Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

Week 7 was another week of building the Sustainable Business Directory and we are now up to 575 businesses in the directory. Simply Living founder, Chuck Lynd, helped get a few more possible listings from like minded organizations. The first organization was the Ohio Ecological Food & Form Association (OEFFA). They are focused on sustainable farming and cuisine, meaning the food we eat is locally grown and sourced with organic practices which is both sustainable and good for the environment. Similarly to the “Green Spot Business” tag we gave businesses partnered with Green Spot, OEFFA businesses were given a “OEFFA Member” tag. The reasoning behind these tags is to build a solid network of organizations with the similar goal of sustainability within our community. The second organization was Green Energy Ohio (GEO). They emphasize the importance of renewable energy while promoting policies that also add value to the economy AND environment.  If you are interested in renewable energy and supporting local businesses, I would recommend looking into Kinnard’s LLC. Kinnard’s LLC is a small business out of Heath, Ohio that installs solar systems. Founder Brandon Kinnard was a former electrician for 20+ years who decided to start his own business due to his passion for renewable energy. Solar energy is the way of the future if we want to conserve the natural resources Earth has to offer. GEO’s tag is “Green Energy Ohio Member.” These tags will help connect people to the resources our community has to offer regarding sustainability. Furthermore, these tags are helping Simply Living grow as an organization by further building relationships with other well-known organizations that have like minded objectives. The Sustainable Business Directory will not only be a great resource for our community, but a way for Simply Living to grow as an organization through strong connections.  

I have some different scenery this week while I’m working.

This week is my annual family vacation in North Carolina, so I was able to start a week early at Seeds of Caring back in late May to ensure I was able to spend some time with my family. I’m still working a few hours here and there this week to get ahead by the time I’m back in Ohio, but I’m glad I can relax most of this week.

I spent a few of my mornings catching up on some reading I am completing. Our executive director/founder gave me Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits by Leslie R. Crutchfield and Heather Mcleod Grant to read during my time with Seeds of Caring, to look at what all goes into creating and managing a successful nonprofit, and how exactly “successfulness” is measured and how to increase a nonprofit’s impact. I’ve enjoyed what I have read so far, and I hope to finish the book by this week or next.

Originally during my time on vacation, I was going to assist our marketing and communications coordinator on outreach efforts to call different day cares around Columbus asking if they had brochure space for us, and if they would be interested in that. I figured I would tackle that next week, as I will have more time and will have more privacy as I’m with my family this entire week. I am looking forward to assisting on this task!

Since we engage kids 2-12 in our programming, and our organization is young, the kids who were involved in our programming when Seeds of Caring started have grown out of our programming. We are looking to engage a new generation of younger families who have children in the age range we want to engage with.

I have had an interest in communications, as I am aiming to complete my communications minor in the spring when I graduate, so I am glad I am getting some experience with this area as well. I feel as though I have been able to gain a lot of knowledge while being with Seeds of Caring, as I have worked with multiple different staff members on different projects.

This was my main goal through this fellowship- to get as much experience and gain as much knowledge about what roles go into a nonprofit as possible. Even as we conclude our seventh week, I feel as though everything I have learned has exceeded my expectations already.

At Ohio Humanities this week, we jumped head-first into the process of creating an entirely new audience for Lumen, a yearly publication published by Ohio Humanities, because the very first edition is coming out this autumn. Based on the the extensive audience of a previous publication from the organization and a new audience of potential new stakeholders from universities, cultural centers, and other organizations, we have been diligent in making sure that everyone who should receive a copy does, especially those who were quoted, featured, or whose story was included in the publication. The need to have an organized database with accurate data has never been more clear to me than in this process, and it is incredibly applicable to any project in which we are sharing our work with supporters, attempting to gather statistics on grants and grantees, or working on the upcoming strategic planning operation.

