Anna Kauffman – Social Work Internship

My name is Anna Kauffman and I am a senior at Garden Spot High School. I have been interning at CrossNet Ministries, located in New Holland for the fall semester of the 2021-2022 school year. Though my time within this organization is shorter, it has already been a lesson of a lifetime, thanks to the help of all of the staff, especially my mentor, Lisa Kerstetter, the Director of Marketing and Events. Lisa has provided me with such a wonderful opportunity and has taught me so much about what being a social worker or, more generally, what being in ministry truly entails. Being surrounded by this helpful and experienced environment has been truly beneficial to help me dig deeper and make some crucial decisions for my future.

My main duties around this organization involve assisting my mentor in organizing participant’s information for each event and learning more about basic office tasks. Every year, around the Christmas holiday, CrossNet creates an impactful event that assists parents in the community to provide Christmas presents for their children. For this event, I have primarily been working on organizing and preparing personal information of participants who have submitted their children’s wish lists. This process is very time consuming and needs to be done with much organization and good time management. In doing so, I have also learned how to organize with different techniques through Google Docs and spreadsheets and have also been able to grow my skills in other office tasks, such as scanning.

Like mentioned earlier, one of my jobs is to help organize and volunteer in different, such as the Food Pantry, the Winter Coat Drive, and the annual Christmas Event. Many of these involve me having conversations with families who participate and has been extremely beneficial to get to know more people in my community. This opportunity has helped a great amount with my communication skills and, again, grow more of an understanding of what people around me are really going through.

CrossNet Ministries is an impactful organization that is always ready to make the community a better place. This internship has been an opportunity that has taught me so much and assisted me in continuing my desire to be a part of the Social Work field. I have learned many beneficial skills, whether it’s with technology, communication, and even time managements. I am looking forward to continuing through a path that will lead me to understanding the many different aspects to social work and even the personal benefits to watching a family grow to a joyous place in their life. Throughout CrossNet, the welcoming environment and the constant drive of the staff is extremely motivating and can really impact anybody who chooses to be a part of this wonderful ministry.