Today, I got to attend the Franklin County Community Agency Networking Meeting hosted by Buckeye Health Plan, and I will always be surprised at the magnitude of social services and public health nonprofits located in Columbus Ohio. It was a full house, and the list we received of the other organizations there was very long. This also shows the amount of need in the communities in central Ohio.

Meeting these needs seem daunting; the meeting talked a lot about the social determinants of health, which are the social and economic differences that contribute to differences in health. As a Public Health major at OSU, it was great to be able to apply a concept that is talked a lot about in my classes to this Fellowship. While I am primarily working with low-income families to connect them to affordable dental care without insurance, it is also important to recognize the underlying reasons that they are low income.

I really learned how important networking is in this line of work; most organizations only have the capacity to address one social problem, but the reality is that fixing one thing will not necessarily fix them all. Being able to partner with an organization providing services that are different but still important to the families using your organization is a more well-rounded way to participate in outreach and service.

I am very grateful to be able to experience meetings like these; the more I interact with the people at KidSMILES and immerse myself in their work, the more excited I get for my future. Something someone said at this meeting stuck out to me, “We are doing the dirty work, but we’re the type of people that love it”. I think working in non-profits is difficult for an array of reasons, but the impact they can have make it all worth it.