Over the past week and a half, HSC has experienced an incredibly difficult time as our Executive Director and his family suffered a tragedy. Despite the uncertainty, shifting responsibilities, and the weight of navigating such difficult emotions, I have been so proud of my team. They have approached every decision with grace, intentionality, and genuine care for one another. Watching the outpouring of support from our members, the board, and the broader community has been a powerful reminder of just how many lives our Executive Director—and HSC as an organization—have touched over the years. While I wish it had come under different circumstances, this experience taught me a great deal about how nonprofits respond during a crisis. I learned about the importance of privacy, thoughtful communication, and responsible media engagement. Because of everything going on, it was a slower week than usual, but it also allowed our team to pause, check in with one another, and move through a difficult time together.

This week our team was putting the finishing touches on the Accelerate 2027 grant proposal, which we officially submitted on Wednesday. It was exciting to celebrate this milestone together after weeks of collaboration across the office. Seeing such a large project come together reminded me how much goes into grant writing long before a proposal is ever submitted.

I also had the opportunity to collaborate with our Wellness and Member Services Manager on August’s Wellness Newsletter. One of my projects was researching free wellness events across Columbus, drawing on resources such as Eventbrite, Columbus Metropolitan Library branches, and the Columbus Commons calendar. For the “Explore More” section, I also researched evidence-based articles from organizations like the National Institutes of Health, the American Psychological Association, and NPR that encourage readers to continue learning about health and well-being beyond the newsletter itself.

I continued building HSC’s national thought leaders database, a resource that will help connect our team with researchers, keynote speakers, and experts for future collaborations and relationship building. The database is organized by areas of expertise, including nonprofit leadership, poverty, housing and homelessness, child welfare and families, workforce development, nonprofit finance, and data and evaluation. This week, I focused on expanding each profile with contact information, personal websites, and LinkedIn profiles. After talking with my team, I also began including Twitter and Bluesky accounts so we can stay connected to their perspectives on current events and easily share relevant insights with our members.

We ended the week on a much lighter note with a putt-putt outing hosted by Besa, where the entire HSC team was invited. It was wonderful to reconnect with familiar faces, meet new people, and spend a few hours laughing together. After such an emotionally heavy week, it felt like exactly what we all needed.