Behind the Scenes: Through an Intern's Eye

When I first started my internship at Fidelis I was worried there might not be enough things to do to fulfill my 290 hour commitment. I am now 5 weeks into it and I know nothing could be farther from the truth.

From an outsiders point of view, it may look like our program is run for three hours a week. However, to make sure that our program goes off without a hitch it takes a weeks worth of effort. On Thursday morning we reach out to each individual group to make sure they are still able to come and to get head count on how many riders to expect. After that, we email all of the volunteers and to make sure we will have enough to run our program safely.

For me, I have spent most of my time so far working on getting the Fidelis name and mission out to the public. I have created an account on Volunteermatch.org which is a site that anyone can go on and look up local volunteer opportunities. Even though our account has only been live for less than a week we already have one volunteer that we have talked to who is excited to work with Fidelis! Being a Coastal student, I have reached out to different groups on campus who might also be interested in being volunteers. The one that I think is most fitting is the Coastal Equestrian Team. They seem very interested in helping and have a background in horses which is always an added plus!

The last thing that is very important is all the work being done by everyone for the 2nd Annual Serving Aces for Smiling Faces Tennis Tournament! Our goal this year is $5,000 which is twice the amount of what was raised last year! Each member on the Board of Directors is trying to get as many sponsors as possible at $100 each. We are always looking for different sponsors but also for players!

Last week I also got on my first horse in over 10 years! It took a bit to remember all you had to do with tacking up and getting the horse ready but it’s coming back bit my bit. It was awesome being back on a horse, the first day I rode Yokum who was an awesome teacher. It took a bit to get him to move but he put up with me pretty well. The second time I rode Mya who had  a little more get up and go in her. Being back in the saddle and a little more familiar with the individual horses that Fidelis uses will help a lot when it comes to helping the riders.