2026 Rees-Jones Foundation Youth Internship Recap
By Sara Meyers, Communications Specialist
This summer, The Rees-Jones Foundation hosted its eighth summer internship with 24 interns from four different organizations who met together to remember that God has a purpose for our lives! With the theme verse, Psalm 138:8 “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for you, for His steadfast love endures forever” in mind, the Foundation convened four different gatherings for the interns to meet up and take part in activities, hear from dynamic speakers, and even experience a special visit to The Dallas Holocaust Museum. The focal point of the summer included the opportunity for interns to work for their respective organizations, including: Casa del Lago, Dallas Leadership Foundation, For the Nations Refugee Outreach, and Youth Believing in Change. 
Each intern was able to utilize their gifts with their nonprofits to offer meaningful summer programming for children and support staff through administrative projects. Interns earned an income all summer and heard from speakers like The Hendricks Center, South Dallas Driving School, American National Bank of Texas, and even a career panel with our very own president Terese Stevenson, senior program officer Shellie Velasco, and insights and impact officer Lauren Malthaner, PhD.
Many of the interns grew up in the nonprofits as recipients themselves and are notably giving back as mentors, utilizing their gifts to pour into the next generation. They are incredibly inspiring!
At the closing dinner, interns enjoyed a family-style meal and had the chance to hear from a few of their own as intern representatives and supervisors from each organization had the opportunity to speak from the podium about this summer’s internship experience. Their words moved the room as they recounted their favorite moments of working with children at their sites and meeting new friends at the group convenings. In particular, Gift from For the Nations shared this beautiful reflection of her time this summer:
“One of my many favorite parts of being an intern is teaching needlepoint to the kids as an elective. It is an opportunity to remind them that even though the back of the tapestry looks messy, the front is all that matters. Knowing that most of these kids were refugees like myself, it’s important to remind them that our past doesn’t matter because God is putting together or needling a beautiful future for us. And it often doesn’t make sense until it’s all completely put together. It is truly a blessing to be able to help others grow while also growing more and more myself.”
Common among all of the speakers were their remarks about their goals and dreams that formed as a result of the internship showing them their gifts and talents, and the tools they have as they consider what’s next.
To see interns walk away from the summer with a distinct understanding that God indeed has a purpose for their lives was a gift to Foundation staff—these students are indeed sharp, bright, motivated, confident, and hungry to learn! We wish these interns all the best this year and are excited for the ways they have already and will continue to impact their communities, schools, and workplaces for good.