Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

This week has been an overall slow week for BizTown. Most of the staff is coming down from the craziness of the Fourth of July. My task for this week has been to find contacts for all of the local school districts and schools so that Junior Achievement can market BizTown for this coming school year.

This morning spiced up my week a bit, though. Today, I am going to write about my narrow escape from the law. On most mornings, I am the second or third person in the building and so by the time I arrive, the workday is already underway. This week though, we have several staff members either at national conferences or on vacation, and so I have been the first person in the office both yesterday and today.

I knew there was an alarm, and so yesterday I hung around outside the building for about fifteen minutes for the next person to arrive, just so that I would not set it off if I let myself in. I never had an alarm in my house growing up and so I have no knowledge of how security systems work.

She arrived and walked right on in. No flashing lights, no sirens. I followed, thinking in my head, ‘the alarm must just turn off at a certain time in the morning?’ What I did not know was after we parted ways, she went to disarm the alarm.

So this morning, I was the first one here again. I let myself in, as normal.

About twenty minutes later, I hear footsteps in the hallway. I turn around ready to greet my coworkers, and then I hear a walkie talkie buzz. That’s not normal, I thought. Leah, one of my coworkers rounds the corner followed by two police officers. My heart immediately sank – I knew immediately that I had set off the alarm. Fortunately, everyone had a good sense of humor – and no real harm was done.

Who knew that along with all that I am learning about non-profit organizations and curriculum development, I would also learn that I am terrible at breaking into buildings? I guess I am learning my strengths and weaknesses.

In other BizTown news, I wanted to revisit JA BizTown Summer Camp (click here to learn more about the camp experience). Here is a video showing the highlights of what was an awesome week:

To learn more about the impact of JA Biztown Summer Camp see: JA BizTown Summer Camp Pays Off in More Than One Way

Those of us who call Columbus our home don’t need to be told that we live in a great city.  But this blog post will give you a few more bragging points (to tide you over while we wait for football season to start).

Over the past few decades, the national network of philanthropic organizations which serve women and girls has expanded greatly.  Today, there are pillars of support for women and girls in nearly all metropolitan communities across the country.  Nearly all greater-urban areas are equipped with a branch of the United Way, a YWCA, a women’s health clinic, and a women’s fund.

My job for the summer has been to detail the profile of central Ohio’s non-profit organizations serving women and girls.  As I explore the multifarious array of non-profit entities which are engaged in this work, I am continually impressed by you, Columbus.  It seems that our city is teaming with people invested in enriching the lives of women and girls, and through them, our community as a whole.

Columbus is looking out for her women and girls, one more thing that makes this an outstanding place to live.  Here are some major investors in the potential of women and girls:

The Limited Brands Foundation, thanks to Lex and Abigail, focuses much of its philanthropic energy on the Columbus area.  Because much of the company’s success is due to women’s purchasing power, the Limited Foundation is committed to the health and empowerment of women and children.

Second, the United Way of Central Ohio has a chapter of the Women’s Leadership Council, not something that all United Ways have developed.   This group of committed, community-minded women works to provide educational and economic opportunities for women in need of support.

Finally, there is The Ohio State University, home to the leading breast cancer research hospital in the country.  Thanks to them, we know “There is no routine mammogram” and so much more about the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

I would be remiss if I did not also mention my own organization, the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, which provides significant support for organizations of all shapes and sizes looking to make an investment in women and girls in creative and effective ways.  We fund programs that increase economic self-sufficiency for women, encourage leadership for women, and develop lifeskills for girls. On top of all that, we empower women and men to make a significant difference in their community through philanthropy.  Along with the organizations listed above and many, many others, by transforming the lives of women and girls, we are driving social change.

Columbus, you are setting a great example.  Your commitment to your community is reflected in your commitment to enriching the lives of women and girls.

Way to go, Columbus.

Week Four of my fellowship has been a little chaotic, what with the move to our new location on Old Henderson Rd. The building is not quite finished, so there has been a significant delay in unpacking several rooms. The new building does look more modern and professional: it is split up into two parts – one for the administration offices and the other for programming. The programming section of the building is the side that is still under construction. With everything going on, it has been interesting to try to unpack and resume normal work. Even in the short time amount of time we have been here, the building has really started to come together. The office I share with the Clinical Program Asst. is also starting to take shape. The new office we share is spacious, bright, and warm. We are pretty happy with the new office and new furniture.

