Hallie McIntyre ’16 with the Washington Redskins

This summer I had the opportunity to deliver my love of sports together with my passion for impacting change in the community while interning with the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation. I first started working for the Foundation last summer when I volunteered to assist with the planning of their Charity Golf Classic held at the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va. After that experience I knew I wanted to pursue that kind of work in the future. I was fortunate to be selected as a development intern for the foundation this summer, where I focused on annual major fundraising events.  

The Redskins Charitable Foundation is ever-present in the community, constantly working to achieve its mission to make a positive and measurable impact in the lives of children that need it the most. Since the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation was founded in 2000, it has given back nearly $20 million to the community, and currently provides support and services to more than 190,000 individuals (mostly children) annually. The foundation’s main focus is on supporting education, children’s health and wellness and preparing children for their future.

My internship started just two weeks prior to the foundation’s annual Charity Golf Classic and the organization was in full swing. This event brings together Redskins alumni and current players with fans and sponsors to celebrate the excitement of the start of another Redskins season. Participants spend the day out on the golf course participating in different competitions and activations, such as longest drive. I had the opportunity to help manage the silent auction during the event, which had items ranging from Redskins memorabilia and game-day experiences, to luxury items and trips. 

Next we immediately jumped right into planning for our largest event of the year, our Welcome Home Luncheon. This event focuses on getting the entire Redskins team, ownership and community leaders together to welcome the Redskins back from training camp and paying tribute to milestones achieved on and off the field while supporting youth programs within our region. This really was an amazing opportunity for me to see the behind-the-scenes effort it takes to plan a large-scale event. Our office was responsible for every detail of the event from marketing and selling tables, to obtaining sponsors and planning the entertainment. We also had a very large silent auction at this event with items ranging from a trip to Las Vegas to a trip to the 2017 Super Bowl. We also had a few once-in-a-lifetime Redskins experiences such as flying with the team to an away game and experiencing a tailgate party catered by “Top Chef” George Pagonis. The Welcome Home Luncheon is truly an awesome kickoff to the season.

This summer, I also had the opportunity to help the foundation develop their 50/50 raffle, which is held at every Redskins home game. I was responsible for hiring all sellers and worked to develop a marketing strategy to improve the success of game-day sales. We had a tremendous response after the first two preseason games. I look forward to seeing their continued success as the season continues.

Also while working with the foundation I was also able to simultaneously work on planning community events that focus on improving the lives of kids in the community. I worked on Play 60 events, which encourages children to lead active lives. I also participated in our annual Back to School Fair, which provides school supplies for low-income families. In addition to supplies, we provided a variety of services such as dental exams, school physicals, eye exams and haircuts. It was so fulfilling to directly see the benefit of our fundraising throughout the summer.  

I was so honored to be a part of the team at the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation. While my time at the foundation has come to an end it was an amazing experience to really see the direct benefit our work has on a community. I believe it is so important for people to stay connected and give back to their community and I am so excited to see what my future holds.