By Amy Stone
Buckner International

DALLAS — For the third year, Buckner International received a grant from the ExxonMobil Foundation to hire an intern through the company’s Community Summer Jobs Program (CSJP).

Natalie Hedge, a senior at the University of North Texas, was one of 70 students in the Dallas area to be chosen for this program and is working with the Buckner Missions department in East Dallas.

As a development and families studies major, Hedge said she’s been able to apply the knowledge from her studies in this internship where she has learned about the behind-the-scenes processes for planning and conducting an international mission trip.

As the assistant missions coordinator, Hedge helps with logistics in planning trips and is coordinating content for a new “Message for the Mission” booklet, which will be distributed to all trip participants.

“Being able to offer a paid internship allows us to count on having a summer intern in our office, and allows us to prepare for the projects and tasks that that they help us with,” said Susan Williams, the director of missions support.

The internship has provided Hedge with many opportunities to volunteer, too. She recently traveled with Buckner on a Shoes for Orphan Souls mission trip to the Rio Grande Valley.

“I loved being able to see all of the trip participants give shoes to the children and families in that area,” she said.

Hedge said that one of the most valuable things that she has been able to take away from her CSJP internship has been the opportunity to see different jobs and to learn about career opportunities in non-profit organizations.

“I am so thankful that I received this internship,” Hedge said. “I have always loved missions, so this internship was perfect for me. I am able to work with everything that I love to do.”

To learn more about Buckner missions opportunities, please visit www.itsyourmission.com.