Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

This week, I was launched into work at ARC. ARC has five different locations around Columbus that all provide a variety of services to people with disabilities. Last week, I spent the majority of my time at the main campus for training and introductions. However, this week, I was sent out to their East location, where I was able to spend time with different people and immerse myself into the community. On Tuesday, I shadowed the ASPIRE program, which is a program where one staff member and a group of four participants go out into the community all day.

This week, the participants wanted to go shopping at Walmart and visit the library. We started the day going into Walmart to pick up some Lipton Peach Tea for one of the participants. He was extremely excited for this particular tea, so much so that he actually convinced me to buy some myself to try (10/10 would recommend, very refreshing summer beverage). While checking out, the staff member I was shadowing encouraged him to run the self checkout by himself– from scanning to counting the coins and inserting them at the time of payment. The staff member later explained to me that often people with disabilities are not given the opportunity to complete tasks like that on their own. Many people simply assume they aren’t capable and they don’t practice enough patience to let them try.

Next, we went to the library, where we helped a participant get her first ever library card! First of all, I would like to recommend the library as a fun new summer hangout spot. I forgot how cool libraries are, I mean, you literally can take books… for free! Anyway, after we got her signed up for her library card, she browsed the CD and DVD section, where she picked out a Pink Floyd CD and a Barbie movie as her first rentals. When we walked out of the library, she asked us to play the CD in the van so she could share the listening experience with us and her friends.

I know these trips don’t seem like the most exciting things ever, but it was one of the most rewarding days I have had in a long time. I felt like I was doing something that mattered. Though they were small tasks, I saw how independent and capable they felt after completing them.

The rest of the week, I was in leadership development meetings and even got the opportunity to sit in on some meetings with the CEO of ARC. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to see first hand how the business side of things worked, as well as actually getting out into the field to see the every day activity as well.

My name is Jenna Hays, and I am entering my senior year at Ohio State. I am a medical anthropology major, meaning I study how different aspects of people’s lives– childhood experiences, socioeconomic status, race, etc.– can all impact their health status. This summer, I am working with Arc Industries. This nonprofit works with people with disabilities, mainly adults, and provides services from as job training to all day care. Over the course of the next ten weeks, I will be working with their ASPIRE program and relaunching a blog called Through Our Lens.

The ASPIRE program is a new program where the company leads excursions throughout the city of Columbus. One person from ARC will lead a group of four people to an excursion at places such as the zoo. This program is fairly new, and has received a lot of interest from the people we work with, as there is currently a waiting list. Moreover, I am extremely excited to relaunch their blog. Through Our Lens is a collective of pictures and short stories that shows people what we do every day. It can be empowering and validating for people with disabilities, and their families, to see themselves participating in activities that they may have been told would never be possible for them. I run all of the social media for my other part time job, so this is right up my alley. I shared some ideas with my bosses and they seemed excited for a fresh pair of eyes to take over.

This week was filled with lots of training and lots of trying to remember everyone’s name at the company. The first few days were filled with many meetings where I got a better understanding of what I would be doing for the rest of the summer. Throughout this week, I was met with welcoming words, which was comforting to me. This is my first internship, so I was pretty nervous walking in on the first day. However, by the time I left, I felt like I was now a part of a little family who wanted to see me succeed. They even gave me my own cubicle, which I was extremely excited about, and my bosses wrote welcome notes for me!

Overall, I am thrilled to be working with ARC. The people are incredible and the work is exciting. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the summer brings!

My name is Gavin Enseleit, I am a junior at Ohio State, majoring in Nonprofit Management and Political Science. This summer I am working with Equality Ohio, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. This first week has been great. While I have nonprofit experience, I have almost none with advocacy work, a thing I am excited to change this summer. I began my week getting to know the team. It is an incredibly busy time between all the different house bills being passed and pride, we are super busy trying to attend almost all the prides in Ohio. Getting to know my coworkers has been great they are all super motivated and driven.

I was given my first chance to write written testimony on a house bill of my choice. It was a great intro to advocacy work. I’m working along side a fellow from the Cleveland Foundation as well, it is nice to have someone to experience all these new experiences with.

