Ogallala Commons Newsletter: June (Issue 3)

Intern Profile: Elisa Elizondo

My name is Elisa Elizondo, I'm 20, and I have finally decided that I will transfer to Prescott College in Arizona in the fall as a junior. I lived in Fort Worth all my life up to now and went to TCU for two years. Home used to be all the way at the end University Drive and now it's far, far away and about to get farther.

My internship is in Amarillo, TX at the Wesley Community Center and the Maverick Boys and Girls Club. Both aim to establish community gardens that will provide food for the people they serve. Wesley serves as a place where people (mostly children and the elderly) come to learn and have fun. The Maverick Club serves only children and is pretty much the same thing on a larger scale.

Most of the volunteers I work with are in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade and they absolutely love being out in the garden and learning about it. At this point both gardens only grow annual vegetables, but in addition to caring for it (not an easy job with all this wind!), my job is to ensure more perennial and long term edible shrubs, rain catchment, and composting, and community support are in place to sustain the garden when I leave.


Intern Profile: Tara Fox

My name is Tara Fox and I am serving in my community of Plainview, Texas this summer. I have been living in Plainview for almost 7 years now. I have completed my undergrad as well as my master’s degree at Wayland Baptist University. This summer I am taking on the task of creating a financial banking and education curriculum geared towards lower income and unbanked individuals and families in the community. The end goal is to provide information and education to break the poverty cycle in families to give future generations a chance at something better.

We are also working on beginning an IDA (Individual Development Accounts) program for women who are or have been in a domestic family violence situation. By providing a program that will not only assist them in meeting a goal, whether that be owning a home, going back to school or starting a business; but also teach them how to make a budget and stick to it; we are taking away a piece of power and control that this family has been under. Economic abuse is one of the main reasons why women stay in abusive relationships for as long as they do. Most of these women were never allowed to work, or never able to so teaching them some basics is exactly what they need.

I believe in this project and am so honored to be a part of this opportunity to change families’ lives not only right now but for future generations as well.


Intern Profile: Larissa Gardner

Hello,
I'm Larissa Gardner, an Ogallala Intern working in Nazareth, TX. I live in Amarillo and have two daughters (12 and 19) who live very nearby, so I can see them as often as I want to. My parents grew up in Happy, Texas, and I spent summers in the Texas Panhandle helping my grandfather on his farm. What I really love about the program is the opportunity to work in my field before I graduate with my Masters' Degree. I feel very lucky!

My main project is an exhibit entitled “A Woman's Touch.” It celebrates the Benedictine Sisters who taught in Nazareth from the early 1900s until 1990 as well as the Sisters who received vocations and left Nazareth for the St. Scholastica Monastery in Arkansas. I've done research on the History of Nazareth and the History of Supreme Court decisions on Separation between Church and State. I've also interviewed Sisters who are still in the area and have gathered stories from many of those they taught! The exhibit is planned for seven panels and will be presented at the Nazareth German Sausage Festival on July 9th.

Other portions of my internship center around the Cemetery's Oratory Index and map as well as production of an exhibit book for “A Woman's Touch” and “Pioneer Pastors” exhibits to be used on future displays as a takeaway. I am also following up this summer on work I did last summer to help get the Holy Family Cemetery designated as a Historical Site so they can get a Historical Marker.

Ogallala Commons Newsletter: June (Issue 2)

Color Us Blue (as in Caring)!
Fr. Ken Keller, OC Intern Supervisor

As an overall group, the 2011 Ogallala Commons Community Interns are compassionate! At least that is what a summary of the “Colors Test” indicated when the individual results were tabulated together as a group.

Recall from your Intern Orientation a few weeks ago, that a Personality Quiz called “True Colors” was taken by the Interns and 22 returned their results for a collective look at their “intern-ablity”. In this particular personality assessment tool, those whose primary color is Blue are compassionate, while Oranges are courageous, Greens are conceptual, and Golds are detail-oriented.

