Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

This past week was filled with sweltering hot weather, and lots of action. As my time at PrimaryOne Health is coming to a close I am finding myself still learning new things. This past week there were a lot of meeting and marketing materials made. We also held an all day event promoting the stuff the backpack event that was partnered with NBC4 news and Urban One radio. I have attached a photo of sone of the crew from the event. Although it wasn’t the most well attended event, it certainly was great coverage and got P1H’s name out there. It was great getting to talk and get to know my colleagues more on a more laid back and personal level. Everyone has their own stories beyond just their job titles and that is what I believe to be the most important. . It is one of my colleuges final week before she heads over for graduate school. It is so important to make connections with people and to seek friendship in all places. It was great to have someone who was always looking out for me and keeping me engaged with projects. Her impact extends so greatly through the company and it was such a testament to her hard work and dedication to the company. There are so many people who are in world to make it better, and I have thankfully met many of these people throughout my time at PrimaryOne Health. I am looking forward to the next two weeks and the events that we have coming up. I think it is an exciting time not only for P1H but also for me as I end this chapter and begin the next.

This week has been the final stretch in preparing for our Gateway event tomorrow! I am very excited for all of our hard work to come to fruition, and next week’s blog will be sure to recap how it went.

This week I was also able to attend the WAVs program retreat with the WAV staff. One activity we did was pass around papers with all of our names on them and write one positive message about that person. Then we read aloud whoever’s paper we had at the end, and it was really moving to hear all of the words spoken about us. My paper included comments on my kind energy, my approachability, and my curiousness. It was really nice to see how I come off here at WAV to those around me, and it made me feel very seen.

We also got the chance to participate in the portrait project that our youth have participated in throughout different summer and after-school programs. I actually missed the day the kids did it this summer because I was at a Columbus Foundation Fellows Learning Session, so I was really excited to do it this week. We all spent about an hour on our portraits and then took the time to share them with each other. It was really cool to work on a project that WAV students do all the time, and actually see how it feels to go through part of the program. Overall the program retreat made me feel personally very connected to WAVs mission, and I loved being a part of it. 

Today also marked my last day of class as an Ohio State Student, and even though submitting my last assignment online was a little anticlimactic, I am so excited to graduate next weekend. I feel very ready for the next steps in my career, and this summer has really prepared me for that.

This week was the second teen session of the summer and the projects that the campers completed this week were detailed and expressive. I loved watching them develop into finished pieces! The structure of Teen Camp is similar to that of the Young Masters Camp, with a few variations. The camp is in session from Wednesday to Friday and campers can work on the same project for the entirety of the camp, allowing them to produce detailed final works of art. 

In the morning and afternoon, there are two groups of campers with very different projects. In the morning, the two sessions were called Plant Creature and Lino Block Party. In the Plant Creature class, the campers were given small terracotta pots and epoxy clay to create creatures that are emerging from or living in the pots. Throughout the week they decorated their creatures with paint, marbles, random beads, and any other materials they felt would develop the personality of their creature. The Lino Block Party class was taught by a former high school art teacher who has taught the craft of printmaking to her classes in the past. Each student was given a piece of foam on which to practice their design by imprinting the negative space of the design that they would like to print. After practicing their design, each camper was given a block of linoleum and specialized carving tools to complete the creation of their stamp. 

The afternoon sessions were called Here, Fishy Fishy and Dessert Party. Here, Fishy Fishy was taught by the Plant Creature class artist, who led the campers through the creation of individual fish sculptures, each with unique appearances. This artist instructor specializes in detailed, unconventional sculpture work, often centering around the theme of Halloween, and the campers leaned into this style. Dessert Party was also a sculpting class. In this class, campers fashioned large-scale replicas of their favorite sweet treats out of cardboard and expanding foam, and then painted their work to add detail and dimension. 

Project-wise, this session has been my favorite. Each camper has produced such amazing, detailed work, and their creativity and individuality has been incredibly inspiring. I love seeing how each teen’s personality and individuality shine through in their art. 

Next week will be our final week with campers, a Young Masters Camp themed RecyclArt. Each lesson centers around the idea of using recycled or repurposed materials for their projects. We have several campers from previous weeks returning for the final week of camp and I am so excited to see some familiar faces again!

This week kicked off our kids summer literacy camp in partnership with LifeSmart Education. I am writing this a little prematurely because I am headed to Michigan tomorrow, but there us already so much to report on! The first day was definitely a learning curve, as with most first days of anything. Since this is a partnership with another organization, I was unsure of how involved I would need to be. I have mostly just been needed and check-in and check-out and to help serve the kids lunch. There is a fairly wide range of understanding, even in the small grade range of K-2. However, the kids are taking everything in stride and rising to the occasion! It is good to see the kids so enthusiastic about coming back everyday to learn more

We are also in the process of preparing for our community wide, family friendly field trip to the John Beltz retreat center. This will include a potluck, hayride, nature walks, and learning about plants and animals! I am looking forward to participating in a fun outing with the Riverview community. I hope to see a lot of the kids that came to summer reading and get to know some of their parents better.

