Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

No, I’m not referring to the viral YouTube video from a few years past. Rather, I refer to my discovery of the week! Thank you, Columbus Metropolitan Library! The West Side and Ohio Avenue Day Nurseries were founded on a shoe empire! No joke! (Though empire might be a slight exaggeration.) H.C. Godman, one of the city’s major philanthropists at the turn of the 20th century (ever heard of Godman Guild? same guy), started a shoe factory here in Columbus, in Franklinton, specifically, and made a fortune. He gave the day nursery a $10,000 gift in 1902 to assist them in cementing their programming and mission in the community. That same year, Mr. William A. Miller became president of H.C. Godman Shoe Company. Coincidence? I think not! Mrs. William A. Miller, aka Mary, is one of the West Side nursery’s major early benefactors, donating the land for its property on Grubb Street and its expansion in 1937. She also funded the North Side Day Nursery.

And yet, the library has no image record of Mary Miller, no photo of her. CELC has it. Right there, that is why I am here this summer. To share the Columbus early learning / day nursery story and to highlight the important contributions of the women who founded it and whose legacies live on 125 years later.

Mrs. Miller Gets Some 21st Century Recognition

This is just speculation, but wonder why Mrs. Miller was such a big supporter of day nurseries? I would not be surprised if it was related not only to supporting women, but also to supporting female workers in the shoe factory her husband managed, which was located only a few blocks away. Like I said, total speculation.

Despite nearing the end of the fellowship, this week has been full of discovery. I managed to clear out the rest of the Westside location (it’s usually locked and alarmed), finding more than an entire car’s worth of items. Oh and I found all of these treasures with my handy mini-camping lantern because the light bulb in the basement wasn’t working. The ambiance of searching for old, hidden away files by lantern light is exhilarating! 🙂 Sadly, I had to leave Maude on the wall, a portrait of Maude Fowler Wolfe, that is, another early day nursery benefactor. I’ll come back for her another day. (Her husband, as it turns out, also worked for H.C. Godman Shoe Company, and started this little paper called the Columbus Dispatch.)

Let me tell you, though, as much as I love history, 66 years worth of board of trustees’ meeting minutes weigh quite a bit, especially when you are hauling them up and down stairs! Now though, my treasure trove feels quite expansive! I even had to clear more space in my office for the boxes! The next two weeks will be busy indeed!

This past Tuesday, LifeCare Alliance partnered with WSYX ABC6 to collect fans for the Beat the Heat Fan Drive. Donations were accepted at ABC 6’s studio on Dublin Road and at the Lowe’s on Silver Drive, near Crew Stadium. These locations were staffed by LifeCare employees and volunteers, and reporters from ABC 6 delivered news, weather, and updates on the fan drive from these locations.

Fan drop-off location outside ABC 6 studios

LifeCare Alliance President and CEO Chuck Gehring is interviewed by ABC 6 reporter

By the time I arrived at 9:00 am, we had already received donations of over 30 fans. The generosity of the Columbus community was truly highlighted over the course of the day. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the fan drive this week and throughout the summer! LifeCare will continue to collect fans to distribute to people in need; if you would like to donate or are in need of a fan visit our website at http://www.lifecarealliance.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=175&Itemid=13

I have enjoyed doing some different types of writing this week. I drafted an article for LifeCare’s newsletter featuring our Pet Care volunteers from the Association for the Developmentally Disabled (ADD). I have also worked with our Grants & Development Coordinator, Kristi Boger, drafting several applications to hopefully secure the program monetary and/or product donations. I had submitted my original drafts back in June, and it was very interesting to see how much more associated and comfortable I’ve become with LifeCare itself. Without even realizing it, I have learned so much about the organization and the appropriate language used to describe our services and our clients. Going over my past work allowed me to really see how far I’ve come.

Eight weeks down, two weeks to go. I have learned so much over the course of this fellowship, and I can’t wait to see what the last two weeks have in store!

This week at CCA-West was filled with planning, organizing and executing Family Orientation. All new students and their families are required to attend one of our two sessions of orientation. Orientation is a exactly that, an introduction to Columbus Collegiate Academy. Families are provided more detailed information about parent/student expectations, code of conduct at CCA and our mission and dedication for the upcoming school year. Families are also given their free uniform shirt (the first shirt is free!) and a school supplies list.

