Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

And just like that ten weeks have flown by. My final week at Family Mentor Foundation was spent tying up loose ends, and submitting my deliverables. With working everyday, it is easy to forget how much you actually accomplished. In just ten short weeks, I helped run packing events, designed a ton of social media posts, and templates for our annual impact report. I also helped organize and clean up our donor information, and attended a lot of meetings. 

On Monday my entire day was spent in meetings, taking notes and absorbing new information and upcoming events. It is always exciting to hear non-staff members’ excitement over the work we’re doing. It is always mind blowing that Summer is ending, which has provided me with the task of creating Summer wrap up posts and totals. 

On Tuesday I wrapped on my Summer Fellowship presentation, and made a quick trip to Sam’s club for more office supplies. Tuesday was quiet, which I appreciated after three meetings on Monday. Along with finishing my presentation I perfected and organized my research for the program meeting on Wednesday. 

Wednesday and Thursday were a bit chaotic, with just two final office days to complete everything. Wednesday was spent learning more about a new app, Point, for nonprofits and troubleshooting. Later in the day we had our monthly program meeting, which consisted of presenting my research and discussing different methods of break feeding. Lastly on Friday I presented my work with the Family Mentor Foundation at our zoom meeting. I was proud to spread the word of the Family Mentor Foundation, and inform the Columbus Foundation of my time there.

Words can not describe how much I’ve learned from this fellowship. It was a truly eye opening experience, and I am so grateful for the opportunity. Nonprofit is not for the faint of heart, but I do know it is the right path for me after completing this fellowship.

I definitely forgot to post my update last week, so let us recap.

For starters we (as in the fellows) went to a Columbus Crew game together and it was so much fun! The other fellows are so genuine, and kind and I really appreciated getting to have that experience with them.

As we are literally days away from being done with this summer experience, I am filled with sadness and gratitude. This summer has been full of learning and cultivating relationships that I know will continue to impact me in my everyday life and my professional career.

I am so grateful to have worked under two bosses who lead with kindness, and who from the beginning believed in me and my abilities as an intern. Aminata and John are literally the coolest individuals I have had the pleasure to meet. Watching them handle situations and adapt while remaining kind and caring has taught me a great deal about leadership.

I am grateful to have worked for an organization that is working tirelessly to help individuals come back from the pandemic, build their businesses, and gain financial security. As well as one that is working to serve the neighborhood their organization rests in.

Gratitude aside for a second, last week involved saying goodbye to two employees of ECDI, Jesse and Edgar, which was very sad, but I am excited for them and their new opportunities! Last week was also full of housekeeping things, like talking to IT and making word docs with important links. Additionally, we had a Farm Stand on Friday. We had more ECDI volunteers than before, but we didn’t get as many community members stopping by as the last time. We changed the times we were out there this time around to an earlier time and I think that might have been a factor.

This week I have more wrapping up projects planned, as well as many workshops I plan to attend, and some closing meetings.

I am preparing to be sad on Friday, to finish out my time with ECDI wishing I had more opportunities to work with all of the wonderful people here. But after our goodbyes I expect to be filled with joy and pride, joy because I learned and proud because I made it through and gave it my all.

While this is the ninth week of the Fellowship for me, this is the 8th and final week of camp for the Martin de Porres Center! While the camp has been exhausting and to some degree, I am happy for it to be over, I enjoyed this part of my summer. I got to interact with so many different people, especially those outside of the community I grew up in. I learned so much a lot about running a summer camp, youth development/ programming, and ways that just having a space for people reduce violence.

For the final week, we got to go biking/kayaking, to the zoo and Ninja Citi. This week the Fellows got to see each other at a Crew Game in their new stadium. I can agree it was an upgraded experience compared to their historical stadium.

Outside of the stipend, through the Center, I was compensated with several gift cards, ice cream, free lunch, and travel around Columbus. One of the highlights was the weekly finance sessions/workshops. We learned about stocks and participated in a stock simulator. At the end of two weeks, the two highest “investors” would win a cash price. I happened to be one of those people! As camp wrapped up some of the other camp leads and I got to decorate the Center for the closing ceremony. It was fun hanging out with the campers and decorating a room we saw daily.