Not enough information came in to attempt to answer fully the question “What personality type is most common in a Community Intern?” However, 2011 Interns whose primary personality color is Blue are more noticeable (37% in the group rank it as their primary color), while the group’s other three personality colors are equally placed at 21% each. Nationally, when one looks at an average for all groups, each color shows up at a 25% occurrence in a group.

When one looks at the collective results, from intern’s most-to-least ranking of colors, one can picture a “bell curve” type of perspective on color. Thus, for the highest color – Blue -- 9 rank it first while 5 rank it last. For the lowest color – Gold – 5 rank it first while 8 rank it least. Green and Orange seem to be the balancing factors for our group.

However, the True Colors test helps interns not only by understanding their strengths, but also their weaknesses. When consideration is give to the last place ranking of a color, 36 percent of our 2011 Interns listed Gold as their least color. This can indicate that our interns are not as “practical”, “managerial”, or “detail- oriented” as the average group of persons.

In summary, here are some generalizations about our 2011 Interns as a group (not each individual). They are caring with a strong desire to make a contribution to society and help others. They are enthusiastic, communicative, and sympathetic.

A side of their “group personality” that might be worked on more during their internships would be: maintaining a schedule, doing more organizing, and making efforts to leave their community or organization in August with more established and practical solutions. Thus, the True Colors Personality Assessment gives us another level of insight into the gifts offered and the challenges faced by Community Interns.


Learning About Natural Resources...Attend Field Days
Across the Great Plains region, interns, supervisors, and interested citizens can learn more about our natural resources by attending a Field Day. Throughout this summer, on any given week or weekend, an agency or group of organizations is conducting some sort of Field Day. These events usually occur in the morning and end with lunch. It's a great opportunity to get outdoors and learn about wildlife, plants, water, and soils in a hands-on way, with the instruction of local experts. Remember, stewarding natural resources is one of the key skills for a Community Intern, and attending a Field Day may be your best chance to engage in this work. Upland Field Day at Dimmitt Unit of the Playa Lakes WMA in Castro County on Saturday, June 25th from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Down in the Texas Panhandle, there are two Field Days coming up. There will be an Upland Field Day at the Dimmitt Unit of the Playa Lakes WMA, 4 miles west of Dimmitt, TX in Castro County on Saturday, June 25th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. This event is free and everyone is invited, but they would like folks to RSVP (in order to have plenty of bottled water and information packets on hand that day). We would love to have as many hunters, landowners, and youth as possible (boys and girls…the future of land and wildlife in our states). Another outdoor event will be held on Saturday, July 9th, with a Playa Field Tour at the Playa Classroom in Nazareth, TX from 8:30am-11am. You can learn about amphibians, playa plants, birds, and soils at this gathering. When it is over, you can attend the Nazareth German Festival, and enjoy a delicious German sausage dinner for $10 per person. If you are interested in either Field Day, please contact Darryl Birkenfeld (806-945-2255).


Intern Profile: Karen Bone
Hi all,
I am originally from South Texas, went to Sam Houston State University in East Texas, and currently live and work in West Texas. All this moving has made me appreciate the diversity and size of our state, and I like to joke that I have lived in 3 different states since the regions all have their own particular personality and the distance between them is so large. It takes me a good eight hours to visit where I grew up. In my spare time I read a lot of nonfiction, run a discussion group called Feminist of Lubbock, hike and bike with my partner, and play fetch with my extremely energetic two year old lab.

For my internship I am currently working at Sherry Pullen’s organic farm and, later in the summer, I will be teaching kids a little about food and nutrition. So far I’ve learned about picking vegetables, hoeing, laying down mulch, making organic pesticides, and maintaining moisture in the garden. I’m looking forward to learning more about butchering chickens, planting, putting the implements on the tractor and driving it, and picking fruit in the orchard, to name a few. It’s been interesting because while we have a rough work plan in place, so much of the work is dictated by the weather conditions and nature in general. My favorite activity thus far has been picking the vegetables, especially the root ones like beets, radishes, and onions.


