I have never worked with an intern that took such pride and passion in their work. Our Clark County intern Talia Brumfield has been a tremendous help with our community outreach.
Talia started to volunteer with Children’s Home Society of Washington in Washougal at their front office in August of 2018. She signed clients in, answered phones, organized donations, handed out emergency food supplies, while helping clients navigate community resources. Immediately she proved to be a strong asset going above and beyond to help.
“I have a passion for serving others, advocating for the community, and hearing people's stories,” Talia said. “I researched social services organizations and felt CHSW was a good fit with my passion and goals to support the different types of families I wanted to work with.”
Talia came to Vancouver as our Triple Point intern in December of 2018. Triple Point empowers LGBTQ+ youth and allies by providing education, safety, support and acceptance. From the very beginning Talia took charge of several projects with grace and speed. She also created communications for me to send to our community partners.
“I enjoy working with LGBTQ youth and participating in community outreach,” Talia said. “I get to work with some amazing CHSW mentors who have played a huge role in making my experience here so impactful. They have been key figures in helping me develop my career goals and skills that will benefit me well into my future.”
The Triple Point youth really connect with Talia. She is great at group facilitation and has taken the initiative to lead certain activities, allowing me to spend more one-on-one time with our youth.
“I will be graduating with my bachelor’s in psychology from Washington State University Vancouver this May, and I am truly grateful for the experience I've gained through CHSW,” Talia said. “CHSW has been an incredible place to work and grow. I've learned a lot about non-profit organizations, donations, confidentiality, and community partnerships.”
This winter, Talia witnessed the generosity of our community through Stuff the Bus, where CHSW partnered with local school districts to collect food donations for people in need.
“Through Stuff the Bus, I got hands-on experience in accepting and organizing donations, while taking part in the FOX 12 toy drive where we organized and packaged more than 115 bags for the Toys for Tots program. It was a great experience!”
The staff at CHSW are so grateful for volunteers like Talia. We were so impressed with her, we recently offered Talia a position as a case manager trainee for Clark County. We are excited to have her as a permanent staff member.
For volunteer opportunities, contact Donna Verretto, Senior Manager of Volunteer & Donor Relations, 206-388-5870 or email donna.verretto@chs-wa.org.
Stephen Herndon is a Family Support Specialist in Vancouver for CHSW.