     Week 9 was was spent mostly working on our annual impact report. I love this project, because it’s all about organization and creativity. On Tuesday I then go to accompany our program coordinator to a meeting with other Columbus nonprofits. This meeting was so interesting because I had the opportunity to learn more about the work of other nonprofits. They were all really  inspiring and passionate about the community. 

    On Wednesday I was finalizing a lot of projects, and gearing up for upcoming meetings next week. The research I’ve been compiling has been a lot of random notes , so it’s refreshing to see it all come together. Later in the afternoon worked on improving our social media platforms and calendar. 

      Thursday was spent organizing our warehouse. We got a shipment in of new food, and I got to learn how to operate a Pallet Jack; Definitely a random life skill.

When Friday rolled around I was given the task to create individual impact reports for our corporate sponsors. This seemed simple, but then I soon realized how much google documents and I despise each other. Very glad I completed the project before the weekend. I also handled deliveries, and updated  our upcoming calendar for the next two weeks. Like every week, week nine flew by. It’s crazy that just nine weeks ago Family Mentor Foundation was completely foreign to me. Now I feel as though it’s mission and staff are such a huge part of my life. I’m looking forward to continuing working with them after the fellowship period, and continuing to help feed kids! 

ONE MORE WEEK!? What? How? 

It is crazy to think how quickly this summer is gone. It makes me sad to leave, but it is exciting to see all the great things my team and I have accomplished over these ten weeks. My supervisor at Netcare went through a checklist of all the tasks she hoped I could complete. She mentioned that the list was somewhat ambitious, butI have completed or nearly completed everyone on the list. I am happy to see that I was able to help, even if my part was small, make progress for this great place during my fellowship. 

My week was busy, and I enjoyed every moment of it. The beginning of the week consisted of pretty similar work to the weeks previous: more grant research, social media designing, and updating the donor database. The end of the week threw some new events and activities into the mix. Firstly, this week, Netcare had to be evaluated by the Commission of Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) to continue to be a CARF accredited facility – an essentially necessary accretiation to continue work in the human service field like Netcare does. Of the almost 2,000 points for which CARF reviewed, there were only 10 which they recommended that Netcare work to improve, all of which were very minor. This is an impressive feat! Furthermore, the review board is encouraged to give personal feedback, both positive and negative, on the company which they address. However, the committee was awestruck by how thorough of a job Netcare does to give its clients the best care. In these moments listening to the CARF committee’s review sessions, I myself felt stress and prayed that the review would go as smoothly as it did. The pit in my stomach, though uncomfortable, reminded me how personally invested I now am in the success of this organization. Though my summer is coming to a close, I hope to stay connected in some way to this organization and desire to hopefully return to volunteer with my supervisor when I have time over breaks in my academic schedule. 

Netcare’s senior staff hosted three “Townhalls” this week to address any and all uncertainty and concerns that the staff was having. This was especially important since the staff has recently the news that ADAMH did not choose Netcare to staff the new Franklin County Mental Health Crisis Center that is set to open in 2024. Much of the staff, especially that in the Crisis Center, was uncertain of the future of Netcare and thus the future of their position. However, I was in awe at how effectively and transparently the CEO communicated with the staff to address the issues at hand. He truly is an exceptional and dedicated leader. In these meetings, staff was notified that most workers at Netcare will see raises in the coming months. This comes as a result of the fact that Netcare wants to invest in its workers the way they invest in them. The CEO has a thought that the more the staff can invest in Netcare, the more Netcare can invest in them. This raise comes as evidence of this ideology. Of the about 250 members of the staff, only 5 members did not get raises, the CEO included. I think this speaks volumes about the type of leader that the CEO is. 

Of all the moments this week, my favorite part, however, was the conversations I had with my supervisor. It felt like every day this week I learned an important life lesson from her just through our daily conversations. I feel lucky to have had such a great supervisor this summer and developed such a great relationship with her. I compare my first week to now and see how much I have gotten to learn about her family, her career path, and her overall outlook on life. I will miss listening to her hilarious stories about her goofy children, her adorable puppy, and bad-at-cooking husband. 

