So now that I am officially done with one of my internships and going to end my second tomorrow, I get to look back on the crazy adventures that NYC has led me through. (But more about that later.)

      On August 1st I interviewed my supervisor Jennifer to get background information on City Futures. It was an awesome conversation because I learned more about her position and how she started her career with City Futures. It was great to learn the history of the company and how much it has progressed. Feeling prepared to write my case study… I think. I’ve been trying to keep notes on my projects and experiences so fingers crossed they’re good enough to make the study worthwhile. 

       And now back to the craziness that is called New York City. Yesterday I woke up to a thunderstorm, which apparently was just ending by the time I woke up. I  made my way to the train station parking lot to find that it was completely flooded, which was a clear indication that the rest of the day was going to be pretty rough. (Keep in mind that a few weeks prior I returned home from work to find that my car had a lake inside of it so a flooded parking lot was not something I wanted to deal with twice.) I turned around and went back home then got a ride to the station. Of course I had missed my train and had to take a later one but at that point I knew I would not make it to work at 9:30. Anyway, I got on a later train which took about 2 hours to get to Penn Station (twice the time it normally should). Once I got to Penn Station I heard an announcement that said there weren’t any subways going to or from Penn because the subways were completely flooded. There was absolutely no chance that I was walking to Wall Street, that was just out of the question. Finally, the NR line was running, which I had never been on, but I figured I could find my way (my supervisor helped me out and told me which train to take). I made my way to the NR and waited for about an hour and a half for an R train to come and watched 5 N trains pass by. :( After all of that fun, I made it to work a little after 12 and was congratulated several times for actually making it there. Of course, the rest of the day was gorgeous and there wasn’t a sign of rain when I got home. NY weather and mass transit… gotta love ‘em!

It’s been a while since the last time I’ve posted, but I guess that’s a good thing because it gives me more to write about. I’ve just finished up the Award Spreadsheet with all of the journalism awards that City Futures can apply to, as well as sending the complimentary issues to prospective subscribers. We sent over 300 magazines to NYC libraries, so I’m hoping it will be a great success and most of them will want to continue to receive them. This issue is about the sewage problem in NYC and how it is polluting waterways. I haven’t had the chance to read it yet, but from the looks of it, it seems like Jarrett Murphy (the reporter and author) has done yet another great job!

Last Wednesday, one of the City Futures Board Members, Lisette Nieves, sponsored and organized an Intern Lunch for the 6 interns. It was a really great experience and it gave us the chance to meet some of the Board Members, which is definitely an honor considering how successful they all are. Lisette is the Executive Director of Year Up, a training program for urban young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. She is a great role model, as are the other Board Members so I know that they will be great be to keep in contact with. I am so grateful to all of them for taking the time out of their busy schedules to get to know us and share their own stories.

As of right now, I am continuing the search for information on grants to apply to, which is something that I’m finding extremely useful just for my own knowledge. Grants are definitely going to be necessary if I do follow my dream of starting an organization that helps underpriveleged children reach their true potential. I don’t know the particulars yet, but I know there are never enough organizations that cater toward helping children become successful adults. The more I work with City Futures, the more I am realizing the importance of such an organization and have that dream come true.

The end of the internships is drawing near and I’m going to make sure that I gain everything that I possibly can from this experience. I’ve really been enjoying my time at home in New York, but I am looking forward to hearing about everyone else’s internships. Should be exciting!

Over the past two weeks I have been working with several forms of City Futures’ funding. Last week I did work with the renewal of a grant from the Ira W. DeCamp Foundation. The Foundation gives grants to New York City based organizations, which specialize in community-based health care, foster care, and workforce development. The grant funds City Futures’ Child Welfare Watch publication and City Limits Weekly online articles. There are plenty of really great articles on several different topics so I definitely suggest taking a look. My task was to compile a list of City Limits Weekly articles that pertained to Child Welfare so that City Futures can display its use of the grant funds and its progress throughout the year.

Prior to this internship, I did have grant experience, but very little. I’m really enjoying the chance to get better acquainted with the idea of running a non-profit and all of the elements that go into making it successful. Without the help of grants and donations, City Futures may never have been able to reach the status it has and the citizens of New York City would never have been exposed to the issues that City Futures devotes so much to.

The rest of my week was spent working on letters to send to potential City Limits Investigates subscribers (mainly NYC Libraries), offering a complimentary issue. Once library users read the magazine, the library won’t have any choice but to subscribe since the magazine is truly unique and vital to every library collection. Now, I am in the middle of drawing up an Award spreadsheet, which lists the various awards that journalists and organizations can apply to. Some of these include monetary rewards and is yet another form of funding that City Futures relies on to continue to keep the company thriving.

Both internships have really taught me just how important it is to get yourself out there and to take every opportunity to gain exposure. Without that, funding is impossible and as we all know, without funding the company simply cannot survive. Thankfully, there are so many wonderful people that not only subscribe to the magazine but truly understand just how important City Futures’ mission is.

My internship is going well. I’ve been doing a lot of computer work, looking for addresses and lists for possible places to distribute the City Limits Investigates magazine too. I’ve learned a lot about the colleges and universities in the city and on Long Island. I’m learning a good amount about the city in general. It’s been fun!

Last Wednesday I spent 10 hours with City Futures, between preparing for and working the Support the Future Gala. It was a huge success! Awards were presented to ACCION New York and Carlton Brown for their incredible influence in New York City. Jimmy Breslin made a special appearance and I’m sure that most people know him way better than I do. When I asked my dad, he knew who I was talking about right away. I must say, he made a really enjoyable speech. It was great being amongst so many successful people and I’m glad I got to be apart of it. It was held on the Lower East Side at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, which is a synagogue more so used for events now. The building is absolutely gorgeous and if you’re ever in NY I suggest at least stopping by! It has incredible charm in all of its imperfections and a bright red stucco exterior that makes it hard to miss. Seems like a world away from Long Island!

For the past two weeks, I have been working with one of the two companies (City Futures) that I will be with for the summer. It has definitely been exciting. The very first day I delivered magazines produced by City Futures all over the city. I learned my way around pretty well so it was definitely worth the 4 hours between subways and walking. So far, I’ve done various projects, some of which are in preparation for the Benefit Gala on Wednesday and others in preparation for the upcoming issue of City Limits Investigates (the magazine). I’m pretty excited about the Gala. It seems like everything is in order and it will turn out great! I’m also excited about starting my second internship tomorrow. That one is with a company called Cosmetic Executive Women so I think it will be a fun experience to travel to the city everyday and learn more about both companies.