 The structure of the week at Equality Ohio is something I am a huge fan of. They advocate for your personal wellbeing and to take time if you feel burnt out. In addition, there are a lot of different events to work at and go to, such as pride parades, city of Columbus events, and that of other nonprofits that share similar values to Equality Ohio.

 I feel as though this structure will allow me to reach my fullest potential as it is pulling me in all the right directions. Promoting personal accountability, finding what you love, and meeting lots of new people. Talking with my supervisor, who is great, this work will allow me to find what I really enjoy about it and do that, not be stuck doing menial tasks I don’t enjoy. A concern I had coming into this experience, simply just due to the nature of a lot of internships. I am happy to say that after the first week that worry is dispelled. I am so excited to spend my summer working with Equality and putting up the good fight.

Greetings to everyone visiting and reading the Summer Fellows blog. My name is

Aaron Saunders and I am currently placed at the non-profit, Cultivate CDC.

Community Development Corporations may have a sordid reputation, but my time

spent here this week, learning about Cultivate and Milo-Grogan, I am mostly

convinced (I am a cynical skeptic, forgive me) that Cultivate truly cares about

strengthening the current residents of the Milo-Grogan community. Non-profits in

general often perpetuate the unbalanced power dynamics and exploitation needed

to keep the myth of the American Dream alive and CDCs are just one type that

exist.

From my perspective, Milo-Grogan is like many predominantly black

neighborhoods in the USA – segregated and strategically developed to keep black

people in poverty. During my time here I will try to keep my savior complex in

check and my ears and mind open to learn about the needs of the people here and

how I can contribute and reciprocate care and love for this community and the

Columbus community at-large.

I am the first community college student here in the fellowship and hopefully not

the last. I don’t think I even fit the eligibility criteria of the fellowship but I’m still

going to represent. I know my capabilities and I’m here to challenge and be

challenged. This is my second attempt at college – the first was a failure due

to disability. I have multiple diagnoses, such as failed back syndrome and mental health issues, but what is most important when it comes to

learning about my disability is that it’s complex and you need to check

your assumptions. I have chronic pain and this pain is debilitating and most people

that see me without knowing me, don’t understand this. It is a constant struggle

with self-esteem, imposter syndrome, perpetual rage at my body’s limitations

(including my brain) and at the society it is in. I will use this fellowship not only to

learn about non-profits and further develop my career, but to share about my

disability and advocate for changes that make the program more accessible for

myself and others. I want people to open their minds when it comes to who they

think has a disability and what disability is and looks like. People with disabilities

are an asset. I want others to join with me in learning how to build a more

accessible workplace, community, and world for everyone.

Lastly, I will share that one of my career goals is to open a community gaming café

and art space. Think PC gaming stations, esports tournaments, Dungeons and

Dragons Campaigns, live Twitch streams, virtual reality, and social games that

makes us uncomfortable and promote learning about different perspectives!

This center will have a business/economic model that

redistributes wealth back into the community it is in. We will be neighbors helping

neighbors. Authentic connections. I want a membership structure that is lateral or

constantly changing hierarchies rather than the status quo so many orgs have.

Anarchy is creative and exciting and allows for power to be

shared. I am hopeful that this fellowship gets me at least…6 leaps forward (screw

steps) to meeting this goal.

Thank you to everyone for reading and for sharing yourselves with me as well.

This has been a very amazing week with my host site. I was able to be immersed into the programs available to the community. The first day allowed me to see different components of My Project USA. I saw the teamwork, drive, and vision of each person. I was very excited to be exposed to a different community. I was born in raised in the Linden area and although we live on different sides of town, I was able to relate to some of the disparities that the members of the community go through. 

There are several different programs that are active and being created through My Project USA. They have a community garden that has fresh produce, a market that provides food assistance, and a summer program that started this week. I believe this organization is doing phenomenal things for the community. I am excited to be a part of this organization and see how it grows. Each person is valued and brings a unique perspective to the organization. This is a hands-on organization that will help me network across Columbus, Ohio. 