I’m excited to start seeing the results of the donor stewardship project that I completed last week of displaying gratitude in a multitude of communications specified for each individual donor in the form of phone calls, emails, and written and mailed notes. We have already received a handful of kind words from donors in response to these communications, and being able to recognize the outright support that many donors give to the organization and the work Ohio Humanities does has been gratifying. I am looking forward to seeing the fiscal results of these communications as well, and if they are as favorable as I expect them to be, then I will have learned an invaluable lesson about strategies for advancement and donor stewardship that I will be able to use in my career to come in the nonprofit sector.

I absolutely cannot grasp how quickly this fellowship going by, and that we are more than halfway done. I have grown so familiarized with most aspects of the functioning of a nonprofit, from grants to programs to advancement to the board. However, becoming networked with my coworkers at Ohio Humanities has been amazingly valuable experience for me both personally and professionally. Just this week, a couple of my coworkers spent more than an hour of their workday helping me perfect my resume and cover letters to apply for future positions, and I am extremely pleased with the result of both. I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to Ohio Humanities four weeks from now, to say the least.

Earlier this week, one of my colleagues, Robin, asked me how many weeks I had left at the Ohio History Connection. An easy question to answer, but reality didn’t hit at that moment. The past seven weeks have been filled with student facilitations, marker-dusted fingers, hundreds of open research tabs, and plenty more mini memories that have encompassed my internship. This week wasn’t unlike the previous, with a week’s worth of summer programs to visit all over Columbus….or so I thought.

I’ve been revisiting a specific site since the beginning of my internship, but I finally got to the last visit this past Thursday. In the beginning, visiting the students seemed like the most intimidating thing. Of course I was going to try to teach them something, but I worried about whether or not we’d all be engaged. You see, I never wanted any of the children to think I was talking or teaching to them, but rather with them. This was a key “easier said than done” moment, but I did not want to give up without trying my best. Initially, I would rack my brain (for longer than I should have) on how I could connect better with these kids, improve the activities that I’d share, and “quickly perfect” a routine for every site. I quickly learned that it could never be that easy. Some facilitations seemed almost perfect, while others tested me in ways I didn’t expect. For the past four years, I’ve been used to communicating with mainly college students…. it’s a whole other language when talking to kids. At times, I doubted whether or not I was progressing and getting better with my faciliations no matter what the true results were.

When I returned to my regularly-scheduled site, I thought about the first time I facilitated by myself; I couldn’t think of a single thing, though. My mind was fixated on the students and what we’d be getting into that day, especially how I could keep my headwrap on while playing freeze tag! All of the tension I built up beforehand crumbled as the students talked to me about their favorite manga, fun facts, and all of the game knowledge they could fit in one breath. At the end of the facilitation, only little boy asked me if we could have more activities next year and for me to come back a little more regularly (“because every couple weeks is a long time”).

In the beginning of the summer, I was given a huge schedule filled with all of the facilitations I would’ve completed by the end of the summer. To be honest, just looking at it took my breath away – just how was I going to complete all of these? The plethora of summer projects seemed deafeningly intimidating in the beginning, but quietly fell without me noticing. Now, I only have about 2 weeks left of summer programs. This week’s facilitations gave me a comforting wakeup call on how easily the unimportant things can come and go. Truth be told, no facilitation will be perfect, but every facilitation is an important experience. There hasn’t been a day where I have not learned (or re-learned) something from the students, and I believe that is truly the most important thing. Putting all of the extra expectations on a learning experience takes away from the true value, so I was glad to see how much the students valued our time together.

