Click here for a printer friendly version of this article.

Telegraph, The (Nashua, NH)
June 19, 2005
Section: Student Columns/Features
 

Stacie Haynes of Downsville, N.Y., has a passion for nonprofit organizations. And through Daniel Webster College's experiential learning programs, she has been able to focus that passion through an internship and practicum that put her talents to good use. Her practicum during the summer of 2002 was as a tournament and events intern at the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y. Haynes spent the spring semester of her senior year as a community-relations intern at an indoor skate park at Rye Airfield, a nonprofit organization owned by SMG, a facility-management corporation.

Rye Airfield is 50,000 square feet with vertical ramps, bowls and a street area, along with concessions, showers and meeting rooms. It also features an outdoor BMX super track and dirt jump area. The park allows skateboards, inline skates, bikes and scooters.

Her main project was Rye Airfield's Read to Ride program with New Hampshire libraries for young people up to 18 years. When Haynes arrived, the project was only an idea. For each book read, the child would receive a bookmark after drawing a picture, writing a short essay or discussing it with the librarian. Five bookmarks could be redeemed at Rye Airfield for three hours of free skating, with no limit on the number of hours that could be accumulated.

"I jumped right in and got to run with the program," Haynes said.

She researched and developed a spreadsheet with the contacts for more than 200 libraries and numerous newspapers across the state. Next, she wrote and sent out a press release on the program, developed a pitch letter and mailed it to the libraries, followed up with phone calls, and put together and mailed the program materials and thank-you letters to the libraries joining the program.

"When my internship ended, 44 libraries already had signed up, and many more were interested," she said – an impressive 22 percent positive response rate.

Haynes also was involved in the Transition Project, a major fundraising event featuring professional skater Bucky Lasek. Haynes was responsible for soliciting donations for 1,200 gift bags, as well as assembling all of them, and was in charge of the merchandising area, raffle tickets and guest services during the event.

"Stacie is one of the best interns that we have had the privilege to host," said Beau Lambert, general manager of Rye Airfield. "The whole staff is impressed with her work ethic and her ability to blend in well while also standing out with her performance."

"I enjoy working for nonprofit organizations," Haynes said, "because people are not out to make their salaries bigger, they are there to help other people rather than themselves."

Participating in sports is another of Haynes' passions. She was a member of the DWC cross country, soccer, basketball and softball teams, held a work-study job in the athletic department and volunteered at sporting events such as the Boston Marathon. She also was a member of the Society for Sport Management, a student orientation leader and worked off-campus as a server at a local restaurant.

"I graduated in a high school class with 16 students in a very small town, so I came to DWC thinking it was really 'big,' " Haynes said. "The opportunities available at DWC are wide and varied, giving students experiences equal to that of much larger schools. And the sport management classes have given me the ability to take what I love to do and apply it to the business world."

Haynes came to a realization during her senior year: "I had to decide whether I wanted to work for a corporation that focused on profits in order to make their stockholders wealthy, or if I wanted to work for a nonprofit organization with a mission I believe in and one that would give me great self-satisfaction."

Haynes made her choice. After graduating with honors and a faculty commendation in sport management, Haynes has been accepted at Suffolk University in Boston for its master's degree program in public administration and nonprofit management. She has also been selected for a fellowship with the Suffolk University graduate student outreach and leadership programs that are part of the Student Activities and Service Learning office.

DWC has laid strong foundations that will help Haynes further prepare for her passion: finding the right nonprofit organization where her education, training and talents can make a difference.

Copyright, 2005, The Telegraph, Nashua, N.H. All Rights Reserved.