More than 300 interns from Bloomington, Champaign, Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta spent July 12 giving back to their communities. Collectively, the interns donated more than 2,000 hours of service, volunteering at local organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and the Salvation Army.

Interns from the State Farm® Research and Development Center in Champaign, Illinois sorted items at the local Habitat for Humanity, packaged cereal at the Eastern Illinois Food Bank, played sports and games with children at the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club and sorted donated clothes at the Salvation Army of Champaign.

Laurette Stiles, State Farm Vice President of Strategic Resources, told the Champaign interns, “One of the reasons State Farm is involved with community service, beyond it being the right thing to do, is because we believe in the concept of “service-learning." She continued,  “By adding service to learning, and balancing the two, community service can become more than just the simple act of serving.”

Between Jenga games with kids at the Boys & Girls Club, organizing old cabinets, and creating an intern assembly line at the food pantry, the interns found the experience incredibly rewarding.

“I just think it’s really important, especially for college students," Champaign-based intern, Carter Frambes shared. "You know, sometimes we forget that there is a larger community outside of our campus. So anytime we have an opportunity to give back to the community is nice.”