The Cook Family Foundation Fellows program supports area non-profit organizations and college students by bringing them together via paid summer internships. Our goal is to bring these talented young people back to our community for a summer’s employment. This helps nonprofits by providing them with the best and the brightest to work on a definable project and helps students by giving them an opportunity to put their skills to work, learn more about their community from a new perspective, and gain additional financial support for their continued education. 

Here are the students who participated in the CFF Fellows program this past summer:

DeVries Nature Conservancy hosted Laurie Platner to help with student summer camp/field trips, animal care, painting projects, organizing supplies, and tending to the Conservancy’s children’s garden (seen in the middle in the photo with the DNC staff). As a Sophomore at UM-Flint majoring in Sustainable & Renewable Technology, she was especially adept at working with youngsters from kindergarten to 6th grades. During the third week of her internship, she actually took the lead as she fully prepared for and ran the Junior Homesteading camp as DeVries Environmental Education Coordinator, Brittany Tillman, was sick with Covid. “Laurie stepped up and offered to run the camp for me with the help of two camp volunteers,” said Tillman. “The camp went wonderfully! We are so grateful for her efforts and the fact that we didn’t have to cancel this week’s camp.” The DeVries staff was sad to see her leave at the end of her designated stay, but are eager to hear about her future endeavors.”

Friends of the Shiawassee River was delighted to welcome Emily Smith as a seasonal intern through the CFF Fellows program. As a Sophomore at UM-Ann Arbor with a dual major in Biopsychology, Cognition & Neuroscience and Ecology, Evolution, & Biodiversity, Emily excelled in recruiting, scheduling, and supporting volunteers for the Shiawassee Triathlon and the 29th Annual River Cleanup. “She also was fabulous at the creation of promotional materials for both events – such as roadside banners, volunteer emails, social media posts and press releases,” said Friends’ Executive Director Liz Roxberry. “We are grateful to have had the opportunity to foster this relationship with Emily and wish her well on her continued educational journey.”

MemorialHealthcare Center provided an opportunity to Lynnae Gilman, a 2024 UM-Ann Arbor graduate with a major in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience, a unique experience this summer. As a Clinical Research Intern (CRI), she assisted in data entry and data analytics, evaluated/abstracted research data from historical clinical trials and shadowed some service areas in the hospital and various neurology sub-specialists. Dr. Jeanie Cote added “Lynnae was a pleasure to work with. We encouraged her to continue to build on her knowledge in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience to assist in her career path decision making.”  

Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership gave Haley Vincke, a Junior at UM-Ann Arbor majoring in Business Administration, a chance to learn the ins and outs of an Economic DevelopmentPartnership. Her main focus was updating, expanding, and analyzing SEDP’s property database in preparation for the development of a housing development strategy for Shiawassee County. In addition, Haley was an active participant in a number of SEDP events – providing her with valuable experience to network with area stakeholders. Brent Jones, SEDP Vice-President, shared “Haley was a tremendous addition to our team and her work will make very real progress in our efforts to address the housing shortage in Shiawassee County.”

Shiawassee Art Center, hosted Isaiah Shook, a UM-Ann Arbor sophomore, through the CFF Fellows program. Isaiah assisted with art camp programs for children, adults, and even seniors via the SMARTS (Senior Mobile ARTS) initiative – taking arts projects to area senior centers and assisted living facilities. “Working with Art Education Director Linda Ruehle, Isaiah also learned to throw pottery on the wheel and to measure, mix & sieve glasses for pottery classes,” said the Arts Center Executive Director Piper Brewer.  “And, as a true team player, he even watered all of our outdoor hanging flower baskets every Monday through Thursday until the end of July. He was an incredibly reliable employee. We at SAC felt very lucky that Isaiah chose us for his internship site.”    

The Cook Family Foundations’ Fellows program seeks University of Michigan (and, on occasion, other schools’) students to fill paid summer positions each year. These internships will be for a minimum of 35 hours a week for at least 10 weeks; with the potential to extend the engagement. Students will receive at least $15 per hour for their work.  

Take a look at the CFF Fellows page beginning this coming January to see the opportunities available for the summer of 2025.