Read our First Niagara Bank Intern Brianna’s blog post!

When I first encountered New Haven Reads (NHR), I prayed that they would let me volunteer because I knew it would be the perfect place for me. I’ve worked with children many other times before including my church’s children center and a body image workshop for middle school girls that some peers and I created. They even wanted me to help with a new club at the time – art club. It was perfect; I absolutely love art. So the offer at NHR to work as a First Niagara Bank Summer Intern became that much sweeter.

Having already volunteered here for almost the entire school year, this job really just feels like home. Tutoring remains the same and I get to continue leading art club with a NHR fellow. However, there are some new duties for me including book banking and administration. Administration is just a matter of performing various projects such as organizing different spaces, filing students’ folders, or creating files for new students. Book banking is a monster in itself, in which we have to organize hundreds of donated books into different genres, look for requested books, and create book orders for different people and organizations. It’s kind of daunting, but it passes the time and is rewarding when you find a really great book along the way to take home!

Overall I’m just really glad to be here and a part something so valuable to the community. I love working with kids and I’m gaining a great deal of experience with education and children in general. It’s a great place for children to stay out of trouble (especially during the summer) to keep up their reading skills, socialize with other children, and be exposed to fun activities in the various clubs.

Brianna Blunt is one of five First Niagara Bank Summer Interns at New Haven Reads this summer. She will attend college in New York City in the fall. Her internship is funded thanks to a generous grant from First Niagara Bank.