeks the other interns and I helped everyone in the office to get ready for camp. We joined the programming team and headed to North Bay for camp the morning of June 11th. All of the campers arrived a few hours later and the excitement began. The athletes came from all over the country, many who flew for their very first time! When the kids arrived, they got their pictures taken, then received brand new sportswear and baseball equipment. The expressions on their faces as we handed out the gear were indescribable. The next day, we headed to baseball camp in Aberdeen, Maryland. I grew up playing softball and have coached recreation league teams so this was my favorite part of camp. It was amazing to see the kids excel in such a short period of time!
I ended up leaving camp a day early because I had the opportunity to travel to Spokane, Washington to open the Foundation’s 14th Ability field. The Ability fields are built to include the requirements for special needs children. When I was in high school I volunteered at a similar ability field in my hometown, so it was really amazing to get to experience another field opening that can be used by intellectually and physically disabled children, as well as able-bodied children. After the ribbon cutting, we hosted a quick clinic and then played a one-inning baseball game. It rained throughout the entire event, but there were still more than 50 athletes along with family and friends there to celebrate the opening of Spokane’s first Ability field. This experience is something I am beyond grateful for, and will stay with me forever.
I’m thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve had so far and I look forward to what is in store for the rest of my internship with the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation!
You can follow the interns on twitter at @Intern_CRSF to see what they are up to throughout the summer!