To assist veterans who have limited mobility due to spinal cord injury or disease, the Florida Gulf Coast Paralyzed Veterans of America (FGCPVA) organization enlists volunteers to improve the quality of life of veterans and help them enroll in sports and recreational programs within the community. Executive Director of FGCPVA, Joan Winkler said that the aim of this non-profit organization is “to make sure the business entity is aware of ADA laws and regulations.
In the fall of 2011, Winkler and her team enlisted the help of Danielle Brant, a student from the Web Design & Management Associate in Science program at St. Petersburg College (SPC).Brant has been a graphic designer for over 9 years. She decided to pursue a degree in Web Design since it is a field in demand. After hearing about the internship opportunity from Internship Coordinator Susan Biszewski-Eber, Brant jumped at the opportunity and was soon hired by FGCPVA to build their web site. A couple of weeks later, Biszewski-Eber contacted Brant again, stating that another company, Tampa Bay Veterans Alliance (TBVA), needed a web site. Since TBVA had a deadline, Brant immediately started working. Since the FGCPVA needed a web site, Biszewski-Eber told Brant the company was offering a paid internship where she can work from home.
The main objective of the web site is “to get the message out there and promote fundraising and awareness of the organization through volunteers. Our specialty is paralysis. We advocate for quality healthcare for our vets,” Winkler said. To ensure quality care, FGCPVA hones in on assisting veterans who are paraplegic and quadriplegic with mobility issues.
Commenting on her experience Brant said, “I enjoyed building these web sites for both companies. They were both good clients and working with them was great. I feel proud of these web sites, knowing what good these non-profit veterans’ organizations do.” While serving her internship, Brant was able to teach herself JOOMLA, a content management system (CMS) and build both web sites in it. She advises future Web Design interns to “learn as much as they can for as long as they can, since it is not always easy to get internships and/or mentors to teach you all that you need to know.”
Brant has been serving an internship with FGCPVA for the past three months and it has been a “positive experience,” Winkler said. Since the start of her internship, Brant has been flexible with her time, which is an asset Winkler values most in employees. Winkler hopes that FGCPVA will hire more SPC interns in the future.