Hello! My name is Gabriel Jackson, and I recently finished my first year of the MPA DC program at The Ohio State University. I began my 10-week fellowship placement at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio (BGCCO). The organization gives young people the support, guidance, tools, and skills to succeed in life. They provide comprehensive, affordable after-school and summer programming for youth ages 6 through 18. The organization has seven locations with five in Columbus, one in Marion, and one in Newark. This summer, I will be assisting the advancement team in developing a social media plan while revitalizing their social media presence with a digital campaign. Other responsibilities include assisting the organization with day-to-day matters. I hope to use my experience with social media management, nonprofit organization, and love for children to best serve the organization.

My first week can be summed up as orientations, introductions, and celebrations. In terms of orientation, I met my fellow Columbus Foundation fellows while learning structure of the fellowship from Dr.Lomax. Our cohort is an impressive group of future nonprofit leaders and I look forward to collaborating with them in the future. I also met the advancement team, and they explained my role and responsibilities with a vast amount of supporting documents to read.

In terms of introduction, I met with the BGCCO staff and affiliates of the parent organization Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). The staff has all been kind, welcoming, and passionate about their work at BGCCO. I was able to visit and meet staff members at the J.Ashburn Jr. Clubhouse with our Philanthropy Coordinator Ellen. The site is rich with west side history. I was introduced to a representative from Rogue Fitness with our Corporate and Foundations Relations Manager, Addie. It was insightful to see donor cultivation in person. I also enjoyed talking with BGCCO CEO Doug, Philanthropy Manager Julie, COO Mr.Mack, Sponsored Programs Officer Mallory, BGCA Senior Consultant Christine, Maggie of Marion, and many more.

In terms of celebrations, I happen to start work during the grand opening of the renovated “The Champion Companies Milo Grogan Clubhouse.” The renovation was the result of a 13.5 million campaign supported by local businesses and community partners. The gracious donors and advocates for the site visited for the signage unveiling of the renovated site. I had the pleasure of meeting Mayor Ginter, BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark, and Dan Sharpe of the Columbus Foundation. Today is our Community Celebration from 4-7 pm at the Milo Clubhouse, and the event is open to everyone!