The fellowship is almost over! There are only three weeks left. This week I spent some time doing hard labor in the gardens. I did this last week too. The other garden work was hard but tilling is something else. Pushing a mower is difficult for me too. But all of this is tremendously joyous, and I have not had the needed structure to attend physical therapy, so I am grateful for the paid exercise. I surprise myself sometimes with what I find myself able to do. Other days I find myself realizing I easily surpass my limits and pay for it over several days. I will likely volunteer time every now and then to help maintain these gardens. I have become attached and their existence benefits me. One of the youths keep coming and doing this work too! I am so proud of her. I am amazed at her work ethic and willingness to try everything we harvest. I love when she shares with us what she has going on in her life. I laugh when I see her nervously try the raw vegetables and herbs. She is so brave we had to stop her from eating random berries from a tree from another garden we visited. They likely aren’t edible – ha! I get to watch her facial expressions during these taste tests. Watching people’s facial expressions when they are exploring outside of their comfort zone is such a pleasure! I would like to see more consistency from the other youth, but I am proud they attend at all. They have other things going on in their life and Cultivate has a small budget. If they had larger monetary incentives, I have no doubt they would show up more. At least they are not quitting altogether. Today I did a home visit to check up with a resident Cultivate is helping navigate social service programs. I am thankful he trusted me with his sensitive and personal information. I am inspired by his perseverance and was able to relate to some of his struggles. I would share more but wish to keep his identity private since I did not ask for his permission to share. See below for some garden photos.

I feel very accomplished this week, but my hamstrings are sore. My butt is sore. My back is sore. My anxiety is rampant. I am often mentally and physically exhausted. I do what I need to recover but working like this is not sustainable. I rarely fully recover. I am glad to be in the the fellowship and more excited that it is almost over! I will now share a little about my work history, privileges, and experience using welfare. I love to talk about myself and I honestly hope readers learn something new or find validation.

I used to only work part time. This is due to chronic pain, mental illness, and neurodivergence. My last two jobs were moderately sedentary. Most recently, I got to lie down for most of the job and my clients came to me when they needed something. Most days I would be in a semi-private room in two clients’ home, and I always communicated that they simply come to me when they require help. I would review with them on how to do that sometimes, and occasionally check in with them, but for the most part, I could be alone. Because I was part time second shift, the other service providers did most of the social outings with our consumers. This meant less driving for me and less noise and groups of people. I easily get over-stimulated.

Most of the hard work for me was taking my clients to the grocery store, to and/or from work, and the days where I accompanied someone to kung fu and back. Sitting down for long periods of time and walking a lot significantly increases my pain. Most other movement I can do to a variable/relative degree that is less than a typical employee. While I have worked part time since 2014, the rest of my income has been supplemented with social security disability insurance (SSDI) monies.

Before I quit my last job this year, I lost nearly half of my projected yearly income. I got about $8000/year from SSDI. That is approximate because it fluctuates every year. The Social Security Administration (SSA) proclaimed that I am no longer disabled. Hooray, I am miraculously healed, or society has just become accessible. Just kidding. I lost my SSDI because the SSA is an inequitable government entity. During my appeals, which I am still going through (thank you Equality Ohio for representing traumatized queers!), I was still collecting. Now I must pay back my $6000 because my first re-determination of disability I lost.

Thankfully, I have the privilege of knowing how to advocate for myself and hunt for resources. I am on the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program. The Reeb Avenue Center (through MOFC) provides free and delicious weekday meals and has a few employees who have become cheerleaders for me. I find community here too even though I make my visits short. I have a sister who has helped me build my credit score as soon as I turned 18. My credit score is 800. I have a mother who pays for my phone bill. I have connections in school like a great mentor and a great work supervisor. I have supportive friends who give emotional, informational, esteem, and tangible supports. They even helped me buy a dryer so I wouldn’t have to use my energy going to a laundromat. I have friends who had a roommate opening for $293.33 a month, and utilities can be split by us three. I have also been able to stay on Medicaid which means I get my meds, doctor visits, and cognitive behavioral therapy paid for. I also get about $200 worth of SNAP (food stamps) for groceries. I am highly capable and adaptable too. I wouldn’t be here without others. Life is not bad. I have been very unsettled in the past year and a half due to uncertainty, but I have hit rock bottom before and won’t ever go back. Being a suicide survivor, for those who learn to reframe and open perspectives, can be a huge life motivator. I also got a promotion working as a federal work study student this year. I became an actual employee at CSCC, and my wage got a bump to $17.52 an hour. I quit my previous job so I could join this fellowship. Almost $16 an hour. I have been told that fellows are highly valued assets in organizations.

