Bonner in the field: Paris at Don’t Stop Dreaming

Bonner Leader, Paris Brown, has been working with Don’t Stop Dreaming since last Spring semester. The Butler-based organization works to grant dreams to residents in the Quality Life Services and Facilities, from trips to Steelers games to dinners with family. Here, she helps with fundraising, office work, prepping and planning events, coordinating meetings, and more! Along with these capabilities, the site has assisted her professional development by advancing her workplace and client communication skills, experiencing coordination with other businesses for events, and conducting grant research and writing. She said that these skills will help her with her future goals in the education field.

Paris found this experience to be valuable in many ways such as finding her passion in assisting vulnerable communities and “bringing attention and awareness to a community, or population, that is often overlooked.” She finds that bringing joy, even with the smallest actions, is rewarding.

Not only has she found this experience to be valuable in impacting the community, but has discovered a personal purpose at the site. Paris was able to form a friendship with a resident that she would not have been able to meet without the placement. She believes that this new-found friendship will last for a long time. Learn more about Don't Stop Dreaming, click here to go to the website!