Intern Profile: Savanna Bragg
Hey! I’m Savanna Bragg. I am 17 years old, and just recently graduated from Tulia High School this May. In the fall I will attend the University of North Texas in Denton in pursuit of a minor in Photojournalism and my degree in Public Relations or Marketing. I am passionate about photography, I actually own my own photography business, SavannaBPhotography. You can check out my website at savannabragg.smugmug.com. My other interests include running cross country, working out, motocross, journalism, traveling, and meeting new people. I am a very social person, and an entrepreneur, but I am probably also one of the biggest procrastinators you will ever meet.

This summer I am interning under Patsy Hooten, who is the owner and editor of the Swisher County News. Most of my internship will be working here at the newspaper office, but I will also be working with the high school cross country team. I will be helping with the Jr. High and High School Cross Country training/camps throughout the summer. I have been part of the student newspaper, The Sting, for two years now. This past school year I was student editor, which led me to being interested in fulfilling my internship at the newspaper office. Throughout the internship I will be writing weekly articles, taking photos, editing articles, and putting the newspaper together on Adobe InDesign. Last year was my first year to work for Ogallala Commons, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to be an intern this year as well. I am a bit of a city girl, but my internships have drawn me to appreciate the rural community assets.


Intern Profile: Samantha Carter
My name is Samantha Carter. I am a transplant here in Tucumcari, New Mexico. I moved here about two years ago and I plan on being here at least one more year. Currently, I am a student at Mesaland’s Community College and am doing an internship at the Tucumcari, Historical Museum for nine weeks of this summer.

During my internship at the museum I will be getting the chance to catalog as many of the items in the museum that I can get done. First I had to help design a system in order to catalog all the different artifacts properly without doubling up on the items, confusing the numbering system, or losing any of the important information that is part of the history of all the artifacts.

The Museum is a great place to intern at. I am really enjoying all the people that come in and the different stories I am privileged to hear. The other day I met a military boy who was traveling through New Mexico on his temporary leave because his best friend in the Army always told him about how great New Mexico really is. His friend died tragically in the military tank right in front of his vehicle during their last mission. The boy who died had no family so his friend had brought the remains of his things to the museum to donate in his memory. The boy’s boots, knife, and military papers were all that there was to show he even existed and gave all he had for this country. It was heartwarming and heart breaking all in the same emotion. I am truly lucky to have this experience.

Ogallala Commons Newsletter: June (Issue 1)

Tools of Your Internship: How to use the Work Plan & Time Sheet
By Darryl Birkenfeld, Director, Ogallala Commons

Now that your internship is off to a great start, interns and supervisors might wonder, “What is the purpose of the work plan?” Even though interns have hit the ground running with 3 or 4 projects, the work plan is still a handy tool—something that you want to take a look at least once a week for the following reasons.

First of all, your work plan should list a weekly schedule of activities from now until the end of your internship. It’s a reminder that what you are working on is not a sprint, but an 8-9 week marathon. Some activities will require a day or two to complete, but your main internship objectives need more time and planning to bring them to completion. Having a work plan will help you to divide up a big objective into weekly increments, so that by the end of your internship, you will have done enough work to wrap it up.

In addition, the work plan offers a way for you and your advisor to check in on the status of projects and activities—to discuss these projects and to make adjustments. It may happen that a task listed on your work plan can’t be completed in the week when it is written down. Reviewing the work plan allows you to move the activities to different weeks. Also, sometimes projects are finished sooner than planned, and once again, you can fill in your internship week with tasks that are listed further down the schedule on your work plan, so that you make effective use of your internship hours.

So this week, take time to look over your work plan with your supervisor, and use the plan as a gauge for what has been accomplished in your internship, and a planning guide as to how to proceed over the coming weeks.

