I hope everyone is enjoying today’s gorgeous weather!

This week has been a fun and challenging one at the GIAC! I spent most of my time on Monday and Tuesday preparing for my presentation at our board meeting. I’m not a super confident public speaker, so this was an opportunity for me to go out of my comfort zone while sharing something I’m passionate about. At Thursday’s board meeting, the board members were supportive and attentive to my goals towards environmental justice outreach, and I really felt like that the board saw this project to be compatible with the GIAC’s mission. I further enjoyed getting to sit in on the rest of the board meeting to learn more about the details and processes of nonprofit management. This was an important experience because, as a Nonprofit Studies minor, I was able to see some of what I’ve learned in my classes in action.

I feel confident about the direction this project can move towards during my last three weeks here, as I work towards contacting organizations and individuals to learn more about environmental justice and its presence in Columbus. Before I leave, my goal is to have a framework of next steps and people to continue reaching out to. Thanks to Ruth Lomax, who shared her insights and stories on fundraising and development with us at Wednesday’s Fellows Meeting, I have an extensive list of people and groups who I can connect with. It was so kind and helpful for her to share those contacts and connections with me, and after her presentation with Sonya from Huck House, I’m beginning to experience why it’s important to see every conversation as an opportunity to expand my network.

Other than that, I helped out with a few programs and led a bird migration activity for some awesome kids, got to feed the snapping turtles, and watched one of our monarch chrysalises hatch into a butterfly! She hatched yesterday, but she needed some time to stretch her wings and build her strength before flying off and being free. (Fun fact: you can tell whether a monarch butterfly is male or female by looking at their lower set of wings–males have one large dot on the orange part of each wing, while females do not). As cheesy as this sounds, this is how we grow from new experiences, too–things take time for before we’re fully ready to spread our wings and get out into the world.

And so after some rest yesterday, we released our beautiful butterfly out into the world, with kids from our program, staff, and other visitors all gathered to watch. (You can watch it too on the Grange Insurance Audubon Center’s Facebook page!) It was truly an incredible moment to see, and I can’t think of a better way to kick off the weekend!

So with that, I hope everyone can take a moment this weekend to go out and be free! (: