“Why Gathering Waters” is a special blog series that tells the stories of our supporters and why they support Gathering Waters. Our fourth blog post of this series was written by Marisa Olson, Program Intern at Gathering Waters. Continue reading to learn what Gathering Waters means to Marisa.
My name is Marisa Olson and I recently joined Gathering Waters as their new Program Intern. I am studying Community and Nonprofit Leadership with a certificate in Business at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, so the position at Gathering Waters is a terrific fit for me.
Throughout my life I have always found that I get the best night’s sleep when I am under the stars instead of in a bed. My annual trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area with my father, cousin, and her father has helped me create a relationship with the outdoors that has grown into a need to preserve it. Protected places like the BWCA are what make Wisconsin so great and Gathering Waters makes protecting them possible; this is what attracted me to their organization..
By helping to support Gathering Waters I will be exposed to the inner workings of a nonprofit driven to help conserve our environment. This incredible learning experience will help me develop invaluable skills that I would not have been able to inside a classroom. After graduation these skills will enable me to keep protecting the natural beauty of our land and preserving it for future generations. I try to live my life with this idea in mind, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children”.
