The Coca-Cola Park parking lot was abuzz with activity on June 14 as 322 college interns chatted and collected lunches to keep them fueled for a day of community service. 

It was all a part of Intern Impact Day, an annual event coordinated by the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, supported by LVEDC, and sponsored by Air Products, Crayola, Freshpet, and St. Luke’s University Health Network. The day is designed not only to let interns make an impact on the community, but for the community to make an impact on them.

Karen Smith, CEO of the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley, hopes interns will “get a sense of how each one can make a difference, big or small.” She also wants them to get to know and love the Lehigh Valley. “We want them to stay,” Smith said. “We want them to keep coming back.”

Attracting and retaining talent is a top priority for employers, and since interns often go on to work with the companies they intern with, encouraging interns to get involved in the community roots them more deeply here.

Participating in Intern Impact Day were interns from ADP, Air Products, Andesa Services, Freshpet, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Olympus, PPL, St. Luke’s University Health Network, and Victaulic.

After gathering at Coca-Cola Park, courtesy of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the interns headed to their sites throughout the Valley, where they engaged in a variety of projects: cleaning, painting, gardening, packing food boxes, and more.

An intern for Victaulic, Payton McGlory, a rising junior at Syracuse University and Emmaus resident, is pleased that so many interns have the opportunity to learn about the Lehigh Valley through Intern Impact Day. “This is a really special place,” McGlory said. “It has a hometown feel, and everyone really cares about the community.”

Sadie Kennedy, another Emmaus resident, is currently interning with St. Luke’s University Health Network in the Media Production Services Department. A junior at Boston University, Kennedy is happy to be back in the Lehigh Valley. “It’s just such a beautiful area,” Kennedy said. “It’s so nice to be back in nature and see Pennsylvania architecture.”

Kennedy volunteered at New Bethany Ministries and was impressed at their operation. “They have a food pantry and apartments for families. They are doing so much good in the community.”

Working on volunteer projects in the Lehigh Valley can help interns see themselves settling down here. PPL intern Jonathan Petrecca can envision himself living and working in the Lehigh Valley after graduation. A native of Ephrata, PA, studying industrial engineering and sociology at Penn State University, Petrecca is drawn to volunteerism. On Intern Impact Day, he cleaned classrooms in Washington Elementary School in Allentown. “I think it’s important to give back, and I like to see programs like the Volunteer Center helping out in the community.”

Strong internship programs are an important piece of building and expanding the Lehigh Valley’s workforce. Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. (LVEDC) works with its partners to help employers create impactful internship programs.

LVEDC publishes an annual Internship Resources Guide and holds an annual Internship Summit where leaders from major Lehigh Valley employers and career services professionals from the Lehigh Valley’s colleges and universities share best practices and trends in successful internship programs. This year’s summit will occur July 23 at DeSales University. There is no cost to attend. Register here.

Many of the interns working this summer in the Lehigh Valley had never been to the region before accepting their positions. Several said they got a lot out of Intern Impact Day by connecting with their peers. 

They appreciated the opportunity to get out and see more of the community, recognizing that quality of life is an important factor in deciding where they will work.

Intern Impact Day is in its fifth year and supports the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley’s mission to connect nonprofits with businesses and individuals that want to give back to the community. The center strives to create educational and human service partnerships that will enhance and enrich the Lehigh Valley by developing leaders and providing resources to nonprofits.

(Top Photo: Interns from PPL helped to assemble bicycles at the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown. Photo courtesy of Matt Sommers, Boys and Girls Club of Allentown.)

(Middle Photo: Interns from Victaulic at Women of Excellence. Photo courtesy of Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley.)

(Bottom Photo: Interns from St. Luke's University Health Network at New Bethany Ministries. Photo by LVEDC.)