One of my main objectives this summer was to increase attendance rates at orientation, specifically a goal of 85% or higher.  We have 81 new families for this school year, which means I need around 65 families to attend either orientation session to reach the 85% goal. Considering the attendance at other family events and school visits, this is a lofty goal, but either way I have been hard at work tracking down new families to attend a session.

Our first orientation was this past Wednesday evening at our new location on Dana Ave. The event went quite smoothly without any major hiccups (phew!). Nineteen families were in attendance and everyone seemed excited about the upcoming school year. It was great to see so many families I had met with individually all under the same roof. Overall I think the families were happy to see how well we’ve transitioned into the new location and parents, in particular, were happy that the school year is quickly approaching.

Our second Family Orientation is this Saturday afternoon and we are expecting 36 families. While I am usually an optimist, I’m not sure if we will reach our goal of 85% attendance. But I would be happy with 70, even 60% attendance, so my hopes are up for Saturday! 

This week my family came to visit me at work!

Well actually, they came to get lunch with me. But after lunch, I took them on a tour of BizTown. My entire family has experience Junior Achievement in one way or another. My sister and I both went through BizTown (when it still was Exchange City). When I went through it, my mom volunteered. She enjoyed the day so much that when it was my sister’s turn, she sent my dad so that he could experience it too.

They were in awe of the new BizTown. In fact, I think my sister wanted to move in. “I didn’t know you worked somewhere COOL!” She exclaimed.

She was a true fan of Charles Penzone. But what fashionista (aka my little sister) wouldn’t?

I think my college bound sister was a little envious of the hundreds of fifth graders who get to experience BizTown. But she got to sit in the mayor’s chair. This, apparently, is a desire she has harboured for eight years.

Besides my family visiting – this week was a week full of lesson planning.

 I’ve reached a point in my project where I can actually see what I’ve been working on this entire summer. In between miscellaneous projects, summer camp, and lots of research (I now know more about financial literacy than I EVER thought I would know!) I have written nine full length lesson plans and supplemental materials.

Sure, I’ve written lots of lesson plans before, much more than nine; but these nine I am especially proud of. It’s so exciting to see my coursework learning and my fellowship learning mesh together to create a final product.

Week 8, you went by too fast. The end of the summer is way too close to be creeping closer and closer. Although not a week has gone by without my eyes being opened to something new, and I have no doubt the last two weeks of this ride are going to be the same way.

Week 8 of the Fellowship is coming to an end, and I can’t believe how quickly time
is moving. It seems like just yesterday that I was nervously starting my new position
and trying to get a handle on the organization and my project. Now, I am
planning the last few activities and putting finishing touches on my research.
I have to say, it’s been a great experience. I love being able to decide for
myself where to take each section of the project—the autonomy has taught me
that I am capable of working very independently. I also like that my Fellowship
experience has had a mix, the “best of both worlds”, in that I do spend a lot
of time learning and doing research on my own, but a good portion of my
research also had to come from clients, staff, and other human sources. This
week, I was able to visit one of the licensed supported living centers for DD
clients and conduct a focus group with a few of the guys. I asked them a few
basic questions—their favorite aspects of Alvis House, their least favorite,
what they feel are their biggest challenges—and I was so grateful for the level of
response that I received. They were so willing to take time out of their days
to help me out with a project, and I can’t thank the guys enough for their contributions! The most difficult part was getting them to come up with things that
they didn’t like about living in their respective houses. It seemed to be all praise at first, which is great of course, but I needed to hear some criticism to really be able to add the information to the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis. They eventually came up with a few suggestions and services they would like to see
added to the programs in the future. Next week, I am headed to one of the halfway houses to do a similar group with corrections clients, and I am looking forward to honing my focus group skills!

I feel strongly that the Columbus Foundation’s Summer Fellowship program is one of the best summer internship-like gigs around town.   And I would like to tell you why.

The program’s two-dimensionality makes the fellowship experience unique.  Dimension No. 1: the day-to-day experience of non-profit work.  Dimension No. 2: The (intense) learning sessions hosted by the Columbus Foundation.   Combined, these make for a fellowship experience that has both breadth and depth of learning; participants are exposed to the variety of non-profit work, as well as working on a full-time project for one organization in particular.

