Front Porch Forum doesn’t just help you find your lost dog or that bunk bed you desperately need for your kids. In my case, it found me a summer internship. Out of all the summer jobs one can have, I can’t imagine one more stimulating and inspiring than CLiF.

Being a kid who was never strong academically, I didn’t know why teachers claimed to love their jobs so much. I didn’t want anything to do with school after 6th grade. It was tolerable but oh-so-stressful. My sophomore English teacher once said, “We should never stop seeing ourselves as learners.” I took it to heart so that everything I did, academically related or not, was with that mindset. As a part of my internship with CLiF, I got to attend events that our presenters gave to eligible schools and library groups. Typically they will read a story, speak of the importance of reading, and then each kid can choose two books to take home. At one event in Barre, VT, a young girl hugged me and thanked me for the books she was able to receive. This feeling of reward came over me, which completely caught me off guard. Me? I thought. What in the world, I haven’t really done anything besides go to school, wait tables, and play sports. At that moment I felt as if I somehow indirectly made a positive impact on this young girl. I went home really understanding why teachers love what they do, and I started dreaming of goals SO much bigger than just my own.

In these short three months I have learned so much about the platform that CLiF has formed. CLiF’s purpose is to ignite this fire in kids so that they explore this world through books and stories. And the people that make it possible are just as inspiring as the mission. Our volunteers are selfless with their time and energy. Duncan, our Executive Director, has taught me that the way you connect and treat people is valued. We should all make the people we connect with feel appreciated and needed. As for the rest of the four dope women in the office, they taught me that you can do it all, kids, work, pick-up hockey, book clubs, traveling, and putting dinner on the table every night, all while looking absolutely flawless. 😉

As I head back to school for my sophomore year, I’m excited to be able to study something that is so applicable to young kids. I’m not quite sure what it is about them, but as I feel like my childhood is leaving me, theirs is in full bloom. They have this light in them that literally cannot be ignored, and not because of the volume of their voices, but the eagerness in their faces when it comes to simply receiving a book. 

So thank you, CLiF, for an eye opening summer, something I’ll always carry with me. 

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Izzy Moffroid is CLiF’s summer intern. She is about to start her sophomore year at George Washington University studying speech language pathology. CLiF Note: Izzy has been an absolute pleasure to work with! We were so lucky to have her on the team this summer.

Pictured above: Izzy with CLiF Data/Office Manager Stephanie and her daughter Tess at the Do Good Fest in Montpelier, VT