Nebraska Community Foundation’s (NCF) newest class of Hometown Interns gathered in Nebraska City this May to begin a new summer of discovering and unleashing the hidden potential of their communities.
During their two-day kickoff event, interns toured Nebraska City, explored the riverside community’s many assets and heard from local leaders. Their agenda immersed them in Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), a community development practice rooted in abundance. ABCD focuses on the strengths communities already possess and is a guiding philosophy of the foundation’s work.
This year’s class of 22 young Nebraskans come from communities across the state, including Arnold, Byron, Deshler, Hebron, Ogallala, Leigh, McCook, Nebraska City, Neligh, Grant, Red Cloud, Seward, Shickley, Sidney, Spencer, Syracuse and Verdigre.
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A Hometown Intern is a high school graduate who has spent at least six months away and lives at home for the summer. All have displayed curiosity, open-mindedness, a desire to see their hometown through fresh eyes and a drive to contribute to the future of their community. Interns are compensated for their work through a generous gift from an anonymous donor to NCF, which is matched by their local Nebraska Community Foundation affiliated fund.
More than 100 young Nebraskans have joined the program since 2019. Of the 60 interns who have graduated from college, more than half have returned to live in Greater Nebraska.
“Seven years ago, I was in their shoes as a Hometown Intern in Nebraska City,” said NCF Youth Engagement Specialist Chloe Carlson. “Now I get to do what I love every day, which is championing the voices of Greater Nebraska’s greatest asset: young people. We aren’t just the future of our state. We’re leading right now. This program is transforming Nebraska, and these interns are a part of that evolution.”
Interns participate in Operation Discovery – a course designed to help them unleash their vision, creativity and passion while they build relationships within their hometowns. Their internship ends with writing and sharing a love letter to their hometown, reflecting on the insights gained from a summer of learning. Joining the interns are their Champions, adults from the community who provide support and wisdom while learning alongside their next generation leaders.
While the specific projects will vary from one internship to another, NCF will provide numerous opportunities for interns to connect throughout the summer to give them space to learn from each other, share ideas and foster appreciation for their hometowns while contributing to community development efforts at the local and statewide level.
Past Hometown Interns have worked on a wide variety of projects, including:
- Documenting local history and storytelling
- Creating a youth serviceship camp for elementary students
- Facilitating local arts and cultural activities
- Conducting and sharing video interviews that highlight the talents and stories of residents
- Developing branding, graphic design or web-building projects
- Leading community planning conversations
Nebraska Community Foundation’s 2026 Hometown Interns include (front row) Ella Schlake, Keith County Foundation Fund; Tierra Schardt, Deshler Community Fund*; Avery Rasser, Red Cloud Community Fund*; Halsey Heitmann, Byron Community Fund; Brianne Kuhr, Leigh Legacy Fund; Lextyn Harker, Nebraska City Community Foundation Fund; Ashley Caballero-Lazaro, Neligh Area Community Fund; Natalie Roberts, McCook Community Foundation Fund; Hannah Miller, Shickley Community Foundation Fund*; (back row) Molly Grace Larington, McCook Community Foundation Fund; Brock Tines, Perkins County Community Foundation Fund; Gracie Neth, Arnold Community Foundation Fund*; Elle Sudbeck, Hebron Community Fund; Natalie Tietjen, Byron Community Foundation Fund*; Grace Tobias, Shickley Community Foundation Fund; Hayley Sliva, Shickley Community Foundation Fund; Katie Raffelson, Sidney and Greater Area Fund; Jena Eberspacher, Legacy Fund for Seward County; Anna Tullis, Arnold Community Foundation Fund; and Amelia Hakl, Spencer Community Foundation Fund*. Not pictured are Jayden Meyer, Syracuse Community Fund, and Kellen Vesely, Verdigre Community Foundation Fund.
