Category: Press

Dr. Sharon Ufberg interviews the founder of Interns 4-Good, Ellie Zimmerman, who will be a high-school senior, in Westchester County, New York. Zimmerman’s non-profit provides high school students an opportunity to offer digital support to nonprofits through virtual, skill-based internships. And when the COVID-19 crisis hit, and students and teachers took to virtual learning, interest in virtual help with homework and tech support took off. Zimmerman tells Ufberg what inspired her to start Interns 4-Good. 

It isn’t often that one meets someone who is kind, and thoughtful, and innovative all at once, but Ellie Zimmerman is one of those uniquely wonderful people. Most teens aren’t CEO of their own company by senior year of high school, but then Ellie isn’t most teens. She’s passionate about the environment and approves wholeheartedly of service learning. In fact, it was on a semester school trip to Chile that she was inspired to start her nonprofit organization: Interns 4-Good. Ellie is easy to talk to, and I’m chatting with her after one of the regular Interns 4-Good leadership team meetings. She’s a good leader: someone who is easy to look up to and admire. She’s firm in a friendly way and makes good executive decisions. Ellie says she started Interns 4-Good because she knows how hard it can be for high school students to find opportunities to help with different things they are passionate about, but also because there are many nonprofits out there who need support from interns. Her organization helps with both needs. They provide high school students with opportunities to assist nonprofits; these projects are called 4-G Gigs. Ellie’s idea (originally dreamed up as she backpacked across Patagonia National Park) has come a long way. It wasn’t always easy, she admits, but her family and friends from her semester school gave her full support. She has both a mentor and role model in her mother, a hardworking businesswoman.

During these unprecedented times, eager high school student volunteers are ready to help non profit organizations by providing technical support and other skilled based services. Some even are available for homework help and to teach classes via Zoom. 

These teens are part of Interns4Good.org, a 501 c-3 non profit, led by CEO and founder, Ellie Zimmerman of Purchase. Going into her senior year at Rye Country Day School, she spends at least 5 hours a day on this endeavor, reaching out to her 18 member leadership team. 

Zimmerman envisioned the idea for Interns4Good, 18 months ago, while she was hiking on a school trip. She reached out to everyone she knew to find participants for the program. Then, last summer she received a grant from Google, applied for non profit status and searched for companies that would need teens for online internships. 

“When our program was created, I got a bunch of internships lined up and wanted to assure the credibility. I rely on my leadership team, kids from all over the country. There’s no overlap in territory and they reach out to their own communities. That’s what makes the leadership team so cool,” she explains. 

“I have weekly meetings with the leadership team. They are all so hard working and help me. Through our site, we have signed up about one thousand students. Some tutor students in K-12 grades and others are working for non profits as volunteers in internship programs. In addition, there are other volunteers that help parents with technology,” she says…