As a “disabled” worker (I’m just differently abled like everyone else), when you’re on SSDI, monthly income isn’t supposed to go over $1310. That’s the legal income limit if you want to keep your SSDI. Your benefit check is a strange formulation that factors in previous job earnings. Even if you never surpass the limit, which I never did, it’s the SSA – they don’t care about how your disability affects your life. In fact, living your life is evidence used against you. Pro tip for anyone struggling with SSDI. Do not frame anything as positive in your life and keep all details minimal as possible. They need to see you worthless. My Medicare has been taken as well. The system is antiquated and underfunded. It is too difficult to take risks when you have a disability and need the welfare. I have had to quit jobs because they were inaccessible and inequitable. Some jobs I wouldn’t even consider because I would lose my benefits and ultimately bring in less income.

This year, my income will increase further, and I get to dance with the almighty benefits cliff again. I will lose my Medicaid and SNAP benefits. One of the ways I cope with all of my stress is my new daily meditation practice. I am in a mindfulness based cognitive therapy group and we meet for two hours every Tuesday. As part of the therapy, we have multiple mindfulness practices that we try to do every day and we report what we notice during our sessions. I would not be able to attend this therapy or my cognitive-behavioral therapy if I wasn’t enrolled in Medicaid. I couldn’t afford it. I typically make around $12,000-$14,000 from wages. I am thankful for any Pell Grant money I get from attending CSCC. Going to school isn’t something the SSA supports either. It’s another strike. Disabled people are not supposed to learn. My recent increase in wages and my grant money is great, but it is not enough to pay for proper healthcare coverage. Medicaid? Annual salary must be $18,075 and below.  I will lose my SNAP benefits as well. SNAP pays for my food. To be eligible for SNAP benefits, a yearly gross salary must stay under $17,667. I am worried but I know my future is bright. I have amazing connections and even more privileges like being tall and white. My chances of getting hired are increased for these reasons. What’s more, I easily pass as cisgender and heteronormative when I wear masculine clothing and my bisexuality can’t always be seen. I know all about the food pantries to save money. CSCC has programs that help me when I’m not on break. But I’m still struggling, and I know there are others in similar positions. People go through seemingly far worse. I hope sharing about my difficulties in the fellowship can help make it more accessible. I also know that sharing my story can help others understand that people are not out here abusing the welfare systems. First, we pay to use them, and secondly, they do not currently exist to lift us out of poverty but to keep us in poverty. The non-profit world can sometimes fill in the gaps, but I wish to see them push for new systems instead of supporting the ones in place. I hope the fellowship recruits more people like me and others with different barriers and pushes their fellows more to challenge the Foundation and non-profit world.

Thanks for reading.

This week, I heavily focused on ETSS’s two annual events: Youth Summit and Evening of Promise. Youth Summit is right around the corner, taking place on Thursday, August 9^th, which means this week and next are focused in on the details. I recently started working directly with the youth department, and this was my first full week of meetings with them. I met the team, learned where we are in the process of getting ready for Youth Summit, and what all still needs to be done. We are still trying to confirm busing, which is quite stressful given the short time period before Youth Summit. We are also trying to get donations of school supplies so that we can give out a backpack full of necessary back-to-school items for each student attending Youth Summit. I am editing some visuals to post on our social media platforms as well as set up throughout Ohio Dominican University’s campus on the day of our Youth Summit. Much coordination and confirmation need to take place in the next following weeks, but I am so excited to see everything come together! I am most excited to see all of our summer camp kids all on one place, learning, celebrating, and playing together.

For Evening of Promise, I am still reaching out and requesting donations for our auction, specifically focusing now on restaurants in the Short North. This week has also brought about many donation pickups, which is nice to see the tangible items we have thus far.

Next week, we have our second happy hour fundraiser of our Summer Special Series! On Wednesday, July 27 from 4-8PM, ETSS will be at North High Brewing. $1 will be donated to ETSS for every beer purchased. All are welcome to come and enjoy the space with us!  

