Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

Hello everyone! I’m David Danesh and I just started my role as the Columbus Foundation Summer Fellow at KidSMILES Pediatric Dental Clinic. I just finished my third year at Ohio State where I am pursuing a major in microbiology, with minors in global public health and business. I plan to attend dental school in Fall 2016 after I graduate next year, and after, I will pursue a Master in Public Health. I’m leaning towards pursuing residency training in pediatric dentistry after dental school, as well. I plan to pursue a career in dental public health, where I can serve as a clinician and leader in public health policy.

This summer, I have the amazing opportunity to work full-time at KidSMILES Non-Profit Pediatric Dental Clinic supported by The Columbus Foundation. I’m so happy and excited with the opportunity to work at a clinic with the mission of providing access to comprehensive, high quality dental care and to be surrounded by such passionate staff and volunteers. Several aspects of KidSMILES make this clinic special. It offers very high quality care for only $10: no bills, fees, or anything. The equipment and clinic itself is top notch. The volunteer dentists and clinical staff are amazing.

Furthermore, KidSMILES also has a robust outreach program where clinic staff and volunteers visit schools, preschools, day cares, food pantries, community organizations in high-need areas. I will be coordinating and leading almost all of the outreach visits. Laura Zuber my direct supervisor and mentor for the fellowship has developed partnerships with local summer lunch programs providing lunch during the week and on weekends for families that qualify for free and reduced lunches during the academic year.

Also, my fellowship is absolutely perfect for me because it is very open-ended; there are several other projects I can work on this summer. One project is looking at expanding and creating new partnerships at different locations for the outreach program. I’m working on a list of community organizations that we can contact and partner with. I will be starting to work on a photo outreach brochure to highlight the different types of outreach we provide, as well as a photo journal that showcases the amazing work of the clinic and the outreach program overall. I also found data on free and reduced lunch program numbers at all schools in Franklin County and the surrounding counties to determine which schools to target for expanding our outreach program. These are just a couple of the projects that I’m working on, with a few more in the works.

It’s been awesome to work in the clinic full-time this week. I have shadowed plenty of dentists in different dental offices in private practice and hospital settings. However, immersing full-time and learning about the non-profit side of dentistry has been amazing this week, even just for a week. I take how awesome this week has been as a strong indicator of what will be a fun, engaging, and challenging summer!

Clinic waiting room

Clinic Selfie!

Hello folks! My name is Ashley McIntosh. I am a recent graduate of Mount Vernon Nazarene University, earning my B.A. in English with a concentration in Non-Profit Business Administration. This summer I have the incredible opportunity to serve as a fellow at Per Scholas, a nonprofit IT workforce development agency. Here’s a little bit more about the organization: Per Scholas offers free IT education and job training to underserved communities in Columbus and throughout the United States. The services that Per Scholas provides allow graduates to begin successful careers in the IT field, breaking the cycle of poverty through education and training.

Needless to say, I am beyond excited about this organization and everything it represents. But one of the things that I am most excited about is the passion I see in the classrooms of Per Scholas. Today I was able to sit in on a class and I’ve got to say, I have never seen a group of people more dedicated or more engaged than this group at Per Scholas. The students come from all different walks of life. I was amazed to hear about the variety of life experiences represented in one room. Some students are young and just starting their careers; others came to Per Scholas looking to change careers later in life. Despite their many differences, these students are united in their commitment to education. I’ve spent the majority of my life in classrooms and I’ve never been in a class more eager to learn. It honestly blew me away.

After sitting in on this class, I started to reflect on my own educational experience and how it relates to my role this summer as a fellow. My university’s motto is “To Seek to Learn is to Seek to Serve.” This little saying has really resonated with me for the last four years and I thought of it again today. I have the opportunity this summer to continue my education, learning from the staff and students at Per Scholas and through hands-on experience. Much like Per Scholas’s job training allows graduates to better serve in the Columbus IT field, the things I learn through this fellowship will allow me to better serve my community for years to come. And for that opportunity, I am so very grateful. Stick with me this summer to see how I’m able to learn and serve!

-Ashley

Hey everyone! My name is Jessie Crawford and I have the esteemed pleasure of spending my summer doing two of my absolute favorite things: working with kids and being surrounded by fabulous contemporary art. This summer, I will be working as a Columbus Foundation Summer Fellow at the Pizzuti Collection, serving as their coordinator of their summer Boys and Girls Club Tours and starting their Junior Docent program.

The Pizzuti Collection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization presenting temporary exhibitions of contemporary art from the collection of Ron and Ann Pizzuti. The mission of the Collection is:

“…to foster cultural understanding and educational exchange by championing a diversity of voices from around the globe whose work transcends, elevates the mind and expresses freedoms. We share the belief of our founder that art is fundamental to the individual and the cultural health of a community.”

The mission of the Pizzuti Collection is an important contribution to the Columbus community, and one that I cannot wait to further as a member of their staff this summer.

