Hello everyone! It’s hard to believe we are halfway through the summer fellowship! Time really does fly when you’re having fun.

Having fully settled into the swing of things at CHA, I feel incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by such inspiring individuals every day. Throughout my time working in the nonprofit sector, there is never a dull moment, and every day offers a new opportunity for learning something new. With each new opportunity, I find myself growing, attaining valuable insights, gaining hands-on experience, and learning more about myself and the nonprofit world. It’s beautiful to see how dedicated CHA is genuinely to serving children experiencing food insecurity. It has been incredible to witness firsthand the impact that Children’s Hunger Alliance has on children, families, and communities across Ohio. They are hard at work in Central Ohio and the surrounding areas, providing children with millions of meals every year.

During my summer fellowship, I’ve been diving into the world of donation requests, grants, volunteer engagement, and fundraising, and I’ve loved it. This past week, I learned more about the world of budgeting! I found budgeting to be more exciting than I expected. Budgeting, like many other things, calls for a lot of strategic planning, organization, and patience due to the numerous revisions and drafts over time. In some ways, budgeting can be nerve-wracking because it requires you to plan so long in advance, but this is worth it as budgets are more than just crunching numbers; they are tools that help organizations focus their efforts on their mission and goals.

It almost seems surreal that I’ve been here at CHA for over a month. I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time. Knowing they will fly by, I can’t wait for the next five weeks. I’m trying to cherish every moment and make the most of this incredible opportunity! I am so grateful for this experience and can’t wait to share more about my journey in the coming weeks!