I worked as an intern at Community Assisted Rides (CARS) during the summer of my senior year at Lyons Township High School every Monday and Tuesday. I became an intern with CARS through the Township of Lyons where I worked everyday. I chose CARS because I’ve always had an interest in non profits and I wanted to see how they were run on a day-to-day basis. I plan on going into finance in the future and being able to see how CARS operates and budgets has helped me greatly.

Before getting to CARS I didn’t know the impact that they were providing and the amount of people whose quality of life improved. CARS provides free rides to senior citizens (VIPs) across 22 villages. VIPs can receive up to two rides a week and just need to call in and request a ride for a time and place, from doctor appointments to hair cuts. Then one of the amazing volunteer drivers will sign up for individual rides. The drivers are all amazing and will always chat up a storm and learn more about the VIPs. Many of the drivers become friends with the VIPs and end up driving them again. CARS also provides amazing events like National Ice Cream Day and Valentine’s Day where ice cream and chocolate from local businesses gets delivered by volunteers to VIPs’ homes.

Throughout my internship I worked on creating testimonials of VIPs and volunteers, where I conducted 30 minute interviews about their experience with CARS and how it has impacted their lives. I was able to interview multiple volunteers and VIPs and I got to experience first hand how their life has changed for the better. Secondly, I created a resource network document in Google Drive to make resources easier for office staff to access when answering calls from clients. While I also helped with Petal Pushers by organizing vases and supplies, I also helped in day-to-day tasks around the office. Ultimately I had a fantastic experience with CARS and hope to use all the tools I learned in my future endeavors and be able to give back to CARS and other non profits.