So we are back for another installment of Unsung Heroes.
Now more than ever, it is important to focus our attentions on stories that will encourage us, enlighten us and also sensitize us to, about and for people.
Most people go about their daily lives doing what they do and many if not most times, no one takes notice but if they didn’t do what they did………
Our communities I dare say would not be better off if these unsung heroes were not there.
The fatigue of this period of time has worn on so many so some real stories of everyday people can be just the right medicine to help us raise our eye levels a little bit past this 6 month grind of Covid, political uncertainty etc.
So this Forward Friday Unsung Heroes Installment #16 is a salute to all interns and stagers who give of their time to gain experience but are helping us in so many ways!
They really matter and should be celebrated….
I’ve been one and have had the blessing to have had many but I will take time today to highlight 4 that stood out and still stand out to me in my mind today!!!
So Let’s Get Into This!!
So The First Intern/Stager I Think Of Is Frank Pislis. I Call Him The Gold Standard Of Interns/Stagers.
I had begun my career working at Westmount High School and in my second year, I connected with Dawson College and their leadership training program.
Normally, most stagers only are able to have 1 stage at a certain place so they can have a varied experience.
Frank came for a 90 hour stage and it became quite clear that Frank was not your average stager.
Frank not only connected with the students well, but Frank was adept in planning, administration and so much more.
It became a mutual request for Frank to spend a full semester with us and it worked out. 450 Hours!!!!!
The school benefitted and I did personally as I learned a lot from Frank’s enthusiasm, ideas and passion to make a difference in the lives of students and giving him the opportunity to use some of his creative abilities to make his time at Westmount profitable.
Frank got involved in our sports, camp outs, chaperoning at our graduation prom, running and coordinating a lot of the programming that I was responsible for.
My own thinking was and is that if we have an intern, at a certain point, once they have a bit of a handle on some of what we are doing, giving an intern a chance to learn by doing is a great thing.
Frank took off running with the first of many assignments; students and staff appreciated and liked Frank so much that it was very hard to see him go.
Frank had gotten a job shortly after his time at Westmount at a resort north of the city and while we haven’t connected in recent years, I always think of Frank and his time at Westmount when I pass by the school and think of the asset and positive influence Frank had in our year plus time of working together.
I am grateful for the time we had Frank with us; he was an amazing young man and great influence in the time he was at Westmount high.
The Next 3 Interns/Stagers Kind of Go Hand in Hand…. Shannon, Maxine and Chris. Truly Some Of The Best!!! Platinum Class
If there were a cause to celebrate interns and the possibilities they have to positively affect an organization, setting etc., look no further than my next 3 unsung heroes.
I was running a youth ministry/youth center for many years downtown and as we grew, the need for help became more apparent.
One can only spread so thin before cracks would show up and I am thankful for the many volunteers I’ve had the privilege of serving with over the years; I knew though that I needed more.
So, we began a late spring/summer intern program that coincidentally in a number of years went into the fall season and the first 2 that I had the pleasure to work with was Shannon Mrozinski and Maxine Wiseman.
We spent 5 summers together, not to mention countless other moments during the years I was leading the ministry.
To say that we had a lot of laughs and fun was an understatement but let me tell you, those gals did some heavy lifting.
They were involved in everything you could imagine:
Incredible administrative gifting’s
Revamping programming
Running summer programs which included camps, outings etc.
Helped Administrate conferences and conventions.
Starting an after School Homework program for At Risk Neighborhood kids
They even decided to overhaul my office when I was on vacation because they knew there would be nothing I could do about it when I came back… and they were right….
Along came Chris Chase who, besides a summer internship had many moments where he was able to establish and grow his many gifting’s during his time with us.
We established the comment/takedown of one summer; (Jerk face) You’d have to ask us about that.
Chris, Shannon and Maxine had and have a relatability to others and it was evident in their interactions with the young people that passed through the doors of our center and with people in general.
This ability to relate and connect with people is so important and I believe that training grounds are necessary for the development of leaders and people in general.
One of my learning curves that I began to practice was once I knew that my interns could jog a little bit, I had to trust that even if they fell, they would be able to get up, learn, grow and keep moving.
There had to be a trust level that after giving them some training, some advice and counsel, the best thing would be to let them spread their wings.
It’s interesting; I couldn’t tell you or remember every little thing that Chris, Shannon and Maxine did during their internship years but what I can tell you what speaks volumes to this day would be the conversations in a car, sitting down and chatting over food, at the house or in the office that we had moments to share, listen, think and grow.
Listening to them work through things, figure out angles and approaches that they would do differently, how they saw the people they were working with, how they felt they could make a difference in the world, the communities they would find themselves in were gratifying and heartwarming to hear and see them put those thought progressions into action.
Willing to listen to constructive adjustments so that they could get better professionally, personally etc. matters.
Any leader who is not humble enough to listen might as well be on a raft on their own because sooner or later, people will not follow.
I would also say that I learned much having them as my interns as sometimes, leaders can think that they have little or nothing to learn from their interns/stagers but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I learned a wealth of knowledge, being more sensitive to things I may otherwise have missed.
There have been many times where I’ve heard people say, “Why be an intern/stager when there’s little or no money to be gained?” or “I think I’d be just wasting my time instead of getting a real job”.
My career, coincidentally began doing stage work at Westmount High School over a 18 month period. The intention was not thinking that I would get a job but to help the school in areas of need and I could gain valuable experience.
What began as a fun adventure, new challenges took a turn a little bit later when a new principal came in and was looking for people who could help him take a school almost in the dust back to prominence.
I would have never guessed that the skills I was learning on the fly in that stage period of time would serve me well in my new career not that much later and even years later, I still am benefitting from those “stage” months!
Shannon went on to become a successful teacher, married and mother of 2 and is children’s minister at her church in downtown Montreal…
Maxine also became a successful teacher not only here in Montreal but in Dubai, yes, across the other side of the world, is married and has a very exciting daughter.
Chris went on to become a very successful youth minister, Bible College Campus Pastor, married, dad with 2 great kids and is now the lead pastor of a growing church in Toronto.
It’s interesting; I’ve had many interns/stagers over the years and for the most part, many had an inner drive to learn, grow and want to become a success in life of some sort and it has only been a very few number of interns/stagers who just seemed to be passing time.
Just did enough to make it through the allotted time and schedule that they were there but so many took the time to prepare for the next chapters well enough to have the opportunity to succeed.
Interns/stagers do some menial tasks, some big, some in the middle, some even get to be part of a wedding proposal scavenger hunt (Matt Ball) but if the attitude is right, these moments can propel one to places they could have only dreamed of reaching.
We say thanks to the interns, stagers who come in to learn, grow, who grind it out as they acquire knowledge and understanding to make a difference where they have been placed!
We salute you Frank, Shannon, Maxine, Chris and thank you for your attention to detail, your 100% commitment, your excitement, zest, comradery and all you did to make those moments not just good but great! It is an honor to not just know you but to have worked alongside of you!!!!
Dave
These unsung heroes aren’t doing what they do for glory, grandeur or accolades but we need to be thankful because they help make our days, weeks, months better and we are truly better for having them in our lives!
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