Opportunities at A Wider Circle

Please contact me if you have any questions about this: Amy McLaughlin (amclaug1@umd.edu)

Please consider applying to do an internship at A Wider Circle in Silver Spring, Md (see attached flyer).  It is an excellent service organization that provides furniture to families who have experienced homelessness and a wonderful way to see sociological concepts in action.  There is a particular need for Client Relations Interns.

They are recruiting now for Fall semester and while the internships are unpaid, you can register for credit.  We have had students work here in the past and they have had life-changing experiences.  Let me share with you an excerpt from a paper written by astudent who worked at a Wider Circle:

As stated in A Wider Circle’s Orientation Manual, “The underlying goal of the organization is to shift consciousness on both an individual and societal level to understand that each of us is deeply connected to everyone else – that any person in poverty is our brother, sister, mother, or father; in fact, ourselves. Understanding this interconnectedness reinforces the need to widen our circle of compassion. By understanding that love is a verb, not anoun, we can translate our compassion into action. A shift in priority motivates us to not tolerate the tragic living conditions that continue to exist. To choose to do this is to be fully human.”

I remember reading this mission statement for the first time back in January, on my first day of work at A Wider Circle, worrying only about remembering it for the intern “quiz” I would have to take later that morning. I understand these words in a whole new light now, after my time working there. I understand that choosing ignorance and complacency is the easy way out. I understand that I must make sacrifices in the fight to end poverty. However, it’s imperative to note that those I have served helped me way more than I have helped them: They have been friends, teachers, and sources of the deepest inspiration and gratitude. I have been blessed by a healer from Uganda, prayed for by a Pastor from Baltimore, friended on Facebook by ahairdresser from Hyattsville, serenaded by a gospel singer from D.C., and truly inspired by dozens more. I am thankful for my time there, and will cherish the lessons I have learned about gratitude, faith, friendship, and what it means to be “fully human.”