This past summer I had the opportunity to work at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas as an intern in the special events department. It has always been a fascination of mine to work in a nonpr
ofit environment. It is only a bonus that it involves raising money for children because I absolutely love children. During my time at the hospital, I met a woman named April Rosier. We immediately hit it off, and I was able to get to know her and her role at the hospital.
A little bit of background information that I found out from April is that she graduated with a Business Marketing degree with an emphasis in Public Relations at Texas A&M. She interned with University Relations on her Campus, which included conducting PR research for the school. April also interned with the special events department at Pebble Creek Country Club during her senior year. After graduation, April worked as the nightly suites coordinator for the Texas Rangers. After that, she worked in customer service at Tiffany & Co. and then moved on to Eagle U, where she coordinated three summer camps around the country for children. She said she always wanted to work in special events for a non-profit organization, but it just took her a little longer to get there. April then began working at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital where she was an event officer for two years. She was in charge of planning events to raise money for the hospital like golf tournaments, luncheons, banquets and assisted other event officers with other tasks.
April moved to Houston several months ago, and is now the Special Events Coordin
ator for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She is working at the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter. April spends most of her days planning the various events she is in charge of, as well as making site visits, and having meetings with vendors. When I asked her about what her department does she said their chapter has four major events that they plan throughout the year: Houston Walk to Cure Diabetes, Fort Bend Walk to Cure Diabetes, Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and a Promise Ball, which is a gala.
April is responsible as the event lead on the Fort Bend Walk to Cure Diabetes, the Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and several events that go along with each one of these events. She works with a committee for each event and helps out with securing sponsorships. She said ultimately, she is responsible for event logistics and the overall outcome of the events, including revenue. She assists with the Houston Walk and Gala as well.
April did say the favorite part of her job is the people. She said when you work for a non-profit, it is a wonderful feeling to meet the people (especially the children) that are being helped because of her hard work.
When I asked April what knowledge and skills she thinks are needed for a person interested in working in special events like myself, she said the number one thing is to be organized. She also believes a can-do attitude is necessary because behind the scenes, she says events are not always as glamorous as they seem. April said that she always has to be prepared to roll with the punches when things do not go exactly as planned.
ofit environment. It is only a bonus that it involves raising money for children because I absolutely love children. During my time at the hospital, I met a woman named April Rosier. We immediately hit it off, and I was able to get to know her and her role at the hospital.A little bit of background information that I found out from April is that she graduated with a Business Marketing degree with an emphasis in Public Relations at Texas A&M. She interned with University Relations on her Campus, which included conducting PR research for the school. April also interned with the special events department at Pebble Creek Country Club during her senior year. After graduation, April worked as the nightly suites coordinator for the Texas Rangers. After that, she worked in customer service at Tiffany & Co. and then moved on to Eagle U, where she coordinated three summer camps around the country for children. She said she always wanted to work in special events for a non-profit organization, but it just took her a little longer to get there. April then began working at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital where she was an event officer for two years. She was in charge of planning events to raise money for the hospital like golf tournaments, luncheons, banquets and assisted other event officers with other tasks.
April moved to Houston several months ago, and is now the Special Events Coordin
ator for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She is working at the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter. April spends most of her days planning the various events she is in charge of, as well as making site visits, and having meetings with vendors. When I asked her about what her department does she said their chapter has four major events that they plan throughout the year: Houston Walk to Cure Diabetes, Fort Bend Walk to Cure Diabetes, Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and a Promise Ball, which is a gala.April is responsible as the event lead on the Fort Bend Walk to Cure Diabetes, the Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and several events that go along with each one of these events. She works with a committee for each event and helps out with securing sponsorships. She said ultimately, she is responsible for event logistics and the overall outcome of the events, including revenue. She assists with the Houston Walk and Gala as well.
April did say the favorite part of her job is the people. She said when you work for a non-profit, it is a wonderful feeling to meet the people (especially the children) that are being helped because of her hard work.
When I asked April what knowledge and skills she thinks are needed for a person interested in working in special events like myself, she said the number one thing is to be organized. She also believes a can-do attitude is necessary because behind the scenes, she says events are not always as glamorous as they seem. April said that she always has to be prepared to roll with the punches when things do not go exactly as planned.
She said that the best advice she could give someone for the future in event planning is to try and meet people within the organization you are interested working in, or build a relationship with someone who has a connection that can get your resume in the door. When April knew she wanted to work at TSRHC, she began volunteering at the hospital, which led her to getting hired. She also said it is important to try and gain experience by applying for internships, organizing events, or volunteering at the organization. 
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