We all have been blessed at Hunter Hospitality House to have Anna Gerardy as a summer intern, and wish her the best as she leaves us to return to Grand Valley State University. We'll miss you, Anna!
Hello All! I am Anna Gerardy, a sophomore at Grand Valley State University and from Yale. At Grand Valley, I am studying accounting and public and nonprofit administration and involved in SLAM (Students Leaving A Mark), a club that volunteers in the area and on an annual week long service trip. Going into this summer, I felt I needed some more experience in the nonprofit world, rather than the classroom, and was lucky enough to have stumbled upon Tracy and the Hunter Hospitality House.
At the beginning of May, I had no clue what Hunter Hospitality House was, but a family friend connected me with the executive director to set up a lunch to talk about the nonprofit world. By the end of that lunch I was in awe of the mission and hard work that has gone into creating and upholding HHH, and was ready to jump on board and help in any way I can. As I am in the final day of my internship, I cannot be more thankful to have been with such a special nonprofit.
At the beginning of May, I had no clue what Hunter Hospitality House was, but a family friend connected me with the executive director to set up a lunch to talk about the nonprofit world. By the end of that lunch I was in awe of the mission and hard work that has gone into creating and upholding HHH, and was ready to jump on board and help in any way I can. As I am in the final day of my internship, I cannot be more thankful to have been with such a special nonprofit.
Anna's first day at HHH on May 24, 2022. Little did she know what she was getting into!
Throughout my schooling, I have never had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the nonprofit world, and Tracy went above and beyond in showing me the ropes and introducing me to countless members of the community. To be involved in the nonprofit world takes a special person, and every staff member, board member, and volunteer with HHH has been special and kind beyond measure. It is apparent that Tracy and Jeff have put their heart and soul into HHH.
In June, Anna had the opportunity to work on preparing the HHH newsletters for mailing with our staff and some volunteers from Target.
When asked to write this blog, Tracy asked if I would highlight my experience throughout the summer. Racking my brain for ideas, there was truly not one bad word I could say about my experience. Cullen, Tracy, Jeff, and Toni, are a great team with brilliant ideas who are always brainstorming the next way to make HHH more hospitable for guests, the website more user friendly, ways to beautify the yard, and the list could go on and on. Every volunteer I have met has always had a smile on their face and are willing to help in any way possible. What I and not many people always realize, is some nonprofits are only run on donations and grants, like HHH. This makes it that much more difficult to keep a nonprofit running, yet the wonderful donors of HHH continue to help fund the vision Tracy and Jeff have. Though those who are reading this might not see the work that goes on day in and day out can be exasperating, yet it is always done with a smile on their face and an eagerness to do so. Though my time is over at HHH, I will forever be grateful for working with such a selfless and kind establishment, and will be around next summer to help whenever I can. Thank you to all who have donated their time, money, and prayers to HHH, as you are the reason thousands of people have been lucky enough to have a place of rest and revilitilization while dealing with crises.
Anna even took our little porch decoration home to paint, giving this turtle a much needed facelift!
