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Suffolk’s Hero Kids Foundation was one of six Hampton Roads organizations to receive the Atlantic Union Bank Future Community Impact Grant and was the only awardee in the city. In total, 50 awards were given out across AUB’s service area in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. 

Hero Kids was given $4,000 to support a paid summer internship. Interns will also participate in development sessions led by AUB. Of the $4,000, $3,600 is designated for intern wages, and the rest will go toward recruitment and professional development.

Since Hero Kids has never had a paid intern before, founder John Raniowski said he’s thankful but surprised they received the grant.

“My concern was, whatever I presented was really a groundbreaking opportunity, and I felt that in today’s picture of nonprofits, they might have decided more so towards someone who’s more well established,” he said. “And blessedly, and I mean that sincerely, they chose us, which was exciting.”

Nathalia Artus, director of community impact at AUB, said Hero Kids’ grant application stood out because they had a clear internship plan outlined with specific dates and tasks.

“The intern duties are clear, and they include weekly timelines of supporting their GLOBE and horticultural therapy initiatives,” she said.

Elise Nitzsche will be Hero Kids’ intern this summer. After she participated in last year’s NASA GLOBE — Global Learning and Observation to Benefit the Environment — facilitation course at Hero Kids, Raniowski said she was the first person he thought of for the internship.

Nitzsche is a sophomore at Rutgers University majoring in plant science and pursuing a certificate in horticultural therapy. 

“I am really excited,” she said. “It’s going to be a completely new experience for me. I mean, I’ve never been able to get my hands on something like this before and have such a leading role in planning these events and stuff.”

The plan for the internship, Raniowski said, is to have Nitzsche help run and develop various events the organization will be holding over the summer. Since she already has some experience with the GLOBE summer camp and the facilitator’s course, Nitzsche will work with GLOBE Director Tina Harte-Ballinger to help run both of those programs.

Raniowski said they are also working on developing a few other one to two day summer events that Nitzsche will help with — a mini GLOBE camp for middle schoolers in alternative schools, and some horticultural therapeutic events. 

“The goal is to provide Elise, not just the opportunity for learned education, you know, the verbal communication, the written word, but to allow her the opportunity to to be a problem solver, a manager of programs, and a developer of impact,” Raniowski said.

He hopes this internship opportunity will open the door to other, more long-term internship opportunities for them in the future. 

“AUB has really, I feel, honored us with this opportunity to do something unique, special, groundbreaking for us, at least, and very impactful, not just for our programs, but for the community we live in,” Raniowski said.