While the COVID-19 pandemic is preventing the traditional end-of-summer luncheon celebrating the Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program, a drive-by parade will take its place honoring the hard-working Plano teens who participated this extraordinary summer.
The parade will be Monday, July 27, at 11 a.m., with Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere, elected officials and employers cheering on the teens on the east side of the Hilton/Dallas Plano Granite Park Hotel under the porte cochere.
In its seventh year, the program provided 52 Plano public high school students with remote or onsite jobs (or a combination of both) at top companies and nonprofits for eight weeks (June 8-July 31), working 20-40 hours per week and earning a minimum of $10 an hour.
But instead of the typical 400-plus guest luncheon and program with key speakers that usually culminates the summer, the students will arrive in decorated cars holding up colorful signs thanking those who supported the program.
With a pep-rally feel, Mayor LaRosiliere and elected officials, employers and program sponsors will cheer on the interns with cowbells, signs, pom-poms, clackers and more, as high-energy music plays in the background.
During several parade stops, the interns will receive a swag bag with donated merchandise and sundry items along with a box lunch. Masks and social distancing measures will be in place.
The Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program gives outstanding teens an opportunity to gain real-world experience through employment in a professional workplace.
The program combines Plano’s vibrant business community with a nationally recognized school district, connecting motivated high school students with exceptional local companies and organizations. Capital One is the founding and presenting sponsor for a seventh year.
Learn more at planomayorsinterns.org.
