Philanthropy Magnified

Behind every gift, there is a story about a generous individual, family or organization committed to advancing their community and the people around them. Generosity inspires us all.

Many individuals and families make their charitable goals a reality. We share this story about a donor, where they come from and how we help them magnify their impact on the community for generations to come.

Expanding Paid Internships: A Game Changer

William (Bill) Maxwell, Cornell Engineering Professor Emeritus, (pictured in the middle, wearing glasses) has been a member of the GIAC (Greater Ithaca Activities Center) family for over 15 years. Recently, Mike Zak, (pictured sitting next to Bill) a former student of his wanted to honor Professor Maxwell for the impact he had on his life. The result of Mike’s most generous gift is an endowment fund at Community Foundation of Tompkins County to forever support GIAC’s internship program named in honor of Bill Maxwell. 

Bill was inspired and has also created a companion fund, the William and Judith Maxwell Internship Fund, to honor his wife Judith, which expands the internship program even further.

GIAC Director, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, spoke about GIAC’s internship program history and how the new funds will extend help to more students. Prior to the program, McBean-Clairborne said the lack of funds made it difficult for the center to provide multiple internships to students at the time.

“I fell on my knees, when I heard of the new funds, and there were tears falling,” McBean-Clairborne said. “We have been rubbing pennies every year to place at least one person somewhere when we have four or five who are asking for an internship. So, it is making the biggest difference already for us.”

Mike Zak said, “I was, perhaps, Bill’s first intern, in a sense. Professor Maxwell took a risk which did a lot for me (a former student) a long time ago. To express my happiness, I am proud to create these Maxwell Internships at GIAC, in the hopes that Tompkins County can take more and more risks on youth. Young men and women who have yet to establish themselves, who perhaps just need a chance to see how the world works, can find a place in it for themselves, can test the waters, and then go on and prosper as citizens who contribute to the greater common good.”

Internships are a proven gateway to jobs. It’s widely acknowledged that paying interns is a critical first step to addressing barriers to access for historically underrepresented students who otherwise could not afford to spend their non-school hours working for free.

Paid internships can build networks and connections. Internships are an important path to a career.

One past recipient, Xavier Bourne, held a paid internship at Ithaca International Airport. Xavier’s passion for aviation can be heard when he said the GIAC internship allowed him to “learn airline contracts and airport management which strengthened my interests.” He carried that experience into a career as he is now a Delta Airlines Analytic Specialist keeping people connected to the world.

Mike Zak shared, “This gift acknowledges a long-time champion for the youth of greater Ithaca, William Maxwell, who has changed the lives of many, including mine, and I am excited about how these internships may change the lives of young men and women in greater Ithaca.”

Take a chance – there are big benefits to taking time to facilitate these connections.

Data suggests that both young and people of color are particularly likely to report feeling lonely in the workplace. Informal relationship-building will not solve all of this, but it can bolster employee engagement. Interns just testing the waters in the world of work may not share this understanding of how to build or mobilize networks. And according to research from America’s Promise Alliance, young people of color and from low-income families believe connections and social capital are essential for navigating their career journeys but report struggling to build them.

Inspiring the voices of future generations

Internships operate as engines that promote inclusion rather than inequality in the labor market, compensating interns with both financial and social capital matters.

Who wouldn’t want to help shape a childhood? We expect to hear more often what Xavier stated, “My internship was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and many of the connections I made at the Ithaca Airport are friends of mine today.”  

A win for us all. Que the applause and cheers!

Community Foundation of Tompkins County, established in 2000, welcomes inquiries from the community. Our mission is to bring people and resources together to build a more equitable Tompkins County by inspiring diverse philanthropy, catalyzing collaborations and championing inclusion and justice.