My first week taught me a few things about working in a nonprofit. I learned that I have to be flexible at all times. There will be moments that you will have many roles. I had to make sure I could execute these roles well and delegate responsibilities to others when needed. I also had to learn how to be creative when we had barriers. We as a team had several moments where we had to collaborate to make the system work.  Overall, this week has helped me understand various roles under a nonprofit. I enjoy working with the team and the students. I am also excited to assist in creating a new program. This will be a great summer filled with excitement and adventures. 

Hello! My name is Grace Blanchong and I am a third year at Ohio State University studying psychology with minors in non-profit management and business. I’m so excited for all this summer has to offer, and I am honored to have been given the opportunity to work with Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services as a Columbus Foundation Summer Fellow!

ETSS is a non-profit organization aimed at helping new Americans from all countries, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Nepal, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Bhutan, establish roots and gain self-sufficiency here in Central Ohio. ETSS has been serving the immigrant and refugee populations for almost two decades, helping facilitate both youth and adult integration through education, job training, supportive services, and self-development opportunities, while also increasing awareness of their culture and heritage. ETSS works in the spirit of Tewahedo or coming together as one to meet the needs of many.

I am part of the Advancement team at ETSS, which comes with many responsibilities. During my first week, I was fully immersed into the work my team was doing. Focusing on fundraising, correspondence, social media, and marketing, I learned about our two main events of the year: Youth Summit and Evening of Promise. The Annual Youth Summit (YS) is a culmination of the ETSS Youth Summer Enrichment Camps. In August, on the last Friday of camp, students come together for a fun day of multicultural understanding, skill building, workshops, activities, cultural performances, and a soccer tournament. The Evening of Promise (EOP), which will take place on October 20^th, is our annual fundraiser that celebrates the openness and generosity of our community while also raising the necessary funds to support our programs and services for new Americans.

As of now, I’ve been focusing primarily on fundraising for EOP. In order to have the necessary funds to create this spectacular night, ETSS collaborates with our community on local fundraisers. I’ve been given the task of reaching out to various breweries to set up a happy hour benefitting ETSS. It’s been so rewarding to work with these companies, and I can’t wait until we set dates and spread the news!

To fundraise during the annual celebration, ETSS holds an auction, with bids starting two days before Evening of Promise and drawing to a close following the gala. Everything featured at this auction is donated by individuals and business wanting to support our cause. I’ve been given the task of applying for charitable donations through various sites, including airlines, chain stores, and local business. While I’m still awaiting many responses, I’m excited to see all those who want to donate and support!

It’s been a great first week at Ethiopian Tewahedo Social Services, and I’m so excited for all that I have yet to learn and experience with these amazing people!

Hello everyone! My name is Max Thesing and I am a rising senior at Kenyon College majoring in Economics. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer with both Simply Living and the Columbus Foundation. For the next 10 weeks, I will be working with local non-profit, Simply Living. The mission of Simply Living is simple yet effective: to connect people with learning opportunities that promote sustainability, environmental justice, and local economy.  As an economics major, I am incredibly interested in learning more about how our local economy coincides with sustainable living. I am a firm believer that the way in which our current economy is structured is no longer sustainable.  

During the height of COVID, it became prevalent that our local businesses would suffer while massive corporations, such as Amazon, would thrive.  Although our global economy survived, our local economies incurred heavy losses. The project I have been assigned to at Simply Living is an effort to support our local economy by shedding light on small businesses in the area. The project is to create a Sustainable Business Directory which will be a website that will act as a guide for people to find small businesses in the area that provide the goods or service they desire. Thanks to the employees of Simply Living, the website is well on its way with about 150 small businesses in the database already. 

Besides the Sustainable Business Directory, I attended a meeting with Simply Living founder, Chuck Lynd, about their annual garden tour, which is an in-depth look at various community gardens in Columbus. This annual event circles back to the mission of Simply Living: to connect people with learning opportunities. I also had the pleasure of learning from Chuck Lynd regarding the role our local economy plays in preserving the environment.   

