By Emil Joensson, the American Red Cross of Colorado & Wyoming Public Affairs
Everyone knows the American Red Cross has resources, but the Red Cross also has infinite opportunities. Being one of the oldest and most known non-profit organizations in the world, the Red Cross has the capacity and need for volunteers in many categories, which makes it the perfect place to intern.
Matthew Schilz is a 25-year-old student from the University of Colorado who resides on their medical campus inside the Colorado School of Public Health. As a master’s student in Public Health and Social Work, the Red Cross has been the ideal internship for Matthew.
“You might be coming in for one thing, but you’re gonna get a lot more out of it than just one thing and a lot more than just one skill. You’re going to come out with a community of people that really wanna support you and give you an opportunity to grow,” he says.
Matthew grew up in Northglenn in Adams County and giving back to his community is always on the top of his mind. “There are communities in Adams County that need support. I felt like this was a way to highlight that and give back to my community.”
During Matthew’s time at the Red Cross, his internship took an engaging turn. He was assigned to provide a needs assessment examining data from preparedness, recovery, and response to deck calls in Adams County. By analyzing the data, Matthew could recommend actions to the board of directors at the American Red Cross of Colorado & Wyoming. His number one advice; build up the workforce.
“Having more volunteers is crucial in any response like this, and there was a big gap,” said Matthew. “We need to build the presence of the American Red Cross in Adams County. We need to have more volunteers to build the presence we can at the capacity we’re at now, and we need to do more.”
One of the ways to build the workforce is to hire interns. However, to do so, it has to be an opportunity with structured assignments that is attractive both to the intern and the Red Cross. Matthew mentions partnerships between universities and the Red Cross as a solution to this problem. “Partnerships are being made right now for the University of Denver and University of Colorado and shoots Medical campus for the Public Health program to hopefully start feeding people into this program.
The Red Cross organization is immense and includes disaster response, fund development, communications, events and many other fields fitting for students in a variety of programs. And, no matter what internship, you will grow within it
On that note, for Matthew, the internship meant presenting his findings to the board of directors but also leading to a two-week deployment to Hurricane Ian. It was tough but well worth it. The best part was “meeting a lot of cool people with a lot of interesting stories. Everyone was there for the same mission to support the community which was truly affected by this disaster. That compassion, comfort, and care; is within the mission of the Red Cross,” he says
Are you, or know someone, interested in interning or volunteering for the Red Cross? Then click the buttons below for more information on open positions or volunteering opportunities. The Red Cross is always welcoming new additions wanting to help and will do our best to find the perfect fit for you. It will be worth it.