Stapleton/Davidson Urban Service Internship

Overview:
Five Davidson College students engage in full-time, hands-on community service among the urban poor in Charlotte, NC for ten weeks in the summer. Interns serve in organizations like the Urban Ministry Center (which provides meals, showers, and other services for homeless neighbors), Dove's Nest (which helps women who are dealing with substance abuse and addiction), and Crisis Assistance Ministry (which provides funds for people in immediate financial crisis). Through weekly meetings with the College Chaplain and pastors of local congregations, interns also participate in personal and group reflection on social justice, scripture, Christian spirituality, and the role of the church in responding to issues raised in the context of the inner-city. This internship is open to all Davidson College students except graduating seniors.  

Recent interns:
Sarah Bowers, Tianna Butler, Corinne Hester, Kelsi Hobbs, Sarah Jordan, Stephen McNeal, Hannah Schorr, Paul Spellings, Ian Thomson, and Katie Voegtli.

Duration:
10 weeks (May 28 - August 2, 2013).

Provisions:
$3500, plus housing. 

Applications/Deadlines:
Applications/Deadlines: Applications (Word format) are due in the Chaplain's Office by 5:00 p.m. on the first Friday in February.

Quotations about the Stapleton/Davidson Internship from recent interns:
I was placed in the very heart of homelessness, heartache, and hopelessness, working with men who have been drug dealers, or addicts, or have just gotten out of prison. As I got to know them, I felt an incredibly strong connection, becoming good friends with an ex-gang-member, a mentally handicapped individual (who made my day every day), and a man who had spiraled heavily into depression. I felt my whole outlook on myself and my life begin to change. - 2011 intern

I cannot imagine a vision and a mission more powerful, more meaningful or more fulfilling than that of Jesus, as it was he who walked with the poor, the sick and the marginalized. Because we have developed deep friendships with the impoverished in Charlotte, it is our responsibility to be their voice in a world that doesn't allow them to have their own. - 2010 intern

Never again will I see statistics about poverty and homelessness as just numbers. Now I will see them and think of friends. I am forever changed, and my prayer is that I can live in a way which honors those who shared their time and stories with me this summer. - 2010 intern