The week began with three back-to-back events dubbed Pique Week, led by Nakai, Career & Workforce Readiness Director. The three events were part of our CareerLaunch program. CareerLaunch prepares our teens to assess their skills and interests, make sound educational decisions, and join our nation’s workforce. The events included a resume workshop, dress 2 impress show, and mock interviews. I assisted each program with operation and content collection.

On Tuesday, we had our 2022 Back to School Volunteer Event. Over 300 backpacks were stuffed for our Club members! Earlier in the summer, we budgeted funding for professional photography. We proceeded to have photo shoots and content collections at the Louella Hodges Reese (Newark) and Oak Street (Marion) Clubhouses. Later Wednesday, I visited our South Side Club. That was the last site visit on my list!

I spent Thursday at the Columbus Zoo with our Club Members. While at the Zoo, they learned about job opportunities such as Sales & Retail, Guest Relations, Food & Beverages, and Audio & Visual (AV). They heard from the directors of each respective area. Afterward, I spent the rest of the day collecting content. Later that same day, an additional 300 backpacks were stuffed. We are thankful to have devoted board members, staff, and volunteers.

By the end of the week, I have reached a milestone. For the first time during my fellowship, I have made a social media post every day, with all our four platforms receiving content. I feel like a well-oiled machine!

It’s been a very exciting week here at the Siemer institute. We have a new employee! Her role is the Director of Impact & Partnerships. It’s nice to hear a different voice during meetings and have a new perspective at the table. Although I will only be working with her for a short time, I’m looking forward to all of the insights she has to offer.

Looking back at the goals my supervisor and I set for my time here, I finally feel as if I am on track to complete them all. One of my goals is to create a database of Siemer Institute partners. This is so partners can find and contact each other and build more of a community. I thought this was an impossible task when it was first assigned, but after becoming comfortable with using Zoho, it did not take me long to create a program that did just this. Even my supervisor was impressed with how close I had come to her vision. 

As for my best practices report, I am nearly complete with my draft. We are approaching our last few interviews and I want to start working on creating infographics based on what we’ve learned. A theme I have found from my interviews with Siemer Institute partners is the idea of meeting families where they are. Our partners believe that the families they serve are extremely resilient and resourceful. Many of these families have the motivation and desire to be in a better place in life but do not know how to get there. Our partners see their role as guiding the families towards success. Because of this, we see programs that offer childcare and scholarships for parents who want to go back to school, we see programs offering financial literacy classes at 11:00 p.m. so that night shift service workers can attend during their lunch breaks, and programs that were having trouble locating mental health services creating their own.  It is very inspiring to see the excitement our partners have over their work and the innovation they show when faced with challenges.

This week I have been working on ongoing projects. With people out at our national conference this week I have been wrapping up some projects. The main one that I have been working on this week has been distributing pamphlets for our LGBTQ legal clinic. This has taken me all over Columbus which has been a lot of fun.

              As a non-Columbus native, it was nice to get my own personal walking tour of the city. This has let me scout out restaurants I want to go to, places I want to shop at and areas I want to spend more time in exploring. This has been nice as during the school year I tend to just be in the Ohio State bubble. Getting to explore the Old North, downtown, Short North, Arena District, the German village and so on has allowed me to talk to a lot of people and see a lot of things I probably would have not seen otherwise.

              This task was also a great opportunity to work on my social anxiety. This task has forced me out of my comfort zone and in effect kind of cold calling people but in person. While at prides I had no issue with talking to people as it was an incredibly friendly crowd, however out and about it was a bit more intimidating. As I did it more and more, I got more comfortable and so many people were incredibly friendly.

              I got all my steps in this week and learned a lot about how to best approach people at a workplace. This week I have also worked on ideas to get more people involved in the 2022 midterms, both in voting and volunteering. I hope to get turned out as it is determining a senator and the governor of Ohio while also deciding the make up of the Ohio Supreme Court. So, please go vote!