Say Hello to James Ellett, our New Grant Writing Intern!

by James Ellett

Allow me to let you in on a little secret.

It's hard to find a job right now.

It hasn't been publicized very well, I know. It hasn't been in the headlines for the past few years, but trust me when I say that places are not hiring. If I didn't know better, I would say the so-called "economy" is, what the experts call, "not doing very well."

"But James," you may say, "only a few years ago people could get houses for no money at all! Surely that's a sign of sustainable economic health if there ever was one."

I hear you, astute reader, but I am telling you, something is not right.

A bad economic situation naturally makes one think hard about one's future, and that's exactly what I, two years ago, ended up doing. I thought about how I, a Cal Poly graduate with a degree in mathematics, was supposed to pursue my new-found dream of working in the nonprofit international development world. Where was I supposed to look when nobody wanted to hire anybody? Well, the President of the United States told me to go back to school, and, like any good patriot, that's exactly what I did. I enrolled myself into the Masters of Business Administration program at Chapman University in Orange, CA. Once enrolled, I decided that it would be a great idea to get involved in some way with an awesome nonprofit--perhaps a Christian one that works in 6 different countries pursuing a holistic approach to sustainable development (or, you know, something like that). Well, God provided, as God always seems to, and through a long series of lucky (divinely ordained) events, dropped me right into this Grant Writing Internship at Plant With Purpose.

I feel truly blessed to be working with such a fantastic organization. I have been given a heart for the poor and oppressed in the world, and have a passion for using what I've been blessed with to restore this world to what it was intended to be: a world of peace, love, and perfect relationships between human and human, human and creation, and human and God. I am excited about the approach that Plant With Purpose takes to healing the land and its people, and I can't wait to see this amazing work carried out.

As the Grant Writing Intern, I will be helping grant writer extraordinaire, Aly Lewis, in her quest to raise funds for Plant With Purpose through researching and applying for various grants from various foundations. I will also be a regular contributor to this very blog, giving you, the faithful reader, all the updates and Plant With Purpose information you can handle.

Thanks for your continued interest in Plant With Purpose, and happy reading!