Fellowship positions with Columbus non-profits are developed through a two-way tailoring process.  Both the potential fellows and the host organizations must apply for the fellowship.  (There are not many internships for which you and the person who wants to hire you have to apply.)  In order to have a fellowship position, non-profits must develop a job description that is way more than “Files, shreds, answers the phone, and gets coffee.” This ensures that there is a meaningful role set aside for the fellow at the organization; there is purpose and direction to a fellow’s position.

For me, the Women’s Fund proposed a project that was entirely independent.  While this amount of freedom has been challenging on occasion, overall, it has enabled me to take the project and run with it.  I own this research and it is my responsibility to see it through.  As a rising senior studying Political Science, designing, gathering and writing a research report is a phenomenal opportunity for skills development.

As a supplement to the project, fellows attend Learning Sessions which are designed to expand our understanding of the cogs of the non-profit sector.  Each session introduces a new aspect of non-profit or philanthropic work, presented by an expert in the area who gives a two-hour overview of their work.  I have enjoyed these sessions because I feel that I know more about how the non-profit sector functions overall.  Non-profit work may be inspired by ideals of social justice, but it is powered by donors, volunteers, effective leadership, and sustainable program models.

At the end of this fellowship, I will take away the personal and professional skills I have developed at the Women’s Fund, and the inspiration to find a niche that suits me in the variety of the non-profit sector.

This week a lot of CSC CO employees are on vacations or training, so the office has been pretty quiet. The first part of my week I spent contacting community partners, setting up meetings, and preparing to attend a community meeting on the west side. I attended the Shalom Zone west side community meeting which brings together several west side agencies to discuss any areas of growth for the west side, or how well programs are working to improve the lives of west side residence. I went to the meeting to gain a better understanding of life on the west side, and to try to pass out our community needs assessment survey. Last spring an intern tried to distribute this survey but only received 16 completed ones, so we really need more surveys to gauge what residents need and want. We are moving forward with having pilot programs based on the response from the 16 surveys, but it would be better to have more completed surveys. One agency was very interested in taking the surveys to see if their clients are interested in filling them out. I will pick them up in three weeks. Another organization took a packet of surveys, but I could tell they didn’t really want to; I’m not allowed to administer the survey myself at their organization, so I’m not expecting to see any come back from them. I did learn there is a huge produce market once a month on the west side that brings about 1,000 residents out, and I am allowed to pass out surveys there. Unfortunately, the next one takes place on August 21^st, the first day of classes for OSU. There is another one on September 25th, so I am going to strongly encourage my supervisor to have the next intern go to this event, because I believe this event is going to really give us the response we have been looking for. I just wish I had known about the produce market before so I could have taken the surveys myself.

To try to prevent issues like the ones I have faced I have begun making up some detail notes for the next intern to guide them through this process. I do have concerns that it is going to be a challenge to have programs on this side of town. West side residents struggle with meeting basic needs on a daily basis, so I wonder do they even have time to worry about their future health. They may be so busy worrying about paying their electric or water bill this month just to get by another day that they can’t think about 10, 20, 30 years from now. On top of that, the culture of this population is very unique and has to be respected, so I want to insure the next intern is prepared.

Yesterday I went to Gladden Community House to observe the summer youth program, and to take a tour of their facility since we are partnering up with them for some of our programming. My visit to Gladden was very beneficial, because I was able to directly observe several community issues just in a short two hour window. Plus, I had the opportunity to help the youths make bird feeders. They were so stinking cute I wanted to take a few of them home.

This past weekend, CCA-West had a cookout for new and returning students to celebrate our move and welcome the students. Volunteers and CCA staff members have been working to paint and refurbish all the classrooms we will be using next year and although there is still a little ways to go, the building made a miraculous transformation just in time for families to arrive. When I left work on Friday evening, the halls were still filled with paint cans and brushes, tables, chairs and filing cabinets, the gym was empty and no classrooms were set up. On Saturday afternoon, however to my surprise the school was spotless and looked great! The halls were emptied and cleaned, the gym had tables and chairs set up in it and a “mock” classroom was created for families and students to see.

