Local students selected for Tenn. internships

Anecia Jordon of Aberdeen and Gabrielle Fitzsimmons of Rumson were selected for internships at Youth Villages, a private nonprofit dedicated to helping children and families live successfully.

Youth Villages provides a wide variety of programs to help children who may have suffered abuse or neglect, or have emotional and behavioral issues.

Jordon and Fitzsimmons are interning at Youth Villages’ residential campuses and group homes, helping children in residential treatment to learn more positive behavior patterns and deal with past trauma.

Jordon is interning at Youth Villages’ Dogwood Campus just outside of Memphis. A graduate of Matawan Regional High School, she is currently a senior at Clark Atlanta University, where she is majoring in social work and plans to become a family therapist, according to Youth Villages’ press release.

Fitzsimmons is interning at Youth Villages’ Binkley Group Home in Nashville, Tenn. A graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, she is a senior at the University of South Carolina. She is majoring in psychology, with a minor in counseling. She plans to have a career in counseling, according to the same press release.

Headquartered in Memphis, Youth Villages will help more than 22,000 children and families in 11 states and Washington, D.C., this year through its wide array of programs and services.

For more information, visit www.youthvillages.org.