In conclusion, there is a lot to be done in terms of sustainability in business. However, Simply Living understands that it is difficult to tackle such a task all at once. The approach should be learning one step at a time to ultimately provoke constructive change.

Hello! My name is Gabriel Jackson, and I recently finished my first year of the MPA DC program at The Ohio State University. I began my 10-week fellowship placement at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio (BGCCO). The organization gives young people the support, guidance, tools, and skills to succeed in life. They provide comprehensive, affordable after-school and summer programming for youth ages 6 through 18. The organization has seven locations with five in Columbus, one in Marion, and one in Newark. This summer, I will be assisting the advancement team in developing a social media plan while revitalizing their social media presence with a digital campaign. Other responsibilities include assisting the organization with day-to-day matters. I hope to use my experience with social media management, nonprofit organization, and love for children to best serve the organization.

My first week can be summed up as orientations, introductions, and celebrations. In terms of orientation, I met my fellow Columbus Foundation fellows while learning structure of the fellowship from Dr.Lomax. Our cohort is an impressive group of future nonprofit leaders and I look forward to collaborating with them in the future. I also met the advancement team, and they explained my role and responsibilities with a vast amount of supporting documents to read.

In terms of introduction, I met with the BGCCO staff and affiliates of the parent organization Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). The staff has all been kind, welcoming, and passionate about their work at BGCCO. I was able to visit and meet staff members at the J.Ashburn Jr. Clubhouse with our Philanthropy Coordinator Ellen. The site is rich with west side history. I was introduced to a representative from Rogue Fitness with our Corporate and Foundations Relations Manager, Addie. It was insightful to see donor cultivation in person. I also enjoyed talking with BGCCO CEO Doug, Philanthropy Manager Julie, COO Mr.Mack, Sponsored Programs Officer Mallory, BGCA Senior Consultant Christine, Maggie of Marion, and many more.

In terms of celebrations, I happen to start work during the grand opening of the renovated “The Champion Companies Milo Grogan Clubhouse.” The renovation was the result of a 13.5 million campaign supported by local businesses and community partners. The gracious donors and advocates for the site visited for the signage unveiling of the renovated site. I had the pleasure of meeting Mayor Ginter, BGCA President and CEO Jim Clark, and Dan Sharpe of the Columbus Foundation. Today is our Community Celebration from 4-7 pm at the Milo Clubhouse, and the event is open to everyone!

My fellowship position began two weeks early due to a scheduling conflict and my first week at the McConnell Arts Center involved a short orientation, then jumping right to work. The first day began with a building tour directed by the MAC’s Programming Director, Michelle. I got set up with my laptop and made sure I was able to log into the MAC network and all the programs that I will need. I met the rest of the full-time staff then Michelle and our Development Director, Kim, took me out to lunch! When we got back from lunch, I went through the calendar to schedule my hours for the summer around the various programs and events, dependent upon where I was needed. Scheduling flexibility is important at the MAC, as there are only six full-time staff members who put on festivals, organize summer camps, host art classes, and maintain a gallery.

The role I take on at the MAC involves assisting the staff in a variety of ways, primarily focusing on programming events such as our Summer Outdoor Series, Worthington Arts Festival, and Camp Creativity – our summer camp. The rest of the week I learned the various programs that the staff uses and began to create social media posts which promote the MAC. I also started the preparation for Camp Creativity by curating an instructor supply list and updating counselor contracts. Toward the end of the week, we sat down for a staff meeting with the Director of Operations, who recently left his position at the MAC, to ask any questions regarding previous events and information we may need in his absence. Additionally, he ran us through previous procedure and details of the upcoming Worthington Arts Festival, hosted by the MAC. This meeting gave me a first glimpse at all the intricate planning involved in hosting large events, most of which I previously would not have thought of.

Despite being stretched thin, everyone at the MAC made sure to express their desire to prioritize my takeaway from this fellowship, rather than putting me to work doing undesirable or menial tasks. The staff’s thoughtful and welcoming instruction made for a great first week at the McConnell Arts Center!