Now, here are a few reminders on your time sheet. First of all, be sure to write down your internship hours and work description on a weekly basis. If you wait until the end of the third week when the first timesheet is due to send in for your stipend check, it will be very difficult to remember what you did in the first and second week. So again, start keeping your timesheet now, following the sample that is available in the Intern Guidebook. Also, you are to submit your timesheet on the Friday of your third and six week of internship (unless you are doing a 4-week internship), and the third timesheet when you have completed all the products required at the end of your internship. Finally, you will need to allow 8-12 days for your timesheet to be processed and to receive your stipend checks.


And the Blogging has Begun…
Julie Hodges, Education Coordinator, Ogallala Commons

Most of the 33 OC Community Interns posted their introductory blog on Friday, June 10th, providing great photographs and a nice introduction to themselves and the various projects they are working on.

Ogallala Commons would like to invite anyone interested in learning about grassroots community projects ranging from food bank gardens to hosting 800 bicyclists in Kansas to check out our intern blogs and leave comments to encourage, advise or ask questions of an Intern.
This year we have 6 OC Community Intern Blogs. They can be found at:
http://ogallalaintern1.blogspot.com/
http://ogallalaintern2.blogspot.com/
http://ogallalaintern3.blogspot.com/
http://ogallalaintern4.blogspot.com/
http://ogallalaintern5.blogspot.com/
http://ogallalaintern6.blogspot.com/

To leave a comment for an intern, simply click on the word “comments” at the bottom of the post you wish to comment on. A “Post a Comment” Box will appear for you to leave a message in. Once you finish writing your message, you must choose and option from the “Comment as” drop down menu located just below the “Post a Comment” box. If you do not have a profile, simply choose “anonymous” If you choose anonymous, you may want to include your name in the text you have written so the intern will know you are.

Intern Profile: High School Experiences Provide Background for Internship
By Catherine Jenkinson, Community Intern

This summer, I will be working for Ogallala Commons through my local community foundation. I will be working on fundraising, mailing lists, research, planning a community Christmas party, and starting an oral history project dealing with coyote hunting. Coyote hunting was a 'sport' very popular in the sixties and seventies in rural Kansas. 'Hunters' attached special boxes to old pick-ups to hold their greyhounds trained to track coyotes. When a coyote was spotted, a lever inside the truck was cranked, allowing the greyhounds to attack. Though this is widely known in my community, no one has ever documented its history or interviewed the 'hunters' themselves.
I am very excited for what I will learn this summer and I'm sure that my eyes will be opened to a huge amount of possibilities and opportunities. In my school, I am involved in several leadership organizations including 4H, Peer Helpers, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Teen Leaders, Wallace County High School Leadership Team, National Honor Society and Student Council. I hope that my experience with working with others has prepared me to intern in this job well. I look forward to a great summer full of great opportunity!

Ogallala Commons Internships Benefitting Greeley County
Christy Hopkins, Director, Greeley County Community Development Above: Greeley County interns at their finest during the Bike Across Kansas stop in Tribune

Greeley County Community Development is fortunate to host two Ogallala Commons Interns this summer. Shancee Howell, an agri-business graduate student at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, returned for a second-year internship. She has been joined by Katy Reynolds, a mass communications major completing her undergraduate degree at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Oklahoma.

The foundation of the Ogallala Commons internship program is engagement in the local community. While no two internships are the same, each is focused on providing the interns with a deeper understanding and appreciation for their community and the assets that make it a special place. Undoubtedly, Shancee and Katy (and all other Ogallala Commons interns) will end their internships with a greater understanding of their local communities and the hands, hearts, and minds that make it work.

