My name is Elisabeth Cobbs and I am a recent graduate of the Ohio State University. I graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Public Management, Leadership and Policy from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies from the College of Arts and Sciences and Honors in Public Affairs. I was so excited and honored to be a part of the Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship program and be paired with my top choice, the Riverview International Center (RIC). I have already learned so much in my first week. Let’s talk about it!

The RIC is a nonprofit organization that helps new Americans access basic needs and services. Some of the services provided are career counseling and job preparation training, healthcare and benefit enrollment, school enrollment, and ESL classes as well as assisting with access to more basic needs such as food access, diaper donations, and assistance finding furnishings for new homes. The project I am heading during my fellowship is the kids summer reading program. This program helps the kids in the neighborhood keep up with their literacy skills during summer break. My responsibilities include keeping track of who attends each day, assisting with volunteer participation, maintaining safety and organization, and keeping track of relevant data that will inform future reporting.

The first week of the program has been so fun and rewarding for everyone! That is not to say there have not been challenges. One of the most important things I have learned is that taking the time to communicate and stay organized even in the midst of little kid chaos is crucial. I have been so lucky to work with an incredible volunteer coordinator, Angelica, and enthusiastic volunteers who have been my biggest support. They have been flexible, engaged, and responsive to the needs of me, the program, and the kids participating. By the end of this week, we developed a solid game plan that is going to take us smoothly through the rest of the program. At the beginning of the week, we were not even able to get a formal line going for the check in process. Yesterday, we had the straightest line I’ve ever seen. The best part of this is that the kids took charge and organized it themselves! It was very impressive. I am so happy to be a part of this program that helps build community and friendships as well as maintain literacy.

In addition to the summer reading program, I am assisting with some management and administrative projects. I have helped write portions of the RIC newsletter, learned how to submit tax exemption certificates to vendors, and helped train volunteers for their participation in the neighborhood block party thrown by Serve the City today. Each day, I am learning more and more about operating a nonprofit, how to engage with kids and families from different backgrounds that may not speak English, and what kinds of roadblocks new Americans face and how we can help make these processes easier. I am so grateful for this opportunity and can’t wait to begin my second week!