Farewell and Thank You 2017 summer interns
Interns are amazing! They come to learn and earn while helping Townshippers’ Association’s dedicated fulltime staff tackle projects, get through backlogged work and feel a little less pressure during the summer months. For community organizations such as Townshippers’, the extra hands supplied through the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Young Canada Works (YCW) internship program really make a difference.
But at some point, we have to let them go and that time has come for us to say goodbye to Gabrielle Branchaud and Kaitlyn Loomis, two unique, hardworking and intelligent young women.
Townshippers’ cultural festival and membership assistant, Gabby, will be returning to Bishop’s University for her fourth year to continue her double major in Education and English with an awareness of how unique our Townships community is.
“I have lived here for four years because of school and I have never had the chance to participate in festivals or events. Attending those events with Townshippers' has opened my eyes to see what a wonderful community the Eastern Townships has and how, even though I'm away from my hometown, this place feels like home,” said Gabby.
“I know it sounds cheesy, but it's true! This internship has made me more aware of what's going on in the area and what procedures need to be taken in order to get a movement approved or slight changes made that concern the city. It’s been a real eye opener for me and I hope to be more involved in the community in my remaining time here.”
Our communications and culture intern, Kaitlyn, will be heading back to Bishop’s for her senior year of Clinical Psychology and describes her experience at Townshippers’ as a dream come true.
“I have been able to experience different hands-on tasks that I wouldn't have been able to anywhere else. Every member of the Townshippers' team has become a close friend, and I looked forward to going to work every day. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work here and to experience the life of a writer, and social media expert”
“This job has greatly enhanced my perspective and made me realize that small non-profits like Townshippers have a huge impact on the local community. Each time I talk to my father, he ends our conversations with "make a difference." Townshippers’ has made me find that drive to want to make a difference, not only in myself but within the English-speaking community, a community I’ve been part of for the last five years. I am very sad to leave the Association, but I plan on volunteering with them in the upcoming year!”
So as Gabby and Kaitlyn leave our offices we wish them all the best and thank them for all their hard work, and for doing even the most monotonous tasks with a smile on their faces. We hope their experiences working with us has given them practical experience that they will use for years to come and they will be committed and active community members wherever they call home.
Good luck, ladies, and don’t be strangers!
An evening of celebrating Townshippers
The nominations are now closed for the annual Outstanding Townshippers and Young Townships Leaders Awards. Thank you to everyone who shared the names and actions of individuals who put an overwhelming amount of energy back into our community and the young members of our community whose actions are making a difference for the future.
As the entries are being reviewed, the Association is finalizing plans for an awards evening, which will celebrate these people that make our community so great.
During the evening, we’ll also be celebrating to the recipients of this year’s Mcgill Health and Social Services Community Leadership Bursary Program. Created by the Mcgill University Training and Retention of Health Professionals Project and administered in the Estrie and Montérégie-east regions by Townshippers’, this ongoing project works to address the need for bilingual professionals with English language skills, in the health and social services sector.
We hope you will join us for this free awards evening on Saturday, September 16, at 7:00 pm at the Piggery Theatre in North Hatley. Refreshments will be sold on site to support the Piggery. Details will be posted on Townshippers’ website and facebook page.