LINCOLN, Neb. – Twenty-four young Nebraskans from every corner of the state recently gathered in Norfolk to kick off a summer of uncovering the unseen assets that make their communities unique and working with local leaders to make an impact on the places they love. Among those students are Gracie Neth, Ava Pandorf, Delaney Rogers, and Bryn Schwarz who will be working with either the Arnold or Callaway Community Fund.
This year’s group of interns is the seventh class since the initiative began. In addition to the Arnold and Callaway Community Funds, other NCF affiliated funds being worked with across the state include Perkins County, Hebron, Deshler, Byron, Bertrand, Diller, Friend, Holt County, Howells, Leigh, McCook, Red Cloud, Shickley, Spencer, and Verdigre.
Hometown interns are current high school graduate who has spent at least six months away and lives at home for the summer. They have displayed curiosity, open-mindedness, flexibility, a desire to see their hometown through fresh eyes and a drive to contribute to the future of their community. They are compensated for their work through an anonymous donor gift to NCF, which is matched by their affiliated fund.
Interns also participate in the Operation Discovery, a course that helps them unleash their vision, creativity, and passion while they build relationships within their hometowns.
The four sections of the course include:
– Identifying and sharing three overlooked assets in their places
– Holding one-on-one asset mapping conversations with a friend, a member of the local fund advisory committee (FAC), and a new acquaintance
– Co-host an informal discovery conversation with a group of residents
– Writing and sharing a letter to their hometown, reflecting on the insights gained from a summer of learning.
Past hometown interns have worked on a wide variety of projects including: documenting local history and storytelling, creating a youth serviceship camp for elementary students, facilitating local arts and cultural activities, conducting and sharing video interviews that highlight residents talents and stories, developing branding/graphic design/web-building projects, and leading community planning conversations.
“Nebraska Community Foundation has declared 2025 the ‘Year of Invitation,’ and Hometown Internships are one of the most powerful invitations Nebraska communities can extend to their young people,” said NCF CEO and President Jeff Yost. “By offering freedom to uncover, innovate and co-create, this experience is unique in its ability to empower the next generation of Nebraska leaders while strengthening the bonds that energize the communities we love.”
The 2025 NCF Hometown Interns are (asterisks indicate a student returning for another internship):
Gracie Neth, Arnold Community Fund
Ava Pandorf, Callaway Community Fund
Delaney Rogers, Arnold Community Fund
Bryn Schwarz, Arnold Community Fund
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Landon Dobbins, Howells Community Fund
Avery Eitzmann, Byron Community Foundation Fund
Johanna Ford, Bertrand Area Community Fund*
Lucas Gomez-Wilson, McCook Community Foundation Fund
Amelia Hakl, Spencer Community Foundation Fund and Holt County Economic Development
Kiera Hennerberg, Diller Community Foundation Fund
Heidi Hollmann, Verdigre Community Foundation Fund
Hannah Miller, Shickley Community Foundation Fund*
Jordan Mireles, Perkins County Community Foundation Fund*
Caitlyn Mitchell, Hebron Community Foundation Fund
Jordan Noonan, Leigh Legacy Fund
David Parde, Diller Community Foundation Fund
Avery Rasser, Red Cloud Community Fund
Natalie Roberts, McCook Community Foundation Fund
Jadyn Schultis, Diller Community Foundation Fund*
Tierra Shardt, Deshler Community Fund
Ally Sedlacek, Holt County Economic Development*
Mariah Sliva, Shickley Community Foundation Fund*
Shelby Steyer, Friend Area Fund*
Natalie Tietjen, Byron Community Foundation Fund