The new building is located by several Asian markets and bakeries, so I have had the opportunity to experience Japanese food and pastries, some pictures of which I have included below.

Most of my time has been spent unpacking, re-organizing, and trying to get back to a normal workflow. Unfortunately, since the building is not completely together, everyone’s ability to resume normal work projects has been delayed. Next week, I have a few meetings scheduled with community agencies on the west side to discuss offering a workshop type program at one of the agencies’ locations, so I am hoping that we are pretty much back on track by next week, and are moving forward with the west side project.

Luckily, we had great movers, and many of our regular volunteers stepped in to lend a hand in helping us unpack. It was a lot of work to pack everything up, but I think everyone likes to forget we actually have to unpack everything within a few days. In my opinion, I think unpacking is almost the worst part of moving. I think this is because people tend to unpack everything immediately to create some form of normality. I think everyone has been amazing during this process.

Wielding an impressive arsenal of dry-erase marker colors, I took to the whiteboard.  I was determined to turn my scattered thoughts into an organized, technicolor dream program guide regarding business sustainability.

Our team was meeting for discussion on how to bolster current programs with the end-goal of more effectively assisting our graduates reach sustainability.  I was given the opportunity to present my brainchild before a group who collectively have launched way more businesses than years I have spent on earth.

My confidence level was sky-high.  I mean, I was four weeks into this fellowship- of course I thought I was a business expert.

Sean explaining to the crowd why he chose the red marker for this section.

I glided flawlessly through the first set of magnificently illustrated bullet points.  Moments later, I started noticing holes in my proposal- points that were not realistic or not relative to our clientele.  I paused, realizing that my dream program had elements of a nightmare.  Turning to the team, I put forth a sheepish smile, knowing this beauty’s end was imminent.

We tore it apart, color by color, until we had a working model that made sense and could be used as a solid framework for future program development.  It no longer resembled my initial brush strokes, but it was better- and that’s all that matters.

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This experience was both humbling and satisfying.  I realized that the feeling of having your work criticized by others is similar to the feeling a business owner experiences when he or she puts out a product and receives mixed reactions from customers.  This experience is good- it allows us to improve our work/product so we all receive better results next time around.

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Always seek feedback to improve something.  If you can’t get feedback, just try adding bacon.  Bacon makes everything better.

My job for the morning was to open every cabinet and drawer in the former Westside location and throw out all of the food I found. Such a task served not only to get all the crackers, Capri Suns, and puddings out of classroom and office shelves (three big trash bags worth!), but also to unearth historical documents in unexpected locations. In the staff break room, inhabiting a crate with the chai tea and napkins, I discovered a large set of previously unaccounted for board regulations from the 1970s and 1980s. Upstairs tucked away in a file cabinet, beneath a bag of peppermints no less, I found more reports and histories, and even a Franklinton calendar featuring the Westside location as its June photo. I also uncovered a box of miscellaneous stationery from all three centers over the years – so cool! Sometimes, there’s no Finding Aid to serve as treasure map. And I might have exclaimed jackpot when I realized what I had found.

I was at Westside working with volunteer groups that are sorting all of the toys and furniture, preparing them for sale or donation. CELC has a lot of stuff – lots of toys, furniture, buildings, and paperwork. Importantly, we have to go through it all to unearth those key documents, photos, and ephemera worth saving. And that can be the most challenging aspect of my work. How does one prioritize areas in which one is most likely to find relevant materials? And how ought one to curate those findings? Do we really need 5 copies of the 1959 Annual Report? Probably not. But we do need one, preferably in good condition, so having five to choose from is quite the luxury. And who knows, perhaps I’ll find a few more tucked away in an unmarked drawer.

As I’ve settled into my role here at the Ohio Environmental Council, I’ve done my best to educate myself on sustainable energy. Obviously, with so many types of clean, low-impact energies out there, there is no way for me to become an expert, but I’ve put my college-honed research skills to the test and become familiar with the basics. Since I am a member of the Green Jobs & Innovation team at the OEC, I tried to understand these new industries from an employment perspective, and especially how they impact Ohio. For example, I learned in my research that Toledo is one of the main North American hubs of solar technology production. Additionally, the miles of Lake Erie coastline available up north have made Ohio an attractive state for offshore wind farm development. Learning about projects like these has helped me understand the importance of the Ohio Green Jobs Database, and given me a sense of how my work will help Ohio’s green economy.

