Former Harrison Center intern wins Leadership and Giving competition

Liz Williams is a first-year student in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI. She graduated high school in 2017 and having already completing multiple college level courses, began at the Kelley School of Business.

In 2016, as a senior at Herron High School, she began interning at the Harrison Center. During her time here, she coordinated the Independent Music + Art Festival, an annual day long festival that has hosted local musicians and artists since 2002. As an intern, she exhibited strong leadership skills, so we weren’t surprised to hear of her recent success at IUPUI.

This year, Williams won the David Nathan Meyerson Prize for Leadership and Giving competition, which provided a scholarship to fund a trip in the U.S. to learn more about the winner’s chosen aspect of philanthropy and also provided a donation to the nonprofit of her choice. The Harrison Center was honored to be the recipient of this gift. Williams’ presentation was on poverty and how to help, inspired by the book When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty without Hurting the Poor… and Ourselves” by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. 

She chose to visit the nonprofit Chalmers Center on Lookout Mountain, Georgia to meet the authors of the book and learn more about helping people in poverty and urban development. The Chalmers Center equips local churches with the tools to walk alongside people in poverty, connecting the community, and helping break the bonds of poverty.

Williams is planning to intern with the Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc. (SEND) and has applied to volunteer at Shepherd Community Center.

We are inspired by Williams’ drive to serve her community. Through her work, she reminds, no matter what economic status you are, to consider your community, the poverty that exists within that community, and what you can do to help.