Events, more events, and more events! Last night was the re-opening of Dave and Busters.  They had just redone the whole place so they had an invite only party to celebrate.  This was a third party event for the Marvin Lewis Community fund in which we raised money by selling tickets for split the pot and different raffle baskets.  A lot of people from around the city attended the event; there was over 800 people there!  My job for the night was to sell split the pot tickets, which actually made me a little nervous.  I am not the type of person who typically goes up to people I don’t know and starts a conversation.  But I was forced to reach outside of my comfort zone.  After approaching a few people, I began to get the hang of things and the rest of the night went well.  No, I was not able to convince everyone I talked to into buying a split the pot ticket, but I did end up selling pretty many.  This experience was great for me and I was able to learn a lot from it.  When I become a nurse, I will not be selling split the pot tickets to my patients, but I will have to know how to approach them in the correct manner.  Although this internship is not in a hospital or doctors office, I am still able to learn valuable lessons and grow in my communication skills.  

Today at work I was busy running errands! We had to go back to the Cincinnati Zoo to pick up what was left over from the Learning is Cool event last night.  We also had to go to Paul Brown Stadium and Marvin Lewis's house (yes his actual house!) to pick up a few boxes.  I would have to say that it was a pretty successful and exciting day!  

Although the craziness of the Golf Classic has calmed down, the MLCF is onto is next event.  A big part of the Marvin Lewis Community is their Learning is Cool Program, which provides an educational incentive that rewards kids for strong academic performances.  This program partners with schools from all around the greater Cincinnati area.  Kids who make the "A" Honor Roll for two quarters of the school year are invited to an end of the year event in June.  This year the event was held at the Cincinnati Zoo. 

The event turned out to be a huge success, with over 3,000 kids who attended.  The MLCF had rented the zoo out for the evening, which allowed families to walk around and see the various animals.  I, along with the other interns, helped to check the children in when they arrived.  This was a chaotic process but it was great to see how excited the kids were to be at the zoo, and to be honored for their dedication throughout the school year.  These kids had worked hard and definitely deserved this wonderful evening of recognition.  I was so glad that I was able to experience this night to see who our organization and my work was directly affecting.    

The next  few weeks at the office were spent cleaning up and reorganizing from the event.  Just as everything had to be taken to Shaker Run for the Golf Outing, we then had to bring it all back to the office and find room to store it away.  This was not a quick or easy process because of the amount of things we had, but with time and help we were able to get it all accomplished. 

I am continuing to still really enjoy my job.  I don't mind working at all because everyone is so friendly and the atmosphere is great.  This is my first time working in an office setting, so a lot of things have been new to me but I am catching on very quickly.  I have really loved the time I have spent with the MLCF to better our community. 

Wow what a long weekend!  I am happy to say that the Golf Classic is now over and that it was definitely a success.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect and everything ran very smoothly.  I am still exhausted from working all weekend but it was all worth it in the end after seeing everything come together.

So Saturday… Saturday was actually a lot more hectic and busy than Sunday turned out to be.  Saturday was our final day of preparation for the event, and since the golf outing started early the next morning we had to get everything set up in advance.  The biggest task that I was given was setting up tents, tables, and chairs at all of the holes.  Since there were 27 holes this took a lot of time and many trips in the golf cart. 

I had spent the whole morning and afternoon setting things up and doing various tasks, but it all paid off the following morning.  Since we had done most the work the day before, when we got to the golf course on Sunday morning there wasn't much more to be done.  We finished up a few last minute things and were all ready for the big day.  I was in charge of volunteer registration and made sure everyone knew where they needed to be.  It was amazing to see the number of volunteers we had who were all so eager and willing to help with our event. 

The end of the day wrapped up with a live auction and presentation of the scholarship to the chosen recipients.  It was really neat to be able to experience this and see that all of our hard work had paid off.  This event doesn't necessarily serve the community, but it raises the majority of the money that the organization uses for its programs which do directly impact our community.  
  

I have officially completed my first few days as a MLCF intern!!  I wish I could say that I wasn't the slightest bit nervous, but that isn't true.  I wasn't completely sure what to expect but despite those nerves I was even more excited to have this opportunity to serve my community.

     

I have to say that everything has been going rather well.  I have had the opportunity to meet the other interns and women that I would be working with.  Since the Marvin Lewis Community Fund Golf Classic is right around the corner, I spent my time in the office helping to prepare for this event.  The Golf Classic is our biggest fundraiser in which all proceeds go to directly to the outreach programs which focus mainly on education.

I never would have imagined how much planning and preparation goes into this planning this fundraiser, and I quickly saw there was a lot to be done.  I helped to count and sort different prizes, make gift baskets, and create a map for where the different booths would be set up along the golf course.  I also helped in putting together the golf bags and prizes that were given to all the golfers participating in the event.  After many days of hard work we had pretty much everything together.  So the next task was loading it all into cars and Pods so it could be transported from our office downtown to Shaker Run Golf Course.  Needless to say I have been very busy, but I don't mind it at all and I am getting more and more excited about the Golf Classic. 

On another note, my experience as a MLCF intern so far has been better than I ever could have expected and I am looking forward to what this summer has in store for me.  I have began to get to know my co-workers, and I can't wait to continue to do so we work together to serve the community.  

Hi my name is Mollie Williams.  I will be a sophomore this fall at the University of Cincinnati.  I majoring in Nursing and am a part of the University Honors Program. As a member of the Honors Program I am required to complete 5 Honors Experiences throughout my four years of Undergraduate schooling.  For my first Honors Experience I am interning at the Marvin Lewis Community Fund this summer.  The MLCF is a non profit organization that aims to reach out and support our community through various programs and fundraisers that they hold throughout the year.  My internship is a volunteer position through which I will work these various events put on by the organization, and also help to complete office work throughout the week.  

I have created this blog in order to share my experience with others.  I hope by doing this I am able to show others my impact on the community and that I am able to better reflect on my experience as a MLCF intern.  Through this blog I will reflect on my weekly experiences and share what I have done and learned.