ExxonMobil and Volunteer Houston Partner to Support Community Intern Program

ExxonMobil and Volunteer Houston announced today that applications were now being accepted for ExxonMobil’s 2009 Community Summer Jobs Program, which offers 65 summer internships at local nonprofit agencies in the Houston area.

Now in its 12^th year, the Houston-area ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program enables selected agencies to hire a college student for an eight-week internship to assist with the heavy workload and low staffing often associated with the busy summer months. In addition to regular job responsibilities, interns will attend development seminars designed to broaden their exposure to the nonprofit sector, volunteerism and community needs. Each intern will be paid a $2,750 stipend which is an increase over last year’s payment.

"There is an increased movement toward volunteering and a greater appreciation for this type of experience in today’s marketplace. This ExxonMobil program offers a rare opportunity for college students to work in a nonprofit and be paid for that invaluable experience,” said Neil Chapman, president of ExxonMobil Global Services Company. "We believe strongly in supporting our local nonprofits and this is just one of the many programs we foster to do just that.”

"This ExxonMobil program continues to be one of the highlights of our year and has been for the last 12 years,” said Carrie Moffitt, CEO of Volunteer Houston. "Thanks to the Community Summer Jobs Program, we find that a number of college graduates decide to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. Others go on to volunteer and encourage their friends and family to do the same, providing a positive ripple effect in our community.”

ExxonMobil will provide grants totaling more than $211,250 for intern salaries and Volunteer Houston expenses associated with the program. Volunteer Houston will also offer participating agencies training in recruiting and selecting interns and managing an internship program.

Since the program began in 1971 in New York City, ExxonMobil has provided more than $9.3 million to support nearly 4,300 community summer job internships in ten states including: Alabama, Alaska, California, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Wyoming, and internationally in Angola. In the Houston program alone, ExxonMobil has provided more than $1.6 million to place almost 600 college students in summer internships.

ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs interns will be selected by the participating agencies. The intern must be a currently enrolled, full-time, undergraduate student who will be returning to college as a full-time (minimum 12 credit hours per semester) sophomore, junior, or senior student in the fall of 2009. College students interested in internship positions may contact the selected agencies directly. For a list of participating agencies, visit Volunteer Houston’s web site at www.volunteerhouston.org.