The Jill's House internship program offers undergraduate students an opportunity to spend a summer caring for the children we serve. Our interns help us serve more families while gaining valuable experience in disability ministry that prepares them for their professional careers. We launched this competitive program in June, 2012. We hosted four interns that first summer and ten interns in the summer of 2013. This summer we have 13 interns serving us from 13 schools across the country. Mary Leidy, the director of our internship program said, "Our goal is to help develop a generation of professionals who love Jesus and children with special needs."

This summer we welcomed back Christine Coleman, an intern who also served our children last summer.  She recently shared with us how Jill's House has impacted her career plans, and her life:

"Not only has my internship at Jill's House helped me figure out my career, it has impacted my life spiritually. It has taught me who God desires us to be. Most of the children we serve seem to always be smiling, and you can see Him smiling through them. 

"One day a little girl looked up at me and asked 'What is love?  How do I show my love?'  She has it right. She asked me that question four or five times that day. Why don't I ask myself that question more often? That is why I decided to serve as a Jill's House intern again this year. I was impacted spiritually and wanted more time to show the kids how much they are loved.
 
"I am currently studying early childhood and special education at Eastern University, just outside of Philadelphia. When I served as an intern at Jill's House last summer, I realized how much I love teaching the kids life skills and independence. It's such a blessing to see the kids have fun, develop social interactions and participate in recreational activities they wouldn't normally have. As a result, I decided to change my focus from education to occupational therapy. 

"I wanted to learn more, so I returned to Jill's House for another internship this summer. I also shadow occupational therapists at a local clinic and have learned so much about how they encourage the kids to critically think about decisions and how to interact with peers. This has helped me immensely in helping to encourage the kids at Jill's House to be more involved in their interactions. It's important for those who can to initiate on their own. For example, this week I asked the children in my care if they had any ideas about how to play on the moon bounce. Instead of just jumping up and down, they came together and decided they wanted to form different letters with their bodies. I never would have thought of that, and it was so much fun!

 "Jill's House has been such a blessing to me. Through my service here God has given me clear direction regarding where He wants to take me, and He has also given me the gift of knowing these amazing kids who have taught me what it really means to love each other."

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