This summer, I had the pleasure of being KTA’s intern/program aid. Starting in May, I filled in wherever Joe and Sara needed me. This included lots of database and marketing work but also many exciting projects. For the Trail Challenge coming up, I reached out to many organizations and colleges to ask for volunteers, secured a company to create the medallions for Trail Challenge finishers, and sent appeals to potential sponsors of the event. For the fall Quehanna Elk Quest, I arranged for a presentation from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and secured a special-use permit for hiking on state game lands. Along the way, I wrote press releases and promotional literature for events, and I updated the brochure and mailers we periodically send out.

My biggest accomplishment was the tourism grant from the Cumberland Valley Visitors Bureau. Working with this organization, I secured a $2,400 grant to create brochures with updated information and window signage for our new office.

To fully immerse myself, I spent a day with Deb Dunkle doing maintenance on the Mid State Trail. That was a fulfilling and truly humbling experience.

There are also 2 projects I started to keep KTA involved in the community in the future. The first is a collaboration with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. My passion is environmental science, so this project is right up my alley—in fact, I wish we had gotten it going sooner. The project entails volunteer hikers assessing remote stream quality, particularly for trout health and population size. The second project, in collaboration with Wegmans supermarket, is called Passport to Family Wellness. KTA wants to create a “passport” for hikers to record their hikes on certain trails throughout the state. After completing the hikes, the hiker can enter into drawings for prizes provided by Wegmans.

Working for a nonprofit was a whole different animal. I witnessed all the politics involved, both within KTA and between organizations. It’s clear that we can’t buy peoples’ support for our causes, but with such a solid mission, good people are still getting involved. Thank you very much for the opportunity to work toward KTA’s mission of providing, preserving, protecting, and promoting Pennsylvania’s trails this summer. I fully believe that I worked toward each of these goals.

LETTER FROM KTA'S SUMMER INTERN