The Columbus Foundation Summer Fellowship program has been a great experience from day one!  This summer I am working at the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Association Central & Southern Ohio Chapter where the staff and volunteers have welcomed me with open arms, even before I had my first day on the job.  The day before I started working at the office, I was invited to attend the ALS Awareness Day with the Cincinnati Reds.  The ALS Association rented out the party deck for over 100 people including patients and their friends and families and staff and the Reds recognized a patient and his family on the field before the game.  It was a great opportunity for me to meet some of the staff I will be working with, interact with patients and learn more about ALS – but in the fun casual setting of Great American Ball Park.  The game was a great start to the summer because I was really able to see how important the work that the ALS Association is to people living with ALS (PALS).

After my unofficial first day at the Reds Game, I was excited to get started with my internship.  My main project here at the ALS Association is to plan an educational symposium for PALS and their caregivers, along with healthcare professionals.  I will be involved in the entire process, from coordinating general event logistics to planning the specific content of the conference to marketing the event to both attendees and potential sponsors.  The great thing about this project is that I have the chance to work with not only the staff in the patient service department (the department I’m in), but all of the other functions in the organization, as well as people outside of the ALS Association, such as vendors, speakers, PALS and healthcare providers.

Before I started, the staff at ALSA had begun some preliminary planning, but once I got there the entire project was handed off to me.  So far I’ve kept myself busy communicating with speakers, determining an agenda for the conference, creating the event brochure, and mailing out letters to companies and businesses seeking sponsorships.  I’ve visited the McConnell Heart Health Center where the event will be held, met with the communications coordinator at ALSA to discuss marketing the event, and even secured my first vendor!

Since I’ve been here I’ve not only learned a lot about event planning (who knew so much work went into an event like this?!), but I’ve also learned a lot about ALS and the programs that the ALS Association offers.  These first four weeks have definitely been a learning experience and I’m excited to see what the rest of the summer has in store for me!

Kim – The ALS Association Central & Southern Ohio Chapter