Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

13 sections. Over 85 documents. 140 pages total. Mostly front-and-back. Edited. Printed. Done. As I type the results of my finished product, I can hardly believe them myself. Sitting in front of me I have a good inch tall stack of papers that make up the new Resource Management Procedural Manual for HandsOn Central Ohio. Whew. And, as I look at the manual, I cannot believe I only have one day left of fellowship. The feeling is bittersweet. My time here has been incredible: A finished manual, agency visits, meeting sit-ins, Refer and Oracle computer databases, taking directory orders, answering outside caller questions, delicious potlucks…the list goes on and on. I have learned so much about the nonprofit world and been exposed to new and enriching material. And that’s not to mention everything The Columbus Foundation taught me through our information sessions. I will be leaving here with more knowledge and excitement for the non-for-profit sector than I ever could have imagined. My time has been so enjoyable I don’t want to leave. All I can say is thank you so much to the staff at HandsOn Central Ohio for their more than supportive, friendly, and encouraging demeanor. It has been wonderful working with people that are so passionate about helping others and doing the job right. I have had a fabulous summer and am already seeing the benefits from my fellowship grow: A new internship, a job offer, and a letter of recommendation! I couldn’t have asked for more.

Laine Z. – HandsOn Central Ohio

Wow! It’s hard to believe that my summer fellowship at Columbus Housing Partnership is ending in two days! The past ten weeks have flown by so quickly. I will definitely be sad to leave CHP on Friday.

This summer has been full of new experiences and ideas, and I feel so lucky to have been able to participate in such a unique fellowship program. One of the best aspects of my summer fellowship is that I have learned many skills that extend beyond my job at CHP; I have learned about myself, about the professional world, and about my aspirations for the future. As I return to school and eventually join the working world, I will certainly carry these lessons with me.

Since this is my last blog post, I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone at the Columbus Foundation and at Columbus Housing Partnership, for making this program a reality and for helping me learn the inner workings of the non-profit world. It has been a great and invaluable experience!

-Christina, Columbus Housing Partnership

At the beginning of the summer, I was excited to begin my internship at the ALS Association.  Since coming to college, I have been interested in the non-profit sector and I couldn’t wait to get some experience at a local non-profit organization.  But it wasn’t until the summer fellowship program started that I realized that this wasn’t going to be your typical internship.

Unlike my previous internships and those that some of my friends have this summer, at the ALS Association, I’m not just making copies and entering data, or working on a pretend project someone thought up.  My project, planning an education conference for healthcare professionals and ALS patients, is not only a very real project, but it also ties in nicely to what I’m studying at school.  Event planning really combines my two majors, marketing and logistics management, and I’ve learned just how much work goes into it!  I’ve also had the opportunity to get an inside look at how a non-profit is run and learned a lot about ALS at the same time.

As fellows, we not only get an in-depth insight into the non-profits we are working at, but we also have had the opportunity to learn about the non-profit community in general through the activities the Columbus Foundation has had for us.  This is what sets the Summer Fellowship Program apart from your typical internship.  We’ve had bi-weekly information sessions where we’ve learned about many different facets of the non-profit world and heard from some interesting speakers about their experiences.  Additionally hearing from the other fellows really adds to the experience because all of us are at very different organizations working on different kinds of projects.

It’s hard to believe the summer is coming to an end–I’ve only got one week left at the ALS Association.  These last nine weeks have just seemed to fly by! My Summer Fellowship has definitely been more than just your typical internship and I’ve had a great experience!

Kim S. – The ALS Association

First of all, where did the time go? It is hard to believe that eight weeks ago we were only imagining what our summer fellowships would look like! As fellows, I think we have had a unique opportunity to be able to look at our organizations from various points of view. We started out as “outsiders,” trying to learn a new organization and how we fit. But now, as integrated members of our organizations we get a whole new perspective. I feel as if each week I learned something new and exciting about Central Ohio Youth for Christ. Getting to work on their new website (which goes live in Septemeber!) gave me the ability to really dive in and research every aspect of their ministry. From helping teen moms get their GEDs to teaching youth how to repair cars it seems like there is never a dull moment at COFYC! But, even though they seem to be involved in so many aspects of Central Ohio youth, what amazes me is that they are always looking for new ideas and opportunities to be a part of.

One amazing new opportunity that has come up this summer is a partnership between COYFC and The Arts and College Preparatory Academy to form ACPA West High School in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus. For years, COFYC has owned an old school building with the dream of one day being able to utilize its potential. This summer, that dream is one step closer to becoming a reality. Both organizations are committed to reaching out to teenagers in at risk communities. ACPA is an award winning Charter School and most of the students graduate and go on to college. COYFC’s mission is to reach teenagers holistically. While only in the beginning stages, the office has been abuzz with excitement. It has been a privilege (and a great learning experience) to be able to see this project begin to get off the ground.

