Greetings! My name is Hannah Graber and this summer I will be serving as a Nonprofit Fellow with the Columbus Foundation, spending most of my time at my host site, the Homeless Families Foundation (hereafter, HFF). During the academic year, I live in Athens, Ohio where I go to school at Ohio University, pursuing undergraduate degrees in Communication Studies and Political Science.

My project at the HFF entails helping with the children’s food programming within the summer program; I have been describing the initiative to laypeople as an “academic camp” for kids in Columbus who could benefit from additional, concentrated stimulation during the summer months as well as guaranteed and consistent meals. As I anticipate a summer with kids in the community, I can’t help but reflect on my recollections of summer break during grade school in Columbus.

First of all, it’s important to note that I adored school, but still, I was happy to have a chunk of ‘freedom.’ My mom is a teacher in the Hilliard School district and, thus, had the summers free to tote my brother and I around to a plethora of activities in our area. On a given day, we would splash in the public fountains, spend an afternoon roaming a special exhibit at COSI, or go to the movies. The highlight of my summer as an avid bibliophile was the Summer Reading Program available at the Columbus Library. I felt so satisfied and smart when filling in yet another bubble on the chart. The more time I spend in the city as an ~adult~ the more I have come to realize just how much the intentional community-based efforts have affected me in my upbringing.

I now have the education—and vernacular to explain the concepts—to understand that as a child, I was being encouraged to engage academically within a community of other kids and families who prompted growth and support. One huge caveat to note, however, is that I was (am, and always will be) a white person with privileged access to entry fees and activities that cost money, parents who can support me, and a car to take me places. More than that, people saw me as a kid with potential, inseparable from my visible demographics.

Jermaine, my advisor at the HFF, explained to me that one of the functions of the summer program is to provide that same academic stimulation for kids in the community whose parents can’t take off work to entertain their children (i.e., aren’t as privileged as I was growing up). We, as staff, serve as their support system.

Ever since I read about the opportunity with the Columbus Foundation, it was at the forefront of my thoughts amongst the multitude of additional internship applications and interviews. In my opinion, this fellowship is challenging me to take part in something bigger than myself—to use my education and enthusiasm for a community cause that has change-making abilities. I am eager to immerse myself in the project and learn as much as I can from the influential nonprofits leaders and fellow Fellows who are participating in the program.

Bring on the summer!