As the school year approaches, the office is busy helping get kids enrolled in school and connect them with resources for new clothes and school supplies. In mid-August, we will host a backpack distribution in partnership with the Heart to Heart pantry. Apparently, this is always a very popular event! Because I have taken some time off throughout this program, I get to stay a little later to fulfill my hours. This is exciting to me because I will get to see what some of the school year specific programming looks like. For instance, homework help is really popular throughout the year and I am looking forward to seeing what that program looks like.

This week was short and sweet! To start off the week, I met with representatives form another nonprofit called PCs for People. This organization refurbishes old laptops and desktops and distributes them among communities in need of access to technology for a significantly reduced price. This helps divert old technology from landfills and helps individuals and communities stay connected. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear what they had to propose as a possible partnership. Many of the individuals and families we serve do not have access to laptops and desktops, making it difficult to do some of the things we often take for granted like enrolling their kids in school or finding transportation. In addition to this, even if they do have computers, many of these individuals do not have the digital literacy skills necessary to navigate our complicated systems. PCs for People seeks to both equip individuals and communities with the technology they need to access the internet as well as helping them develop digital literacy skills. I hope to be able to partner with them in the future and help some of the clients at the RIC gain access to these important resources.

On Wednesday, we also had our Volunteer appreciation dinner at the Whetstone Park of Roses. This was such a wonderful opportunity to be able to take care of all the amazing volunteers and show our thanks in person. We had an incredible meal made by one of our neighbors, Tania, who recently received her cooking license and is now available for catering orders! We heard stories from our volunteers about their experiences at the RIC and got to learn more about the sewing club that has been growing over the years! I loved hearing stories from volunteers about all of the funny, challenging, and beautiful moments that occur when connecting with neighbors. I was personally very happy to see many of the volunteers who helped at summer reading. I appreciated their help and enthusiasm more than I have words for and I loved getting to catch up with them and thank them again.

It is very strange not having summer reading to look forward to at the end of my work day. I definitely miss getting to see the kids everyday. However, now we are kicking off summer literacy camp! This is a smaller, more formal group than summer reading, but I am looking forward to seeing how the kids learn and grow over the course of the next week!

Since my last post I’ve had several interesting things occur related to my work.

The PowerPoint presentation I had created seemed to be sufficient! The general layout and organization of the content communicated effectively what needed to be communicated. The only thing left I need to work on would be some minor formatting and some more aesthetic preferences regarding the themes.

I was also invited to travel to Dayton to participate and facilitate smooth operations for the recording of a video. Essentially I helped where I could and made sure to gather release form signatures. The video was a theme reveal for an upcoming event and party that Equitas has been hosting for several years. The shooting was a lot of fun and the volunteers seemed to have really enjoyed themselves.

Another activity that required my presence in Dayton was the organizing of a storage unit. It was not the most glamorous work, but I was happy to do it. I was also given a tour of the main Dayton location for Equitas. Time and time again I am impressed by the scale at which Equitas operates. Several hundred employees doing both organizational work and medical work. It’s quite impressive!

The last thing of significance was my participation in the preparation for a back-to-school event that Equitas will be running towards the middle of August. The event’s purpose is to provide materials and resources for children who are about to begin school, who may have otherwise not have had access to these resources. For example, there will be barbers at the event offering free haircuts, as well as school supplies. My participation involved packing backpacks with school supplies that will be free for the students. This event surprised me; I wouldn’t have expected Equitas to organize and participate in this event as it seems out of their scope of interest. Regardless, I was happy to help!

Overall, the time since my last post has been quite productive. It’s surprising how far into this program and the summer I currently am, it’s gone by quite fast!

This past week I had the ability to work on a lot of different projects within Primary One Health. Some of these projects included National Health Center Week committee work, NHCW video, popcorn fundraising promotions, School Based Health Center marketing with Groveport Madison, and I also got to be apart of filming and editing videos. As my time is coming to an end soon, I am soaking in all the different projects and taking in all of the experiences I can. We have big events coming up next week, and I look forward to seeing how they run. Fingers crossed there is a lot of engagment within the community. Fostering a strong partnership between the community and P1H is empirical for all of Primary One Health’s efforts to be maximized.

I had the honor of getting to shadow a Certified Nurse Midwife at one of the health centers and I loved getting to see to spend time seeing all of the great work that P1H does for women”s health in the Columbus community. It was amazing to see the way that the staff interacted with their patients, the mothers trusted them so much. I got to be apart of the Centering pregnancy program, and the group consisted of women who have already had children. It was amazing hearing their pregnancy stories, and to get to hear their stories. All of the mothers were so strong and vulnerable. I felt so honored to be in a space where these women could come together to inspire and encourage one another. It really opened my eyes to women’s health and the potential for a career in women’s health. Another broken system within our world is the healthcare system. Just like anything in our society there are people that can make changes and that can spread kindness to break down the systematic and institutionalized barriers. It is so necessary in the healthcare system especially in regards to infant mortality rates. This experience opened my eyes to the possibility of putting my why into breaking down the barriers in women’s health. Even if I do not lead down that path, it has ignited a new passion and interest.