Katy and Shancee bring intelligence, drive, and a fresh perspective to our community. They tackle projects with energy and enthusiasm, whether it’s setting up a lemonade stand at the Biking Across Kansas event, introducing trivia on the Facebook page, designing a community brochure, assisting with the adult co-ed softball league, brainstorming interior décor for Tribune’s community-owned theater, or scoping out ideas for a complete website re-design. Our office is enhanced by their talents and passion; the community benefits from their creative ideas and new approach to old challenges.

As the local supervisor for our Ogallala Commons interns, I am constantly amazed by what these two young women see and how they respond to their experiences in the community. Hearing discussions after returning from an errand, reading their weekly blogs, and asking for their feedback is eye-opening. Their reflections on the community, the talented and friendly people who live here, the ongoing projects and the opportunities to get involved are insightful and thorough, and they help me to see and understand potential areas for improvement in communication, beautification, and additional opportunities to further our mission of stability and growth for Greeley County.

Intern Profile: Katy Reynolds
Hello! I’m Katy Reynolds, and I’m from Tribune, Kansas. I am finishing my bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications with a minor in English at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Oklahoma. I am on the rodeo team at Northwestern and I am also the editor of the university’s newspaper. I will graduate in December and hope to move on to completing a master’s degree.

I found out about Ogallala Commons from Christy Hopkins and the Community Development office in Tribune. There was an advertisement in Tribune’s newspaper for the summer internship that Ogallala Commons and the Community Development were providing, so I called Christy, the director of Greeley County Community Development, and got some information about the internship. I was really interested, so I logged on to the Ogallala Commons website and learned what the organization was all about.

I expect to gain more knowledge in my field of study, Mass Communication, and how my major can be used to help rural communities. I really love and enjoy Mass Communications and the different facets of the field, but I also really love living in a rural community, so I hope that this internship can help me find possibilities to use my major to benefit a small town, as well as create venues and opportunities to work in Tribune and rural communities in the future.

In my spare time, I like to rodeo and work with horses and help run cattle. I am newly married, and I also enjoy doing things on the farm with my husband. I enjoy travelling, being involved in the church, and spending time with family.

Intern Profile: Shancee Howell Hello again,
I am Shancee Howell, I am originally from Greeley County, and I very excited to be back for the summer. I received my bachelors in Animal Science for Oklahoma Panhandle State in Goodwell, Oklahoma with a minor in biology, and I continued my education at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I am currently working on my Masters in Ag Business. I absolutely love the land of enchantment, but my roots brought me back to my rural community.

After being away, I realize how nice it is to come back where everyone knows you, and where you do not have to worry about locking your vehicles. I am truly blessed to call Tribune home.
I was fortunate enough to hold the Ogallala Commons Internship last summer, and loved it. When I found out there were offering it again, I jumped at the opportunity. The people I would with (Christy Hopkins, Carol Miles, and Katy Reynolds) are absolutely amazing, and this year we are privileged to have another intern in the office. I am excited to work with Katy, she is fun, creative, knowledgeable, and brings lots of energy to the office.

Working here last summer really broadened my horizon; I realized just how much this office does for our community. I am very thrilled to be a part of it again. This kind of work is not something I am used to, I come from a cattle background, and it is neat to be involved in a different field of work.

Spare time, well [it] appears I do not have a lot of it. However, I spend most of time dealing with horses, cattle, or family. My whole life has been evolved around rodeo, so it is kind of my building block. In fact, that is how I have paid for my college career is through rodeo scholarships. I rope, tie goats, and run barrels. In the past, I have qualified for both the National High School Finals, the College National Finals, along with the Kansas Professional Rodeo Association Finals. When I am not in the office, I am assisting my brother. He rides several colts, and runs cattle on the side. I am a very family oriented and enjoy spending time with them. I am looking forward to a wonderful summer :)

