Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity’s Swanton ReStore is hosting two interns from Missisquoi Valley Union High School for the summer.
The Missisquoi Valley School District received a grant from the Vermont Agency of Education to connect students with job opportunities in the area. With the funding, they created an internship program for students to work with local organizations and industries.
One of the partners for this program is the Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Swanton.
The interns work in the Swanton ReStore sorting and organizing donations, arranging new inventory on the salesfloor, and merchandising. They will also complete a capstone project, which will be a staff and volunteer barbeque potluck at the end of August.
“This has been such an important connection in the sense that we are exposing our students to the operations and behind-the-scenes of a business that helps those in the community,” said Beth Ann Miller, Director of Expanded Learning for the school district.
Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity’s Volunteer Manager, Caitlyn Conibear, has created a program for the two interns to work on their projects while getting their daily tasks done. The interns have already shown their skills in problem solving, event planning, and public speaking.
“I am thrilled to have these interns,” said Caitlyn. “They have already shown such commitment and dedication to helping the ReStore team.”
Beth Ann said that it is important for these students to have intentional programming that exposes them to strong adult mentors and leaders.
Many of the older volunteers and staff members at the Swanton ReStore have expressed that they enjoy seeing younger individuals around the store.
“It’s refreshing to have younger folks that are learning about our mission and willing to help,” said Kassie Palmer, Swanton ReStore Manager.
Kassie hopes to continue to engage this younger generation in Habitat’s mission, so the organization can continue to make an impact across Franklin County and the rest of Northwestern Vermont.
While this is only the start of this program, both organizations hope to continue working together in the future.
The Swanton ReStore is open five days a week from Tuesday through Saturday, 9am-3pm, at 104 Robin Hood Drive. Visit our website to learn more about how our ReStores help support our mission.
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