More Than an Internship: Video Student Serves in Disaster Relief

Recent United Way data highlights that one-third (32%) of Generation Z desires to make a lasting impact and be advocates for their communities. 

For Elizabeth Kollmar from Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, a senior broadcasting, digital media and journalism major at Cedarville University, documentary filmmaking is a powerful outlet for her to inspire and build relationships with others. 

In May 2024, Kollmar embarked on a 10-week internship with Samaritan's Purse in Boone, North Carolina, as their broadcast creative intern in the broadcasting department. Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization that offers spiritual and physical aid to people suffering from war, poverty, natural disasters and disease worldwide. While there, Kollmar had the unexpected opportunity to aid in a disaster relief response to Hurricane Beyrl in Houston, Texas.   

Kollmar was deployed on short notice with a team of Samaritan’s Purse videographers to Brazoria County, Texas, to help create a video package news stations could use to raise awareness and recruit volunteers.   

Watch the Samaritan’s Purse video of disaster relief in Brazoria County, Texas: https://video.samaritanspurse.org/bringing-relief-to-texas/   

The category five hurricane caused immense damage in Brazoria County, resulting in the mass destruction of homes and buildings in southeast Texas. This devastating hurricane took the lives of 42 people.   

"On one of the first days we were shooting content in Houston, we visited a family whose house faced immense roof damage from the hurricane winds. As the rain poured inside, the family desperately tried to save their belongings and furniture," said Kollmar. "As we ministered to the family and tried to help, hearing their story and watching them lose everything was impactful."   

Samaritan’s Purse provided Kollmar with a hands-on learning experience and allowed her to invest in others. She had the unique opportunity to draft an initial script for an Operation Christmas Child video and assist in producing a video to raise support for the World Medical Mission. 

“Samaritan’s Purse was more than just an internship,” said Kollmar. “By aiding in disaster relief, I learned that listening to people’s stories and standing beside them in their hardest moments has a profound impact in their lives.” 

Cedarville University, a Baptist institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences, and professional fields. With 6,384 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by the Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics, and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.