Congratulations to the 2022 Grit University summer interns and their incredible journey of growth and grit! The impact they made on their own lives was magnified by the difference they made in the lives of the campers they led at Grit Camp - a Jacksonville, Florida based summer sports camp designed to Build More Grit in young people. This summer's interns were: Kevin Butler, a graduate of Ponte Vedra High and rising Junior at Stetson University; Jack Foster, a graduate of Ponte Vedra High and rising Junior at Florida State University; and Colby Harris, a graduate of Fernandina Beach High, 3rd summer Grit University intern, and full-time staff of Grit.org. Here is a brief re-cap of their summer:
Fifty 6am workouts
280 hours of running Grit Camp over 8 weeks
Led 30 counselors and 318 kids through Grit Camp and generated over $80,000 in revenue
Raised start-up capital to cover their room and board at Grit.org headquarters
Administered and documented a combined 3,180 Grit Combine events
Honed sales, communication, and follow up skills by raising $14,941 in scholarship funds from 26 different individuals and businesses
Created, delivered, and successfully pitched the CEO of $90m construction company
Instilled daily habits including positive reading, journaling, and meditating
Competed in basketball game against all former college basketball players and one 2x National Champion
Presented in front of the City of Jacksonville Mayoral Committee on Health and Wellness about the impact of Grit Camp
Each intern made $6,250+ in summer earnings (a combination of salary + profit sharing)
And here is the impact of Grit Camp - the business the Grit University interns helped run this summer:
Of the 318 campers, there were 53 weeks of no-cost camp used by local kids through the scholarship funds raised
15 high school athletes (6 of them will play a sport in college) made $14,815 in combined pay working as camp counselors
15 junior counselors that earned 790 service hours working under the tutelage of the high school athletes and Grit University interns
Campers heard from 11 guest speakers including professional athletes, coaches, two national champions, an Olympic gold medalist, and a veteran that just rowed the Atlantic Ocean for 51 days
The unknown and priceless impact of instilling the Grit Creed principles into the youth of the next generation through field sports, court sports, and calisthenics
Be sure to check out Grit.org/podcast on September 1 to hear us interview Kevin and Jack on their experience this summer. Or check out GritCamp.com to learn more about the summer sports camp.
Interns pictured below from the end of summer banquet at Seasons 52 where interns were recognized in front of their families for their summer accomplishments. From left to right: Brian Harbin (Grit.org Staff), Kevin Butler (1st year intern), Jack Foster (1st year intern), and Colby Harris (3rd year intern and Grit.org Staff)