Ogallala Commons Newsletter: May 2011

Above: OC Community Interns at their Orientation in Nazareth, TX
Back row (l-r): Cara Young, Liz Hill, Weston Nieman, Briony Haachten, Reba Garrison, Greg Laudenslager, Tara Fox, Larissa Gardner, James Coffee. Middle row (l-r): Elisa Elizondo, Karen Bone, Kristin Bingham, Samantha Carter, Heather Mitchell, Catherine Jenkinson, DeLesa Villa, Kara Lacey, Michelle Wait, Aleece Methvin. Front row (l-r): Megan England, Adan Pena, Sarah Reeves, Raylyn Bowers, and Teresa Gonzales
(Interns not pictured: Delissa Villa and Savanna Bragg)
Photo courtesy of Julie Hodges, OC Education Coordinator

Intern Orientations: Starting off on the Right Foot
by Darryl Birkenfeld

After 8 months of partner prospecting, intern recruitment, and organizing, Ogallala Commons has launched over 30 Community Internships in the past two weeks. Successful internships require an orientation, and because of the size, number, and diverse schedules of our interns…we held orientations in Kansas and Texas.

On March 24, I traveled to Tribune, Kansas to give an orientation to Shancee Howell and Katie Reynolds, their supervisor, Christy Hopkins, and two supervisors from Wallace County, Kansas. On March 25th, I drove over to Great Bend, Kansas with OC Board Member Tom Giessel, to conduct an orientation with two interns who are students at Barton County Community College: Mary Bitter and Shauna Koester. Both of these women were bringing their spring semester-long internships to a close, but both are interested in doing a fuller Community Internship in 2012.

A grand two days of Orientation was also held in Nazareth, Texas on June 2-3 for 26 Community Interns and 28 supervisors and community leaders from Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, and Colorado. This particular gathering featured a Bus Tour on June 3rd, which traveled to a nearby booming agricultural-based business, Soil Mender Products, LP, to the cities of Silverton and Quitaque, Texas, and to Caprock Canyons State Park. The tour helped interns to enjoy more one-on-one visiting, to visualize the unique sense of place they are gifted with, and to learn information about wind energy, nonprofit work, and additional tools for exploring their communities and potential careers.

Each of the three Orientations was enhanced and supported by a fantastic Intern Resource Book that Julie Hodges and I designed for Ogallala Commons. But the most important outcome from the Orientations is a chance for interns to meet, get acquainted, learn helpful information and insights (like their Personality Type), and to recognize that they are part of an amazing program. Clearly, this group of interns is highly accomplished, talented, and capable of returning tremendous value to their communities and institutions. Community Interns are truly our commonwealth, and I hope you will follow the weekly OC Newsletters during June and July, to learn more about each one of these 32 interns.

Above: Interns on the Bus Tour at Caprock Canyons State Park

A Place of Power: An Intern’s Perspective on the 2011 Intern Orientation
By Megan England
While attending the intern orientation and bus tour on June 2nd and 3rd in Nazareth, Texas, I was constantly reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Meade

It was thrilling to see interns and supervisors sharing ideas, laughs, and conversation. Throughout the two days I spent with over forty interns and supervisors, I was struck by the potential our group has to change the world. We come from at least four different states, representing over twenty communities. We are high school students, college students, graduate students, educators, community leaders, business people, lawyers… and the list goes on. Even more thrilling however, was the passion visible in each of those attending the orientation.

The work of Ogallala Commons and Ogallala Commons interns is proof that small groups of people with passion have great power to change communities and I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the 2011 interns and their communities.

Good luck to you all!