The “mock” 6th grade classroom

                We had a great turnout with both new and returning families coming out to see the school, eat some hot dogs and mingle with teachers and fellow classmates. Students were very excited to see where they would be going to school. One student even showed up in his full uniform! Almost all of my interaction with families is during the enrollment process for new students, so it was great to see the enthusiasm returning students have for CCA and their family’s commitment to their child’s education. If the cookout is any indicator of the turnout we will have on the first day of school I think it’s safe to say it will be great!   

Here’s a look into the office work that I’ve been doing this Summer in addition to playing with a group of amazing kids every day.

One of my main objectives this summer has been scheduling special guests.  The exciting part of that job is visiting the sites on those days and getting to see the kids interact with a police dog or a doctor or the fire department.  The next two weeks include visits from a soccer trainer, an optometrist group, The Columbus Zoo, The Columbus Blue Jackets and a fruit sculptor.  Behind the scenes is, admittedly, a little less exciting.  Lots of phone calls, lots of voicemails, lots of emails.  Currently, the contact information for potential special guests is a little scattered.  By the end of the Summer one of my main office-related objectives is to finish a spreadsheet – currently in progress – that will make next year’s special guest coordinator’s job less stressful.  All of the usual information – name, email, phone number – but also a much more detailed description of what they do with their visits – is it a craft/activity/professional visit, have they been to our camp before, did the kids enjoy their visit.  When the entirety of the program lasts only nine weeks, there isn’t any time to waste, so knowing all of this will (hopefully) be very helpful in the future.

It’s a beautiful space…and I couldn’t resist showing off a bit more of the kids’ artwork. These pieces were donated to SON Ministries by the campers.

I’ve also spent time developing planning sheets for each of our camp sites.  Each week I meet with the site leaders and assistant site leaders and we plan out the activities and guests for the week ahead.  Each site is different, so the planning process needed a good bit of tweaking at the beginning of the Summer.  Now, everything runs smoothly.  My hope is to leave behind enough documentation that next Summer will be able to start where this one ends in terms of planning.

I’ve also been working on flyers for Family and Friends Night at two of our larger sites.  Last week the first FFN went GREAT and I’m looking forward to Round 2 this Wednesday.  This week’s event will include a talent show, soccer match, halftime dance performance, dodgeball tournament, bake sale/lemonade stand and art gallery.  All starring the kids, of course.  Today’s preparations for the big event included dance practice, making jerseys for soccer and dodgeball, icing cupcakes and making signs for the bake sale.  It’s a pretty big deal and I am so excited to be a part of it.

There will certainly be pictures and videos to follow, so stay tuned.

     The field trips just keep rolling in at the OEC! This past week, I was lucky enough to travel to Cleveland and Athens. In Cleveland, I got the full corporate meeting experience, as my boss and I met with executives from the Cleveland 2030 District. It was a great learning experience for me, as I got to see how the OEC operates in a more corporate setting, and I got to learn all about what the 2030 District is doing to encourage energy efficiency in downtown Cleveland. We also had fun photographing a giant wind turbine later in the day, a task that probably amused cars driving past two professionally-dressed people crouching in the grass with a camera in pursuit of that artsy angle. Hungry from our quest for clean energy, our field trip ended with delicious grilled cheese from Melt.

     My second field trip was equally as fun, if a bit more soggy. Last Saturday was the Boogie on the Bricks festival in Athens, although you wouldn’t have known it when I arrived there in the afternoon. Three solid hours of torrential rain had preceded my arrival, and when I met up with the head organizer from the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the other volunteer they were shivering under their flimsy plastic tent. Fortunately, the day cleared up from that point on, and we took turns drying off in the limited sun. More importantly, the crowd picked back up and we were able to talk with lots of colorful characters about Senate Bill 221 and the fight for clean energy regulations in Ohio. I even got to say hi to a few friends from my days as an undergrad (which were three months ago, lest my nostalgic tone deceive you)! While the early rain could have derailed our ability to educate and talk with the festival-goers, we were luckily able to make up for lost time once things picked up around dusk.

     Apart from being fun, these two field trips taught me valuable lessons about the OEC and similar organizations. First, they showed me just how much work goes into fighting the green fight – and how important help from the public and other organizations/businesses truly is. Secondly, they gave me an appreciation for the diversity of tactics the OEC/ELPC employ – a corporate boardroom is far from the cobbled streets of Athens, after all!