« back to spotlight stories

Lake Health: Meet Hayli Cash '19

As the snow fell steadily on a wintry afternoon in Painesville, Ohio, it created the perfect picturesque white canvas at Lake Health. The scene was the perfect backdrop in accentuating such a beautiful campus and its state of the art facilities. So we made our way up the winding road to the Lake Health Foundation building, enjoying mother nature’s splendor, to be greeted by Saint Martin de Porres junior Hayli Cash, and her wonderful smile from ear to ear. “I really like it here. This internship is made for me if I pursue the business scene.”

Lake Health Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of Lake Health, a not-for-profit corporation that serves the health and medical needs of the residents of Lake County and the surrounding areas. As you can imagine, the charitable arm of the organization is extremely important as support attained by its staff contributes to Lake Health’s ability to fulfill the health care needs of the community; so Hayli’s assistance is vital to their success. “She has been very helpful with thank you letters for donations, basket making for events, and making phone calls for sponsorships for the 5K race,” said Tina Baucher, Lake Health Foundation Special Events and Annual Giving Coordinator. Making those phone calls initially wasn’t easy for Hayli, “I was nervous at first, but I made a script and practiced it over and over. After my first couple of calls I was more comfortable.”

Hayli has a wide range of responsibilities beyond the previously mentioned tasks, including filing, shredding, and making copies of documents, keeping up with the donor wall, and giving tours to visitors. Every day is different, an aspect Hayli loves, and how Foundation Coordinator Dawn Cappelli plans it for Saint Martin students, “We teach her a little bit of everything. Hayli is a huge help, another set of hands to keep us afloat. She fits in great, she’s fantastic,” said Cappelli. Hayli is equally as complementary of those she is working with each week, “They are really nice people. When I first met them I was shy but I have opened up a lot. They are my kind of people,” Hayli says with a smile.

The junior is also an athlete for the Lions, playing outfield and third base for the softball team. Her plan right now is to study criminology in college, and has a handful of schools in mind to further her education beyond Saint Martin. In the meantime, Hayli will continue to enjoy her time on Lausche Avenue as well as with her team at the Lake Health Foundation. “Having that little bit of freedom and being treated like an adult and having responsibility is nice. I feel like it’s getting me prepared to take that extra step to go on the right path for what I want to do. These big responsibilities will help me get warmed up for adult-life.”

Lake Health is one of over 130 Cleveland area businesses and partners that we are so proud to collaborate with and provide meaningful opportunities for our students like Hayli. You can learn more about how to get engaged with our unique Corporate Work Study Program here.