Many Joining Hands in Action: Thanking Our Volunteers and Interns

As summer winds down, so does the time of many of the volunteers and interns here at UUSC. UUSC wouldn't be able to do all of the work it does advancing human rights without the commitment of its talented interns and volunteer experts. From translating funding proposals to researching water utilities, these individuals contribute their time and efforts to helping UUSC in a multitude of invaluable ways. 

In the Environmental Justice Program, interns and volunteers have contributed immeasurable assistance to UUSC's work with Connecticut Water and UUSC partner Massachusetts Global Action. UUSC also has had a formidable team working on the Human Right to Water in New England project, in part funded by the Park Foundation. The team has been researching water utilities throughout the country and offering knowledge on local case law to help Environmental Justice staff compile a comprehensive report on water law. The report focused, as intern Daniel Birdsall explained, "on the rights and responsibilities of low-income water customers and the protections (or lack thereof) to which they are entitled from water shutoffs."

Further afield, but still working with UUSC for environmental justice, Rob Robinson and his team of volunteer experts have been assisting UUSC partners with water-quality monitoring and reporting in Sipakapa, a town in Guatemala bearing the brunt of negative effects of gold and silver mining. They have contributed essential work to protect and advance the human right to water of indigenous peoples in mining zones.

UUSC's Rights in Humanitarian Crises Program is also receiving support from the talents of several volunteers. Rinchen Wangyel has been helping with the evaluation of UUSC's response to Cyclone Nargis and clarifying an approach to working through Buddhist structures in Myanmar to support women and girls in ethnic regions. And Caroline Grinnell has been translating Haiti project funding proposals from French and Creole into English. "By translating for UUSC, I get the chance to participate in projects that will make a difference in many people's lives," Grinnell says. "Getting to use my French language expertise while volunteering really makes my work with UUSC all the more meaningful to me . . . I wish I could go to Haiti to help, but being able to volunteer by 'remote' is almost as gratifying and it is far more doable in an ongoing way!"

And Programs isn't the only lucky department. In the Institutional Advancement Department, 18-year-old Madeline Burnham has been helping by filing, entering data, and composing welcome packets for the Volunteer Network. "My favorite part was getting to know the staff and just feeling like I was helping out a bit," she said. "I really loved the whole experience."

Echoing that sentiment, Birdsall reflected on his experience: "I was so impressed with both the dedication and expertise of everyone at UUSC . . . I felt like a valued member of the organization, even though I was just a summer intern."

Using their valuable time and gifted expertise, volunteers and interns are much more than just volunteers and interns — they are partners in the work UUSC does every day. Whether it's data entry or research, each contribution represents the joining of hands that advances human rights — and UUSC is immensely grateful.

For a little more about our amazing volunteers and interns, read on below!

If you would like to lend your time and skills to further UUSC's mission, please e-mail employment@uusc.org with a copy of your resume and short description of your interests and availability.

Daniel Birdsall — Environmental Justice

As part of the Human Right to Water in New England project, intern Daniel Birdsall has researched water law in Massachusetts as well as conducted a comparative study of municipal utilities, including Boston Water and Sewer. A resident of the Boston area for most of the past decade, Daniel is currently earning his master's degree at the Fletcher School of Tufts University.

Madzie (Madeline) Burnham — Institutional Advancement

On her way to Springfield College to study psychology, 18-year-old Madzie Burnham of First Parish in Concord came in once a week for most of the summer to support UUSC's Institutional Advancement Department. Whether putting together welcome packets for local representatives or doing data entry and filing, she helped keep things moving smoothly for our fundraising staff whenever she was here. She hopes to volunteer again next summer.

Becky Crowder — Environmental Justice

An undergraduate student at George Washington University, Becky Crowder has researched the Detroit municipal water utility, especially their groundbreaking water affordability policy, in support of UUSC's Human Right to Water in New England project. 

Katherine Fisher — Environmental Justice

Part of the team working on the Human Right to Water in New England project, Katherine Fisher is a Quaker activist for peace, justice, and the environment who has been working with UUSC on researching Atlanta's municipal water system. She has a bachelor's degree from Brown University in environmental science, with a focus on water issues. She is an active member of Beacon Hill Friends Meeting, where she is clerk of the Peace and Social Concerns committee.

Caroline Grinnell — Rights in Humanitarian Crises

A native of Boston who spent several years in France, Caroline Grinnell is a French and ESL teacher with a master's degree in education. She teaches at the bilingual International School of Boston in Cambridge. For UUSC, she has been translating Haiti funding proposals from French (and sometimes Creole) to English for projects that will be carried out in Haiti mainly by Haitians.

Anna Nicol — Environmental Justice

Anna Nicol is an intern from Bowdoin College who is doing research to support UUSC's report on the human right to water in Africa. She is also researching climate-change policies in Africa as they relate to water resources, water policy, and the human right to water.

Rob Robinson and his team of experts — Environmental Justice

Rob Robinson, a volunteer expert, was formerly a mining engineer who worked for the Bureau of Land Management for many years to monitor sites where mines operated on government land. His job was to ensure that the mines cleaned up and reclaimed their sites. Robinson and his team are working on water-quality monitoring and reporting the effects of the Marlin I mine in Guatemala.

Rob's team includes Molly Butler, lawyer; Richard Harris, astrophysicist; Jim Montgomery, mining engineer; Steve Laudeman, structural engineer; Nick Remington; and Bob Kiem, access to aerial photography.

Barbara Stadtmiller — Environmental Justice

Barbara Stadtmiller is a volunteer who's been conducting research on the municipal water utility in Portland, Ore., for the Human Right to Water in New England project.

Rinchen Wangyel — Rights in Humanitarian Crises

Rinchen Wangyel has been helping UUSC evaluate its response to Cyclone Nargis, which includes interviewing partners to identify good practices, lessons learned, and issues to be considered in UUSC's future disaster response. He has also done research on asset development and protection in conflict situations.

Trish Webb — Environmental Justice

Trish Webb, volunteer expert researcher, assists the Environmental Justice team with legal and policy research in Connecticut and case law in Massachusetts for the Human Right to Water in New England project.