Students Volunteer Nationwide Through the Tucker Foundation

During the school year, Katie Zhang ’16, spends a lot of time in the lab. This summer, though, she’s traded the lab bench for a rooftop.

Katie Zhang ’16 says working for COVER Home Repair has given her a better understanding of the Upper Valley. (Photo by Eli Burakian ’00)

Zhang, an engineering major, is one of this year’s 22 Dartmouth Partners in Community Service (DPCS) summer interns, a program run by the William Jewett Tucker Foundation. DPCS provides funding for students to work eight to 10 weeks for nonprofit organizations, including health clinics, youth centers, and schools in New York City, Washington, D.C., San Diego, Calif., and other places.

Zhang, however, is sticking closer to campus. She is spending the summer working at COVER Home Repair, a nonprofit based in White River Junction, Vt., that helps with home repairs for individuals and families who cannot afford them.

Zhang began volunteering occasionally with COVER on weekends during spring term. Now the Kansas City, Mo., native works 40 hours a week for the nonprofit. COVER performs repairs such as roofing and weatherization on homes within a 45-mile radius of White River Junction, Zhang says.

“I really like being on roofs, actually,” she says with a smile. “It’s great to go around the Upper Valley and get a better understanding of the communities we are a part of.”