Introduction

My name is Mason DeNamur. I chose to do my internship this summer at the Life

Enrichment Center in Milledgeville. This nonprofit organization was established in 1967,

to serve adults with various intellectual disabilities that live in or near Baldwin County.

When Covid hit, they were forced to go fully online through zoom for many months, until

they could figure out their next plan of action. During this time, they lost many of their

staff members, transport vans, and participants due to budget cuts and other factors.

Although they have run into many obstacles recently, they are now back on their feet

and doing the best they can with the staff that returned. The LEC’s main mission and

purpose is to provide their participants with any support or assistance they might need

that will boost their quality of life. They do this with programs and other activities they

create on a daily basis, and sometimes they will even get their participants feedback to

see where they need to make adjustments.

Description of Experiences

As an intern at the LEC, I had several roles throughout my experience. Due to the

constant changes and adjustments to our schedules each week, our tasks would always

vary. Sometimes I would be in charge of brain games on certain days during the week.

This is an activity that we implement every single day of the week. I usually teamed up

with Claudia during this time, and the game is always different. This activity is called

brain games, because the questions and tasks we assign our participants usually make

them think while also giving them the opportunity to learn about new information. One of

my other roles was to help plan and organize upcoming programs that we had each

week. At the beginning of our internship, we had mini camps at Lockerly on Mondays
and Wednesdays. Each week, we would have to come up with new activities and

programs for everyone to do while there. Sometimes it was difficult having a set plan,

due to miscommunication from staff members, and our supervisors wanting to change

plans at the last minute. I would say that one of the most challenging aspects of this

internship was getting everyone to agree about schedules and activity plans. It seemed

as if every week, even if we had made a detailed schedule of all the things we would be

doing that day/week, it would somehow change almost fifty percent of the time. Myself

and the other interns were quite annoyed and frustrated at times, due to the lack of

organization and communication among staff members. Although it was hectic at times,

I believe that most of my internship experience was fun. I truly enjoyed walking into the

activity center each morning to greet all our participants and have mini conversations

with them. They always had a smile on their face and had something new to tell me

each day. Some of my most memorable moments at the center was when we had the

opportunity to all gather in the backyard. There are so many things that we used this

space for, including corn hole, bocce, gardening, cookouts, and just an overall nice

place to get some fresh air. These were some of the best times, because I had the

opportunity to personally connect with all the residents and ensure they had a fun time.

On the other hand, I really wish that I could have done more landscaping around the

center. I would have loved to add flowers and more grass around the property to liven it

up for the residents and staff. However, due to budget restraints, I could only use the

tools and materials that were already there at the center. Although this limited what I

was able to do, I made the most of it and was able to make some of the outdoor space

a lot cleaner than it was prior.

Perception and Evaluation of the Internship

Going into this internship, I did not have many personal expectations. Although I had

worked with this organization in the past over zoom, I was unaware of how their day to

day operations worked at the center. I can truly say that once we started, I quickly

realized that they could use any help they could find. It seemed as if there was a new

challenge almost every single day. Whether it was poor communication among staff

members about upcoming programs, to all the last minute changes to our already set

schedule, there was always a new challenge that occurred. Since their organization is a

nonprofit, I did have an idea of how they ran certain things, but I never knew the extent

of it until I got deeper into the internship. Our organization was very open to any new

ideas that one might have. They are always looking for new and improved ways in

which they can boost the quality of life for all our participants, whether it be a new and

exciting activity at the center, to making adjustments for our music minicamp on

Wednesdays. All the staff members and supervisors were very open with myself and

the other interns. They told us that they did not have much money to do some of the

extravagant programs that they used to do before covid, so they were always very open

to any contributions they could get. Although they reimbursed us for some of the items

and other materials we bought, I would say that most of the time we did not get our

money back. On another note, my supervisor, Mr. Jay Warren has been very helpful

throughout my internship experience. He always has a detailed schedule that he makes

each week, so that we can stay on track and put participants in the groups they need to

be in. I believe that my experience could have been improved by better management

and funding. Since there were only a handful of staff members that returned to the
center after covid, it was sometimes difficult having everyone on the same page. In

