ONE MORE WEEK!? What? How? 

It is crazy to think how quickly this summer is gone. It makes me sad to leave, but it is exciting to see all the great things my team and I have accomplished over these ten weeks. My supervisor at Netcare went through a checklist of all the tasks she hoped I could complete. She mentioned that the list was somewhat ambitious, butI have completed or nearly completed everyone on the list. I am happy to see that I was able to help, even if my part was small, make progress for this great place during my fellowship. 

My week was busy, and I enjoyed every moment of it. The beginning of the week consisted of pretty similar work to the weeks previous: more grant research, social media designing, and updating the donor database. The end of the week threw some new events and activities into the mix. Firstly, this week, Netcare had to be evaluated by the Commission of Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) to continue to be a CARF accredited facility – an essentially necessary accretiation to continue work in the human service field like Netcare does. Of the almost 2,000 points for which CARF reviewed, there were only 10 which they recommended that Netcare work to improve, all of which were very minor. This is an impressive feat! Furthermore, the review board is encouraged to give personal feedback, both positive and negative, on the company which they address. However, the committee was awestruck by how thorough of a job Netcare does to give its clients the best care. In these moments listening to the CARF committee’s review sessions, I myself felt stress and prayed that the review would go as smoothly as it did. The pit in my stomach, though uncomfortable, reminded me how personally invested I now am in the success of this organization. Though my summer is coming to a close, I hope to stay connected in some way to this organization and desire to hopefully return to volunteer with my supervisor when I have time over breaks in my academic schedule. 

Netcare’s senior staff hosted three “Townhalls” this week to address any and all uncertainty and concerns that the staff was having. This was especially important since the staff has recently the news that ADAMH did not choose Netcare to staff the new Franklin County Mental Health Crisis Center that is set to open in 2024. Much of the staff, especially that in the Crisis Center, was uncertain of the future of Netcare and thus the future of their position. However, I was in awe at how effectively and transparently the CEO communicated with the staff to address the issues at hand. He truly is an exceptional and dedicated leader. In these meetings, staff was notified that most workers at Netcare will see raises in the coming months. This comes as a result of the fact that Netcare wants to invest in its workers the way they invest in them. The CEO has a thought that the more the staff can invest in Netcare, the more Netcare can invest in them. This raise comes as evidence of this ideology. Of the about 250 members of the staff, only 5 members did not get raises, the CEO included. I think this speaks volumes about the type of leader that the CEO is. 

Of all the moments this week, my favorite part, however, was the conversations I had with my supervisor. It felt like every day this week I learned an important life lesson from her just through our daily conversations. I feel lucky to have had such a great supervisor this summer and developed such a great relationship with her. I compare my first week to now and see how much I have gotten to learn about her family, her career path, and her overall outlook on life. I will miss listening to her hilarious stories about her goofy children, her adorable puppy, and bad-at-cooking husband. 

One more week… It is sad, exciting, emotional, overwhelming, fulfilling, and unreal all in one. I remember my shaky hand clicking the submit button for my fellowship application this past December. I would have never imagined that I would be lucky enough to get this position, let alone learn and accomplish so much in this short amount of time. So, thank you Dr. Lomax, Ms. Lilly, the Columbus Foundation, Netcare, and most importantly this great city for all that this summer has been.