Welcome to the beginning of my blog!

My name is Ladan Barnes and I am a 2019 Summer Fellow with the Columbus Foundation. During my time as a fellow, I will be stationed at the Non Profit,  Lower Lights Ministries. Lower Lights Ministries offers a plethora of resources and opportunities for our community here in Columbus. They serve our most at-risk populations and help them navigate their way to a healthier lifestyle by combating emotional and physical poverty. This is done by the many programs offered by Lower Lights Ministries. The non-profit provides programs for youth, low-income families, recovering addicts, and female ex-offenders. Many of the programs also provide housing in order to provide a safe space to learn and recover.

Personally, I could not have asked for a better site. As a recent graduate of Otterbein University, in a Pre-Med Public Health Education Major background, I am familiar with their cause. Back in April, I passed my CHES exam and now I am a Certified Health Education Specialist. This certification coupled with my experience with prevention workshops and programs helps prepare me for my job at Lower Lights Ministries. At the organization, I will be a summer camp counselor and educator in their Bright Lights Summer Camp program. My focus is to promote social emotional learning and addiction prevention skill sets.

During my first week, I went to training classes and attended an ADAMH meeting in order to prepare for my summer students. Next week, I have planned to meet up with an on-site recovery center coach at Lower Lights Ministries to explore more evidence-based addiction prevention methods. I look forward to learning more from Lower Lights Ministries and tailoring the experience for the children at Bright Lights Summer Camp.

Lastly, I was told a meaningful story behind the name of my organization. In short, ‘lower lights’ represents the lower lights that are needed in order to successfully guide and dock a boat sailing in the water. At the organization we all do our best to act as the lower lights for our community.

See you next week!

Ladan Barnes