Week 1

This week, I started my history internship at Washington Square Health Foundation.  Having worked there for nearly two years as a public health intern, I was excited to get the opportunity to finally learn more about the Foundation's history!

Washington Square Health Foundation is located in the John Hancock building in downtown Chicago.  The foundation grants funds to local hospitals, schools, and other institutions.  These funds cover direct healthcare services, medical equipment, medical education, and medical research.  Washington Square targets their funding towards areas of Chicago that are often lacking in access to adequate healthcare services.

Throughout the semester, I'll be doing a mixture of archival work, interviewing various individuals, and recording board member's accounts of the foundation's 25-year history.  I'll gradually be piecing together the information I gather chronologically, and working on a paper discussing the history of the foundation since it's beginnings in 1986.

This week, I spent some time talking to the Executive Director of the foundation, Howard Nochumson, about some of the people I might want to interview while working on the project.  He also suggested some places to start looking for historical information in the office-- board meeting minutes from the past 25 years, board member biographies, and information about the organizations that have received grants in the past.

I'm looking forward to finding out more about the beginning of the foundation next week!