Chattanooga

Since 1977, the UPS Community Internship Program (CIP) has been helping the communities near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Immersed in plush green forests and set against the backdrop of the high peaks and mountainous ridges of the Appalachians, Chattanooga is a scenic city rich with a vibrant heritage and a contemporary allure. It also serves as a bustling railroad terminal on the edge of the American frontier, a major industrial center forged by iron and steel manufacturing, and today, a popular tourist destination highlighted by the renaissance of a beautiful downtown and a revitalized riverfront.

With Chattanooga providing the setting, nine UPS Community interns went through their own transformation, gaining valuable insight through an eye-opening experience that helped change their perceptions about the social ills that impact the communities where we live and work.

Chattanooga comes from the Creek Indian word that describes Lookout Mountain as a "rock coming to a point." The high, wide plateau that forms the peak of Lookout Mountain provides a vantage point that enables onlookers to see parts of seven states from atop the mountainous summit. Not visible, however, are the social challenges faced by the homeless, hungry, unemployed, and undereducated that inhabit this midsize rural setting - much like those faced by its big-city counterparts. To get a closer look, the interns worked with the physically and emotionally challenged, mentored youth, prepared food for the homeless, played with disabled children, and spent time in Birmingham and Montgomery, AL, learning about the Civil Rights Movement.

While their work in the Chattanooga communities and the areas surrounding Lookout Mountain helped the interns to look outward — to truly see the people of the community — the CIP provided an opportunity to look inward, to feel the sensitivity needed to make a difference.

Brian K. Davis 
District Human Resources Manager 

The CIP experience adjusted my moral compass. Although I have been active in many communities in my role as an HR manager, the question always haunted me, “How can we break the cycle of poverty?”

This experience brought clarity to the direction we must put our focus. Comprehensive Child Development is where the investment of time, funding and love must be made. This type of investment will pay measurable dividends. Our children are like a blank canvas ─it's up to us to fill in the blanks. We must save the children.

Wayne DeCraine
Division Manager

The Internship was a gratifying experience that I will remember for a lifetime. This experience afforded me the opportunity to not only change the lives of others, it has changed mine as well. The education that I received from Dr. Cahill, the many agencies represented in the program, and my fellow interns was invaluable. I truly believe I can use this experience as a foundation for continuous learning as I build upon my own character, not only as a manager of people, but as a fellow human being. 

Tammie Hinds
Director of Sales

I think in everyone's life you come to a turning point.  Something happens in your life that compels you to give back.  This turning point can be through personal tragedy, survival, or an experience.

The Community Internship Program, has been another turning point in my life. I will be more sensitive to social issues that people face. I currently participate in several charity races and I am a hospice volunteer. After experiencing CIP, I want to make giving back a family project. I plan on getting my family involved with working with senior citizens. CIP helped me to understand that people are different.  The program also helps develop leaders with an appreciation for all mankind, an understanding of poverty, and a giving attitude.