addition, more funding could have really helped us out this summer. We could have

gone on more trips and planned additional community programs, but the funds we do

have are focused on necessities that the center needs, along with money to pay all the

staff. In my personal opinion, I do not think I would recommend this organization to

future interns. The amount of stress and unpreparedness that occurs on a weekly basis

can get very repetitive. Although it has been fun getting to know everyone, including the

other interns, staff, and participants, I would not want to recommend this place for

interns until they can get proper funding and management skills under control. My time

at the LEC has been very memorable and I have learned many new skills that will help

me in the future, but I do not think I would consider a career within this setting. I think it

was a very knowledgeable experience working and making relationships with everyone

at the center, whether it was with staff members or participants.

Internship Preparedness

I would say that for the most part, my previous academic background has helped me

tremendously. My communication and organizational skills are used on a day to day

basis, whether it is planning for upcoming events or programs, or organizing the

schedule so that we are able to manage everything that is going on. I think that I was

least confident in my social skills, because I have always been a quiet person that does

not reach out as much as I should. This internship has really pushed me to go outside of

my comfort zone and form new bonds within a setting that I have not had much previous

experience working with. Two of the courses that I used the most throughout my

internship experience were Methods of Health Promotion and Health Promotion

Program Planning. The skills that I learned in these classes, such as how to create a

successful health promotion program and all the steps one needs to take in order for

everything to run smoothly, have helped me greatly in my everyday encounters. The

School of Health and Human Performance could definitely have more courses that are

focused on certain skills that a Public Health student will use in their career. I believe

that there should also be one or two courses offered that lead up to the internship so

that students will be better prepared for anything they might encounter.

Internship Performance

Some of the new skills I developed while working at the LEC were my creative, time

management, and positive attitude skills. In terms of creativeness, I have had to really

think outside the box at times. For instance, my fellow interns and I are always coming

up with games to play with the residents or places to possibly go during the week. Since

we are sometimes limited in what we can plan, it definitely takes some thinking to come

up with good ideas. Secondly, my time management skills have truly been tested during

this experience. Almost every day, I have to be prepared for a change in the daily or

weekly schedule with little time to prepare beforehand. Lastly, having a positive attitude

has definitely changed for me during this time. I have learned how to keep a smile on

my face and others even when times are tough or stressful. Through this time, I believe

I have been thoroughly prepared with assignments and projects. I am always on top of

things and finish my work well before the deadline. As well, I make sure I put one

hundred percent effort in every homework assignment to make sure I get a good grade.

Honestly, if I had to rate the overall quality of my work, I would say it is about average.

While there are certainly things I can approve upon, I do not think I have done a terrible
job thus far in my internship. However, I think I could sharpen my social and leadership

skills. For example, I could improve conversational skills with the residents and staff, as

well as take more in charge in certain circumstances. By focusing more on and working

on these two skills, I can be better prepared to work in any work setting in the future.

Personal/Professional Insights/Benefits

Throughout my time working at the LEC this summer, I was able to achieve many

personal and professional goals. In the beginning of my internship, I had a goal set in

mind to really connect with at least one or two of the residents on a personal level. Now,

as my internship comes to an end, I have made countless connections with many of the

residents. Getting to learn about their personal lives and all the experiences they have

had with the LEC over the years was very interesting to hear. I got to learn about some

of their likes and dislikes, along with any hobbies they might like to do in their free time.

It was really beneficial in getting to know them, so that we were then able to cater to

their individual needs and wants. Sometimes it might be hard to communicate with a

participant, due to them not being able to talk. I learned that some of them use sign

language to express themselves, while others had to be asked multiple questions and

their response was either a head shake or other gesture. I truly believe that this

experience had a huge impact on my confidence, meaning I gained the ability to

complete tasks, organize and plan activities weekly, and work with a population in a

setting that is somewhat new to me. As my internship comes to an end, I have gained

an insight on how a nonprofit organization for adults with intellectual disabilities works,

and how everyone has to work together in order for day to day operations to run

smoothly. Working in this setting taught me a valuable lesson about working with this
population and how you should always try to be flexible, adaptable, and empathetic

through your daily endeavors.