    I’ve also spent the last week becoming better acquainted with the OEC, its offices, and its people. I was fortunate enough to sit in on an all-staff meeting last Monday, where we discussed everything from office renovations to the growth of donations to environmental charities. I was also asked to update everyone on what I had been working on, and what I hoped to do in the future – a nerve-wracking experience, but one that helped to boost my confidence about speaking up in meetings.

     As far as work goes, I have continued to work on the database and the surrounding technology. This past week, my focus was on online communication between interns such as myself and our boss. At the moment, we all share access to the same Green Jobs account, so my job was to see what it would take for us to switch to a more secure file-sharing system, and whether or not it would be worth it. Working at the OEC certainly has put green on my mind – when doing my research, I opted for the eco-friendly search engine Ecosia (sorry, Google!) that donates money to rainforest preservation.

*****Casino Night was a fundraiser for Junior Achievement of Central Ohio and no actual money was used or exchanged during the evening****

Junior Achievement of Central Ohio President, Mike Davis, graciously accepting a check of $45,000.

This week I learned how to play Blackjack. I learned how to play Blackjack at the Fourth Annual Casino Night benefiting Junior Achievement of Central Ohio. This event was put on by Pepper Construction Company, and donated $45,000 to Junior Achievement Columbus. Awesome.

Over the weekend, I realized that my experience with this fellowship and my experience learning Blackjack have many parallels.

When I sat down at a table with a few other JA staff members, we did not know what we were getting ourselves into. Our (very patient) card dealer explained the rules of the game to us, and gave us a few pointers to start with. However, for the most part she let us jump into the experience of the game. I soon realized that it would be a challenge, every new piece of information came bundled with multiple new questions, but I was determined to learn the game.

Just like those first few hands of Blackjack, my first couple weeks at Biztown have been exciting and filled with lessons each day. Every day I learn more about the organization, the work, and my own professional development, but every day I also leave realizing how much more I have to learn. As my JA supervisors do, our card dealer answered our questions with the absolute highest level of patience.

We progressed through the hands (losing and gaining some chips along the way), every once in a while our dealer would throw us a hint or two; but overall she held a straight face and allowed us learn from our mistakes and successes. Sometimes I had no idea what call to make. These are moments that I know to go back and ask for help from the dealer. In a real casino, a dealer may not be quite as willing to offer advice, but this game was a learning experience – as is my fellowship.

My tablemates, who came in with various levels of Blackjack experience, made the challenging (and sometimes embarrassing) experience of learning a game enjoyable. Some of the more experienced players would offer tips throughout the game; others would simply cheer on successes.

The staff and other interns at Junior Achievement have kept me enjoying my time as a fellow. They offer advice and support when necessary, which has been interesting because everyone comes from a variety of backgrounds. No matter whether we are playing Blackjack or working within BizTown, we are always laughing and enjoying the journey.

In a lot of ways, Junior Achievement of Central Ohio has been my own personal Blackjack dealer. In three weeks, I have already learned so much from the mentors here and I am so excited to see how much more I will learn.

The highlight of my week was spending a morning with the Capital Area Humane Society learning about the work that they do and brainstorming ways that their organization and LifeCare’s Pet Care Program can work together.

I’ve quickly learned that many non-profits do much more than what they’re most well known for. LifeCare Alliance, for example, is most often connected with Meals-on-Wheels, but also offers so many other important services to the community.

Two of the many cats and ferrets looking for a home at the Capital Area Humane Society

The Humane Society is typically associated with pet adoption when that is actually just a small percentage of the work that they do. During my time there, I learned about programs they have to rescue neglected and/or abused animals. The Capital Area Humane Society also assists the pets of victims of domestic violence by offering care to the animals if the owner is seeking temporary refuge at a shelter.

I enjoyed touring the facility, seeing all of the adorable animals, and gaining insights on how a different type of pet program is coordinated. The Humane Society emphasized the importance of well-trained, reliable volunteers and community outreach. By the end of the tour, I wanted to take all of the animals home with me!