I look forward to my following weeks as I continue through this fellowship.

As I continue my internship journey with the Columbus Foundation at Central Community House, I find myself delving into the world of event planning and community outreach. While it may seem like nothing out of the ordinary happened this week, the magic lies in the valuable work that goes on behind the scenes. 

This week, I had the privilege of working on creating ads for the upcoming Village Makers Festival. Crafting visuals that reflect the essence of the festival while inspiring community engagement has been a fulfilling challenge. These ads will play a pivotal role in drawing people to come together and celebrate. 

As part of the outreach team, I have also been actively involved in connecting with potential participants and volunteers for the festival. Engaging in conversations with enthusiastic individuals who share our passion for community development has been a source of inspiration. Witnessing their dedication to creating a memorable event motivates me to contribute my best efforts. 

While some may view logistics as boring, I find satisfaction in ensuring the smooth execution of our plans. Working closely to double-check every detail, from vendor arrangements to event timelines, ensures that our efforts come together seamlessly to create a memorable experience for everyone involved. 

Though the week may have seemed routine, I have come to understand that every task, no matter how small, contributes to the bigger picture. It is the collective effort of each team member that breathes life into the Village Makers Festival and fosters a sense of belonging within our community. 

In the midst of these tasks, I have learned the true meaning of collaboration and how it lies at the core of community building. The unwavering support among my colleagues at Central Community House has made this internship an incredible experience. 

As the festival draws near, I eagerly anticipate seeing the ads we’ve created in action, witnessing the community come together, and experiencing our collective hard work. While not every day may seem exciting on the surface, the impact we are creating through our efforts is nothing short of extraordinary. Cherishing every moment and embracing the behind-the-scenes magic. 

The energy has returned to the Ohio Craft Museum! This week’s theme was “Out Of This World!”, and some of the campers leaned in it, wearing space-themed clothing every day of the week! I even decided to play space trivia with the campers during snack time, which they very much enjoyed. 

During the planning period for the lessons this week, we decided to make a few of the projects span across multiple days to keep the campers engaged and to create an extra detailed final product. One such project was a three-day endeavor to create astronaut helmets. The process began with the campers laying strips of plaster over an inflated balloon to achieve the perfect-sized shell for their helmet. The next day, after the plaster had dried, the kids got to pop the balloons and line the edges of the neck and viewing openings with different colored duct tape. On the final day of camp before the art show, the campers were guided through attaching the visor of the helmet. The visor was able to slide up and down thanks to the copper brads affixed to each side of the helmet, leaving the campers with their own functional helmet! It was so fun to watch the kids excitedly put on their helmets and squeal with joy at the final product. 

Another one of the projects that we completed this week was a mission control panel made of Styrofoam and recycled materials. It was a challenge to the camper’s creative thinking skills, using old bottle caps and different bits of plastic packaging as knobs and buttons for their controls, but they all took the challenge in stride! 

Once again, the art show on Friday was my favorite part of the week. I love seeing all the campers get so excited to share their favorite projects from the week, and how proud they are of their hard work. Most of the feedback that the staff received from the parents centered around how impressed they were with the quantity and quality of the projects, and how much fun their kids had, which is always nice to hear. 

I very much enjoyed getting back into the swing of things with the Young Masters Camp. It can be challenging at times to adapt to the needs of the individual campers, but I learn more and more each week about how to adjust to make the most of each situation for the kids, and how to make them comfortable in a new and sometimes hectic environment. It will be low energy next week, as the first two days of the week there will be no campers, and the last three days of the week are Teen Camp. I look forward to working with the new campers and teachers next week, as well as taking the time to reorganize and reset the space for the next session. 

Last weekend I was part of the CXC presence at the Columbus Book Festival, at the Main Library and Topiary Park in downtown Columbus. This was a celebration of the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s 150th anniversary, where thousands of people gathered to celebrate their love of reading! There were many exhibitors, including authors and writers, publishers, entertainment, exhibitors, and many more. This included special featured authors who gave special talks, as well as a large tent filled with nearly a 100 independent authors. The festival ran from the 15th to the 16th, and I was present both days where I helped man the CXC tent.

Over the course of the weekend we essentially acted as on the ground outreach for CXC, working to advertise our free festival to people who were unfamiliar with us. Because of how the festival was organized, we essentially had a “comics corner” where we were grouped with other comics related exhibitors, such as The Laughing Ogre, a local comic shop and one of our partners. In our tent we had a display set up of some examples of the work done by this year’s special guests, some merchandise which we were selling for donations, and plenty of postcards and other informative posters. While it may have been hot, humid, and rainy, we got lots of traffic and were able to engage with many of the festival-goers.

The rest of this week I have been going through information we gathered during the Columbus Book Festival. We had several sign up sheets for our mailing list and for volunteering with CXC. I had to go through all of these and turn the written out names, email addresses, and phone numbers into a workable spreadsheet. I also searched for information on the other exhibitors which participated at the Columbus Book Festival, creating a datasheet of public contact information for potential networking and partnership opportunities for CXC. Finally, I’ve been continuing to help coordinate and organize flights for special guests, which will hopefully be complete soon.