A little bit more about me, I am a second year M.A. student at The Ohio State University, studying Arts Policy and Administration, which allows me to combine my love of the arts and belief that they are important in the lives of our communities with the practical application skills of nonprofit business management. It is truly a field where I feel at home, by making a difference in the world, especially local communities, and using art as that vehicle for change. I moved into the Columbus community last year from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and immediately felt at home in the city. There are exciting things happening here and I could not wait to get involved and become a part of this energy. I am so excited for this summer because I feel that I really have a chance to make a difference in the Columbus community through the work that I will be doing with the Pizzuti Collection, and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbus. Stay tuned for my exciting adventures this summer and hang on for what I’m hoping will be a fantastic ride!

The Columbus Foundation seeks students for the 2015 Summer Fellowship Program. 

The Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship Program is expanding in 2015, offering a total of 14 Fellowships to engage and inspire the next generation of nonprofit leaders, up from 11 in 2014.

Selected students will be placed with a Franklin County nonprofit organization for the length of the Fellowship Program, from June 1–August 7, 2015 and receive a stipend of $5,000.

Further information:
Application & Process
Host Sites & Project Details

Nonprofit Eligibility Requirements

An application by interested nonprofit host organizations for The Columbus Foundation Summer Fellowship Program is due Friday, October 10, 2014.

The Columbus Foundation provides a limited number of college students the opportunity to work in Columbus area nonprofit organizations during the summer. Nonprofit organizations have the opportunity to host a summer fellow for a 10-week period from June 1, 2015 to August 7, 2015. Nonprofits must have a specific project or program to assign to the Fellow with specific objectives that will be completed during the 10-week period. Organizations selected will receive a grant to cover a stipend for the Fellow.  All Fellows are required to work full-time as designated by their host organization.

The deadline for area nonprofits to submit their site application for the 2015 Summer Fellowship Program is Friday, October 10, 2014. Please visit the Summer Fellowship webpage for more information.

As I get ready for my last “first day of school” on Wednesday, I can’t help but take a moment to reflect on the amazing journey I took this summer with the Columbus Foundation and Ohio Designer Craftsmen.  I started this fellowship knowing virtually nothing about the non-profit sector in Columbus, and having limited knowledge of the skills, connections, and surprises that come when one works in this varied and challenging field.  Now, after weeks of works, projects completed, learning sessions attended, and the presentation given, I can truly say that I have taken away so much this summer, and wholeheartedly believe that my work has both helped me polish skills that I already possessed and learn new skills and information that will help me as I finish graduate school and enter the non-profit sphere as an eager young professional.  I am so inspired by everyone I met through the Columbus Foundation, including the other fellows, the guests who shared their work and passions with us, my co-workers at the Ohio Craft Museum, the Columbus Foundation staff, and – of course – my talented and wonderful campers and helpers at Young Masters Summer Camp.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, grad school is great, but it can really burn you out.  At the end of the last school year, I was definitely feeling the burn and was more focused on the “what” I was studying and doing rather than the “why.”  All of the people who shared their passions this summer played a part in rekindling my fire for “why” – why the arts matter in our world, why people need creative outlets, why education is so important for people of all ages, why we need to step up and fight for the things we believe in, and why those who CARE will be the ones who can really make a difference in our world.  I can’t wait to keep asking those important questions and fight for the things I believe in.  Thanks for an amazing summer!

Being involved in the fellowship program was a unique and rewarding experience. Having the opportunity to interact with patients at the Charitable Pharmacy and assist them throughout the duration of the summer proved to be a great experience. After having time to reflect, I believe that there needs to be more charitable pharmacies. The charitable pharmacies that currently are in the state (three altogether) have proven to continue to be more effective, efficient and accessible for individuals who need the services and resources of the pharmacies. With a growing focus on access to healthcare, which includes pharmacy services, especially at the local level, I am glad that the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio are evaluating ways to expand their reach and bridge gaps related to access to healthcare. For current students or recent graduates who are interested in learning more about the nonprofit sector, and have a desire to engage in career-related work, I would highly recommend The Columbus Foundation Summer Fellowship Program.

On the ends- Fellowship Program Advisors Dan Sharpe and Melissa Neely. (L-R) Fellows: Chris, Me, Susie, and Julia

What’s next? Classes at The Ohio State University start next week, where I will be completing my last semester. I am excited to be a member again of Community Symphonic Orchestra during my last semester, which is the orchestra for non-music majors at Ohio State. I have been playing the violin since the fourth grade, and I am glad that I have continued to engage in this activity.

Overall, from being a participant in The Columbus Foundation Summer Fellowship Program, I have learned to expect the unexpected. Expect to take on challenges you never expected, to not be afraid to make mistakes, and most importantly, to learn and make the most of each and every experience you have, whether professionally or personally. And for students, you can help strengthen and improve the community for the benefit of all, in many ways, whether you are a participant in The Columbus Foundation Summer Fellowship Program or not- it starts from within.