Puppies wait to be adopted into a loving home

Back at the office, I have completed the new routes for the Animeals Program! Over the next few weeks, I will be planning open houses for past, current, and prospective volunteers to show them the new routes and hopefully grow our volunteer numbers. It has been a very busy and exciting four weeks here at LifeCare Alliance, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of my summer holds!

CCA West Students

This past Monday marks my transition into the full-time student recruitment fellow position. Previously, I worked with Brett, the student recruitment manager, on recruiting and enrolling students at Columbus Collegiate Academy. Starting Monday, however, Brett took on a new position as the office manager at our West campus. This leaves me with full responsibility of reaching CCA’s goal enrollment totals! Luckily this week also marks the start of a waitlist at our Main St. campus which means we have met our enrollment totals for one of our two middle schools. Enrolling students are our West school, which I mentioned in my last post is moving into a new building on Dana Ave in Franklinton (not far from our location last year in the Boys and Girls Club) is now my main focus.

Our primary means of reaching out to students is through direct mailings and these have been sent out sporadically throughout the past few months to all Columbus City School and SouthWest City School incoming 6^th grade students. Brett and I have also been working on designing a postcard which was just finalized and sent out this week so hopefully in the next few days the calls will start coming in from that! Aside from mailings, I have been working to reach to students in any way possible. That includes going door to door in neighborhood in Franklinton, hanging flyers in community organizations and following up with every lead. I already have many families scheduled to see the school next week and with our move taking place and more and more people learning about CCA I can only hope that more families enroll their students! This week, with the holiday and our time at Boys and Girls Club coming to an end, was a transition week, but next week will most likely bring about good results and up our enrollment status.

Until next week… Thanks for reading,

Nikki  

This past week, I was able to stretch the legs a bit and venture out of the cubicle to meet a ton of new people! First, the Alvis House block party was on Friday, and so I spent my lunch break eating a delicious array of pot luck-style food and watching various Alvis House staff members blow off some steam for a good cause. All of the proceeds from the block party, including raffle tickets and dunk tank attempts, went to benefit Operation Feed, and so dropping a few bucks to viciously throw a ball to unlatch the lever suspending your coworker over a big pool of water was really the only good, humanitarian thing to do.

Gerard from halfway house programming winds up

And, success!

As far as work goes, I have been in and out of meetings every day, trying to learn as much as I can about Alvis House as an organization, its clients, its sources of funding, its strengths, its weaknesses, its service model, its strategy, etc etc. Despite their insanely busy schedules, every head of department, director, and program manager that I’ve contacted to set up an interview with has graciously taken the time to speak with me, and I’m very grateful to each of them for that. I was even able to take a few field trips to the re-entry center, one of the men’s halfway houses, and the intermediate care facility for clients with development disabilities. One of the major differences between DD (developmental disabilities) and corrections is the emphasis on individualization for DD clients. Clients in the intermediate care facility are able to decorate their rooms however they like, and my favorite was a double room in which one roommate was seemingly an avid Michigan fan, the other a diehard Buckeye. A bit of friendly competition to keep things interesting! I also liked learning about the emphasis on community interaction and service that is instilled in all clients, both DD and correctional. Many at Alvis House believe that education is vital not only for clients, but for the public as well. Allowing ex-offenders to live and work in their neighborhoods while undergoing cognitive-based therapy and supervision by Alvis House is the best way to change their behaviors and re-integrate them into the greater community.

The gardens outside of Wittwer Hall, the intensive care facility for DD clients, were put in by the residents.

The clients do a great job of maintaining and caring for the gardens.

It also helps to demonstrate to the public that people are people: they make mistakes, they learn from them, and a lot of them move on. Ex-offenders are not doomed to lives of crime. Many of them become involved in the criminal justice system when they’re young and then spend the rest of their lives trying to bounce back from their first offense, convincing potential employers and new acquaintances that they’ve changed. It was great to see in person the facilities that I’d been hearing so much about and to actually meet a few of our clients. It’s given my fellowship experience a more concrete/”this is who you’re helping” feeling, and I couldn’t be happier to be working for people, for their betterment and their happiness. (More on this topic in my next blog, this one is getting a bit long!)