Pictured: Interns with Abbagadassett Foundation Secretary/Treasurer, Denham Ward (4th person from the left)
This August, Spurwink staff and representatives from the Abbagadassett Foundation gathered to celebrate the first cohort of Spurwink’s Next Gen Nonprofit Leadership Interns. Students presented capstone posters encapsulating their internship experiences and attendees heard from Spurwink President and CEO, Eric Meyer, and from Abbagadassett Foundation Secretary/Treasurer, Denham Ward, acknowledging the interns’ service and learning achievements.
Spurwink extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Abbagadassett Foundation for their pivotal role in supporting the opportunity for seven students to receive first-hand experience in nonprofit mission-based work and explore career applications of behavioral health care. With their partnership, Spurwink is able to equip local Maine students with skills they can apply in their career explorations. This program is a testament to our shared commitment to nurturing the next generation of nonprofit leaders.
We also wish to congratulate our first cohort of Next Gen interns on their great work during their internships and thank them for their contribution to the various departments they interned with. Schools represented include the University of Southern Maine, Bryant University, University of Maine, University of New England, and Merrimack College. Interns interviewed and applied for departments in which they were interested, including Advancement, Human Resources, Outpatient & Community Services, IT, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Finance.
In addition to work in their department, Interns met as a cohort once per week for additional learning opportunities including site visits at programs, a speaker series featuring different Spurwink leaders and community experts in areas including advocacy, behavioral health care, fundraising and communications, DEIB, career development, and more.
Interns provided feedback and shared many positive outcomes from their experiences, such as:
“Learning the coding language SQL opened an entirely new career path for me.”
“The internship helped me to define and develop my personal and professional goals. Before, I knew that I wanted to go to grad school, but not much else. Now, my goal is to step into a leadership role at a mission-driven organization and obtain my LCSW.”
“I’ve had a wonderfully welcoming and engaging experience that has cemented nonprofit advancement work as a top career prospect.”
Funds from Abbagadassett enabled Spurwink to offer expanded opportunities to individuals who would otherwise not be able to take advantage of career and experience building internships due to lack of compensation. Spurwink is committed to supporting interns, recognizing the importance of student engagement in behavioral health care occupations, and the opportunities volunteers and interns bring to expand the agency’s capacity to provide excellent behavioral health care to the community. Nonprofit organizations are a key component of the Maine economy, employing 1 in 6 Maine workers and contributing significantly to the state economy (MANP, 2021). At Spurwink, we see leadership development as a foundational piece of how we remain a vital and innovative leader in the behavioral health sector.
