Summary of Learning:
My six weeks in Honolulu was a great eye opening experience allowing me to experience the world of a non-profit business first hand. I quickly learned that the work never stops and there is always something to do. I learned that no matter the business, you must constantly adjust to the times and continue push forward. I also was able to see the impact of both government grants for non-profits and the stress that a struggling economy can put on a non-profit business. I worked along side both Corrie Heck and Lenny Klompus. If I was not helping Corrie with something I was helping Lenny with a project of his and on the rare occasion I was not helping either of them I would be working on one of my own projects for the company. I worked out of their office and did anything and everything I possibly could to help them. My first week I got started on writing thank you letters for donations from businesses, writing the weekly news letter, and learning all about the robotics programs in the state of Hawai’i. I also was given the task of upgrading their old sponsorship package. I also started up a marketing campaign called I <3 Robots to start selling products in order to spread awareness and help them make even more money to in turn give to their six robotics programs. I went to several meetings with other volunteers, who were all business leaders in Hawaii. I worked on putting together the sponsorship package by doing research through many of their old documents and putting together data. I also ended up becoming their IT person while I was there. I ended up helping with technical problems, which ranged from the printers to cell phones. After I was able to take care of their technical problems with ease they asked me to try to update their web page. In order to update their webpage I had to learn how to edit and write html code, which was quite an exciting time. A student intern, Richele Cole, started working for them as well. She worked only a few hours a week on a few smaller projects for the. I spent a majority two weeks helping prepare a 700+ page document for the state of Hawaii about grant money that they had received last year. I learned all about government paper work and red tape. I got a first hand experience at writing explanations for spending. I also met with venders and found prices on products and did a lot of the ground work for the I <3 Robots campaign. I also worked with Lenny Klompus and helped him with a non-profit project to celebrate the generation of 1945 and those who are still alive from WWII. I worked with Lenny on several sponsorship packages and coming up with options to be presented to business in order to hopefully get their funding for the six robotics programs.
Both my written and spoken communication skills greatly improved while working for FOHR. I worked on their newsletter that was sent out once a week to over 1,500 people, including business owners and retired military personnel. I also was the middleman for many business transactions and deliveries between FOHR and their other business partners. I also was able to see and be apart of the hard work that it takes to run a non-profit organization. I was forced to adjust and work on multiple projects at once and going back and making constant adjustments to projects. Throughout my six weeks with FOHR I worked and edited over 3000 documents in some form or another.
Summary of Accomplishments:
My greatest accomplishment was defiantly being a big part of putting together the 700+ page document required by the State of Hawaii from FOHR. It was a very stressful and time consuming but very rewarding when it was all done. I wrote three of the 6 actually written pages that were submitted and I helped organize and put together the rest. It was a very rewarding experience when I got to hand delivers the document to the state building just minutes before it’s deadline when it was all finished. A close second was my assembly of the new sponsorship package to be used to give business an idea of what they will get for supporting Friend’s of Hawai’i Robotics. I also learned how important it is to have good connections and how far those good connections can go in the business world. I learned what a non-profit looks like and how they work and I also got to see what kind of impact that a non-profit can have on improving our struggling education system. I managed to gain even more travel experience and I survived flying to and from Hawai’i via stand by. I effectively planned and enjoyed my stay in Hawaii.
Summary of Experiences:
My time in Hawaii was one that will never be forgotten. A few of the more prominent experiences were troubleshooting technological difficulties, putting together a document for the State of Hawaii, assembling a sponsorship package, I faced real life business problems with both Corrie and Lenny and overcame many challenges. I enjoyed being able to do a little bit of everything and I felt as though I had a very well rounded experience with Friends of Hawai’i Robotics. The most memorable experience I had though has to be when I tried to take Corrie and Lenny out for a thank you dinner they changed the plans on me and instead I went out to dinner with General Lee in the business suite at the top of our building, which over looked the ocean. I also enjoyed my weekend trips around the island such as Pearl Harbor, the beaches, and snorkeling in a nature preserve.
Summary of Impressions:
Hawaii was truly a wonderful time and I hope to be able to make it back to the island someday. I learned a lot about non-profits, the education systems, and my self while I was there. I feel as if I could see my self-working for a non-profit after school but only time will tell. I know that I will forever take a pen and paper with me to meetings and I will treasure everything that Corrie and Lenny taught me while I was there.