Intern Profile: Cara Young
By Cara Young

The High Plains Food Bank is well known for their can drives, but did you know that they also have a large garden that contributes to their food production? I will spend my summer as an intern in this garden with Marc Jansing and Morgan Dezendorf of the food bank. Marc and Morgan have created quite a garden which contributed over 20,000 pounds of produce to the food bank last year! But they didn't achieve this by themselves. Volunteers are crucial to the garden's success. They not only help increase production numbers, but their participation encourages others in the community to share in the education and awareness of something that many in the nation have become far removed from, the ability to cultivate your own produce. With effort and education, we can all produce delicious, fresh foods that can virtually go straight from our yards to our plates, and the food bank garden is the perfect place to learn these processes for yourself while helping to provide nutritionally valuable food for others. You can learn to compost, weed, trellis, plant from seed or seedling, identify beneficial and harmful pests all while getting to spend some time outside getting a tan and making a positive influence in your community. The garden is a resource for food production and education, and its free. Workshops are offered in the garden on a variety of topics. Last year the topics ranged from staring a garden to cooking classes, and this year there will be so many more! I have learned so much in the short amount of time I have been there and I am looking forward to the many other things there are to learn and what I personally will be contributing to my community as a result.


Intern Profile: Local Foods
By Kristin Bingham

Above Left: Apple Blossom Festival at the Orchard.
(Photo courtesy of Susan Britts)
Above Right: Apple Country Orchards Information

This summer, I am working as a local foods community intern for the Ogallala Commons. I have had the supreme enjoyment of working with the Commons over the last two years on various projects and events and am so excited to continue promoting local farmers and producers in the Lubbock community.

I began my internship in late April working from home to develop a new website and update content for Hi-Plains Apple Country Orchard of Idalou, TX. Apple Country has been owned and operated by Cal and Susan Brints for over thirty years and is a wonderful place for families and friend to gather and celebrate the changing seasons. Not only does Apple Country offer a wide variety of apples and apple products, they have also begun a community supported agriculture (CSA) program this year. Apple Country also participates in four farmer’s markets in and around the Lubbock area, including one hosted at the Orchard on Saturdays. The Orchard is also an amazing place for educational tours and special events including weddings. During this first facet of my summer-long internship, I have focused on updating and migrating content from their current website to a new site that provides a very navigable interface as well as creating a unique Facebook page to increase visibility in the Lubbock area. The Brints and Apple Country Orchards are very involved in the local foods movement in Lubbock, and provide many services to serve our community including Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Work programs. The Farm-to-School program has been an incredible success in the Lubbock school districts, and I will be working later this summer to develop an extension that will serve the Nazareth, Hart and Olton school districts. You can view the work I’ve been doing at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Idalou/Apple-Country-Orchards/145961765437488
http://applecountryorchards.wordpress.com/

Next week, I begin the next portion of my internship, working with Lubbock producer Dr. Ellen Peffley Harp of From the Garden to help harvest and distribute fruits and vegetables to customers in Lubbock. I will also be working to help create a “local foods” blog for the Commons that will showcase various Lubbock producers and what is available around the South Plains.

Intern Profile: Megan England
By Megan England

My name is Megan England and I am a senior at Campo High School in the beautiful little town of Campo, Colorado. I’m part rancher, part emergency rescuer’s daughter, and part teacher’s kid—usually a bit of a crazy combination!

I first heard of Ogallala Commons as a shy seventh grader through a community service group at my school. That group (the Youth Advisory Council or “YAC”) and Ogallala Commons have opened some amazing doors of opportunity in my life and I can’t tell you how honored I am to continue working with them this year!

Through those venues, I’ve traveled/spoken in seven states, met hundreds of great people, spoken in front of hundreds of people, learned how to conduct oral history interviews, interned for a professional film crew, helped to plan community events, hosted children’s leadership camps, participated in numerous service projects, led tours, built websites, and most importantly gained an even greater passion for rural communities!

This is my third year working as an intern and I love it. This summer, I get the pleasure of bugging all the interns about writing for the newsletter, blogging, attending intern events, getting the intern equipment and a variety of generally fun stuff! In my own community, I will be hosting another leadership camp, and volunteering with our city clerk by helping create a community map and updating our town’s website.

I am really excited for this summer’s internship, and even more excited about learning what all the other interns are doing in their communities. Like everyone else, I will blogging every week, so you can keep up with me at http://ogallalaintern6.blogspot.com/, as I hope to keep up with many of you!