Spending my second summer working at an internship for a non-profit organization, I figured I could anticipate a similar summer, with similar tasks and job assignments I need to complete. The tedious administrative duties paired with the occasional hands on, company invested assignments that make you feel more than an intern for a small period of time.
Regardless of the task, deciding to participate in a non-profit internship was a decision I knew I could make easily. Once starting work, as expected, I found myself completing daily tasks supervisors gave me. Scripting my own outreach emails to volunteers on the first day gave me a small taste of what it felt like to be completing my own work, with something I could put my name on, regardless of being a simple intern. The brief moment of importance I felt through this assignment was quickly shadowed by my next task that took place in the volunteer room.
Sure enough, I found myself with the prestigious duty of stapling packets together. Riveting. While I worked in this room lined with shelves and centered by a long work table, I was introduced to a volunteer named Tim. Tim has MS, and a few cognitive skills along with his motor skills being disabled. He comes in twice a week to the volunteer room to help with whatever administrative tasks need to be done. He introduced himself to me, quickly pointing out that he does not do well with names, and I should not worry because he does not like to talk much.
As time progresses, Tim and I find ourselves working together weekly. I still am not confident that he remembers my name, but I am always greeted with a hello and a smile. The regular workers that travel through the volunteer room are greeted with that same smile. Routinely, when others ask Tim how he is doing, he reassuringly answers "I really can't complain" each time. While we often work in silence together, a silence that is drowned out by the stapling of packets or the stuffing of envelopes, there is a comfort in knowing the work we are putting in is going a long way, in a positive direction. Furthermore, there are more similarities along Tim and I that he even knows. Together, we both suffer from a lack of motor skills. Admittedly, I also find myself struggling to remember people's names.
Although there are similarities among our set backs, the focus between the two of us is knowing that our work is making an advancement towards a cause in a promising way. Despite the days I find myself getting frustrated over the typical intern requirements I may have to complete, Tim is there to remind that it is not about how big of a task needs to be completed, but how big of an impact you can have while being a part of something bigger than yourself.
