Maggie Walter: A Part of the Change
Growing up in San Francisco, I was exposed from a very young age to the homeless crisis that is ingrained in my city. Despite seeing homeless people on a regular basis my entire life, I have not and will not become numb to it. It is hard to believe that such poverty exists anywhere, but especially in a city with as much extreme wealth as San Francisco. Positive change is needed to combat this generational and situational poverty and I have found that I want to be one of the people who contributes to this much needed change. Being a fellow for the Miller Center of Social Entrepreneurship allowed me to work with a social enterprise in Nepal called Gham Power. Their mission is to empower vulnerable Nepali communities to thrive through technological agricultural solutions. During the fellowship, I was able to use my business skills to help them with their mission. With this fellowship experience coming to an end, I realized I did not want to stop here. Therefore, I could not be more grateful to be a member of the LSB Community Fellows Program and work as a Marketing and Communications intern for Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County (CCSCC)! The members of CCSCC work everyday to change lives for good by serving and advocating for individuals and families in need, especially those living in poverty. I feel so lucky that I am able to work for such a great cause and work alongside such kind and amazing people. My supervisors, Christi Shaw and LaDonn DuBois, are wonderful and are helping understand the ins and outs of working for a non-profit organization.
Even though I am still relatively new to CCSCC, I have been able to do so much and really get involved with the community. I was able to go and visit different organizations that CCSCC runs and learn about what each organization is doing to help the community. I also was able to partake in their annual Bocce tournament fundraising event. This event was a great way for me to learn about how large fundraising events work and are orchestrated. Another thing I have been able to be a part of is the making of the film that Catholic Charities USA is making to showcase the work that CCSCC is doing. Overall, I feel like I have worked at CCSCC for more than 2 months with the experiences I have had. I am so excited to continue working closely with Christi and Ladonn and for all the additional projects I will be able to help with!