One major lesson I’ve learned from watching all of this unfold is that, while it is important to be committed and invested in all you are currently doing, you also have to be looking ahead for opportunities to grow and change. As a person who is not always the biggest fan of change, this has been an especially important reminder. It is easy to hunker down and only look inwardly at what your organization is currently doing. But, with that short-sighted perspective you can miss out on important chances for growth. One of my favorite quotes sums this up nicely, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.” –Mark Twain. As future employees in the nonprofit sector, I hope that we all remember this and always strive to grow and change in order to impact the communities we serve in unique and lasting ways.

-Sarah S.

Central Ohio Youth for Christ

This week, my job became very different when I traded in the chaos of 500 children for the peace and serenity of a tidy little cubicle on the other side of the building. Although at first I thought I might not know what to do with myself without a million tasks on my plate, I have discovered that having the opportunity to think through and process what I experienced is very useful.

We have begun the process of evaluating exactly what we accomplished, who we affected, and where we have room for improvement in relation to the Summer Zone program. I developed a program evaluation for the staff based on my observations several weeks ago, and it was put into use during the last week of the program when it was passed out to the Lead teachers. I was quite impressed with the amount of thought and detail the staff put into completing their evaluations, and I have begun recording their responses in order to divide the relevant information into reports for those organizations which provided grants for the summer program as well as the director of the Community Center and the program directors themselves. This helps us to concretely identify areas of need from the perspectives of those individuals responsible for the success of the program, but also to obtain valuable suggestions for improvement to be implemented next year.

In addition, I have been tabulating the results of the Developmental Assets Survey which served as a pre-test and post-test for the students who attended the program. It asks questions about various facets of students’ lives from their schools to their families to their neighborhoods, and also allows us to measure which demographics of the population we served based on their reporting of their race, gender, and age. Although when children are involved the reliability of the statistics becomes rather low, it does allow us to collect some relevant information and, again, pass it along to granting organizations. For example, one question asks whether or not the student reads for enjoyment. The large number of students reporting that they do not read willingly will help substantiate the need for a literacy program.

Overall, although it was sad to say goodbye to all of the kids at the end of the program, this week has been a welcome change of pace.

Katie – Vineyard Community Center

Even though many people are familiar with HandsOn Central Ohio through their 2-1-1 information and referral line, HOCO has a direct connection with many organizations in the community. As I reach the end of my fellowship with the Resource Management Department, I find that I am still discovering new ways that HOCO impacts Central Ohio. For example, did you know there are many additional benefits offered in connection with the 2-1-1 line? HOCO is a crucial partner in programs like the Homeowner Helpline and different task forces. There are many ways that HOCO is interacting with the community and I have been fortunate enough to experience some firsthand.

My visits began with Homes on the Hill, an agency that offers vital programs such as foreclosure prevention counseling, homeownership education and affordable housing development. Through one-on-one counseling and group classes, they have helped more than 500 families avoid foreclosure! Through the Homeowner Helpline, our 2-1-1 call line is able to set appointments for callers who need housing assistance and put them directly into the agency’s database.  HOCO has been able to distribute calls equitably among agencies that focus on this area, which creates an imperatively organized, efficient and timely way to help the community.

In connection with housing assistance, I attended the Save Our Homes Task Force meeting at Consumer Credit Counseling Services. Here, representatives from numerous organizations met to talk about the current housing crisis in Columbus and the state of Ohio. Similarly, I also visited the Amethyst-Jefferson Avenue Apartments, which offer housing and treatment to women recovering from a drug or alcohol addiction. This was a beautiful new facility where Carol Hayden, the admissions coordinator and counselor, met and spoke to a group of us about the mission of Amethyst and the programs they run. This was a stop on the Beyond the Freeway tour, another benefit offered by HOCO. This is a tour that takes groups around Columbus shedding light on the issues of poverty our community faces.

It has been an exiting few weeks! I am enjoying visiting different agencies in the community and learning more about what they do and how they work with HOCO. One common thing I am hearing: HOCO is offering essential services for these programs to maintain their success. HOCO’s impact on the community through these agencies is evident and is showing me their reach beyond the Call Center. What’s neat is that these are only a handful of the benefits HOCO offers and agencies they work with—their reach is actually far greater!

Laine – HandsOn Central Ohio