Partnerships with local universities benefit everyone, especially kids

Student collaboration helps us measurably elevate children’s mental wellbeing

Abigail Jeffreys, Millersville University Sociology Major and 2018 LOHF Intern presents her research at “Made in Millersville.”

For the past year, LOHF has welcomed interns from Millersville University and West Chester University. This has evolved to include collaboration with professors who are incorporating meaningful projects for LOHF into their classes. These students and professors contribute to our success in measurably elevating children’s mental health in Lancaster County. And student feedback indicates their learning is enhanced by this chance to apply their knowledge to meaningful, significant work. Ultimately, the real winners are the children served by LOHF’s grant funding and other programs.

In the past year, the contributions of these college students have included:

  • For their senior capstone project, a team of PR majors from a Millersville University Public Relations class with Dr. Thomas Boyle created a campaign for our first giving circle, Lift Up Children’s Mental Health, to be launched this month.
  • As a cornerstone in their Digital Marketing class with Dr. A Nicole Pfannenstiel, Millersville students are creating and participating in our ExtraOrdinary Give social media event.
  • To better understand social research methods, Dr. Carrie Smith’s sociology students at Millersville University pitched their research ideas to us for unique new perspectives on how we can better engage Lancaster City residents in our work.
  • Interns from Millersville and West Chester Universities majoring in disciplines of social work, sociology, criminal justice, psychology, and English have also:
    • completed important research on our grants program
    • assisted with our nursing scholarship program
    • helped us create an ongoing forum to collaborate with our grantees and share information
    • created social media posts and graphics
    • made significant contributions to the changes that will be coming to our Website content and functionality

We are so grateful to these students, their professors, and these universities for these mutually beneficial collaborations that are ultimately a win for Lancaster County kids!

Learn how to apply for an LOHF Internship

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