One more week… It is sad, exciting, emotional, overwhelming, fulfilling, and unreal all in one. I remember my shaky hand clicking the submit button for my fellowship application this past December. I would have never imagined that I would be lucky enough to get this position, let alone learn and accomplish so much in this short amount of time. So, thank you Dr. Lomax, Ms. Lilly, the Columbus Foundation, Netcare, and most importantly this great city for all that this summer has been. 

One of my favorite parts of working with FLOW has been the weekend events! This may sound surprising since work on Saturday and Sunday isn’t always appealing, but the volunteer events are a blast every time. This past weekend, we had two great events at Highbanks Metro Park. The first event was MacroFest where dozens of families walked down to the river to see what macro-invertebrates we could pull from the water. Stream quality monitoring experts used nets, ice trays, petri dishes, and other equipment to pull bugs and some crayfish from the river. This was such a fun way to educate locals about the status of our rivers and how to tell if the habitat is healthy. Later, we walked a trail to clean-up litter, but we ended up getting more of an adventure than we planned for! We trudged through thick brush to get down to a creek littered with plastics, and we were surprised by a few snakes! One even coiled around a plastic water bottle. While the volunteers could have been upset that we went a bit off the trail, they were excited and good-sports all the way through. I have no doubt that attending these events will be a regular activity for me even after our fellowship is complete!

I had the opportunity to attend another Science Committee meeting this week. We finally have the details of FLOW’s first ever Milkweed Mania fundraiser planned out. I’m hoping to launch the details on Monday, so follow FLOW on Facebook or Instagram if you want to purchase some milkweed plants to help the butterflies! In addition to talking about the milkweed fundraiser, I was able to present some of the findings from a survey I conducted earlier in the summer. It felt good to be able to contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way, when just a couple months ago it was all brand new to me. Based on my findings, FLOW will be able to adapt and make future tree giveaways more accessible and successful. One thing that really gets people excited about FLOW’s mission is trees, so to hear feedback that trees survived after being planted in yard around the watershsed is super encouraging!

This weekend, I will be attending an invasive species removal at Hudson Prairie. We will be removing Canadian Thistle and Purple Crownvetch to make sure the native species have the space and nutrients they need to thrive. Wish me luck in our last week! -Shelly

It is hard to believe there is only one week left of work as a Summer Fellow! The past couple of days I have been working on finishing up some of my major projects for the library. I put the finishing touches on the donor journey stewardship plan that has been one of my main efforts. The rest of the team will take it from here as they move forward in implementing stewardship and cultivation actions to engage donors. I’ve also almost completed all of my interviews with library staff to gather information for an impact report I am preparing. These interviews have given me so many insights into the library’s services. I will spend most of next week making sure that the true impact of these services is reflected in my written storytelling.

The other highlight of this week was on Wednesday, when the Fellows were able to gather outside of work at the Columbus Crew soccer game against D.C. United. It was the first time we were able to get together in-person, and for most of us it was our first time attending a Crew game. We had a beautiful evening to enjoy the new stadium and each other’s company. And, despite the Crew’s loss, we all appreciated the chance to experience another great thing our Columbus community has to offer.

We all are preparing for our next steps now. For some of this means a return to school, but several others will be moving on to jobs. Some will even remain with the host organizations they’ve been working at this summer. Personally, I will be back at Ohio State in just two weeks for my final year of graduate school. But I am so grateful for this summer and the people in Columbus I have connected with through this Fellowship. We all share a passion for “social profit” (as termed by Elizabeth Martinez, President & CEO of Big Brother Big Sisters of Central Ohio) work, and I look forward to seeing where everyone makes an impact in the future.

Amy

With one week to go, the work that originally seemed far away is slowly wrapping up. Last week, I reflected on some of the professional lessons that I have learned throughout my time with Hope Hollow. This week, I want to focus on how my time with Hope Hollow has altered my personal life and approach to life. 

#1 – Value the seemingly routine moments. Recently, Hope Hollow’s co-founder, Jane, told me a story that illustrates this idea. The story surrounds a cancer patient/Hope Hollow recipient who was struggling to eat following her cancer treatment. She had requested a bowl of her mother’s potato soup, but her mother did not have access to a kitchen as they were staying in a hotel during the patient’s cancer treatment. Upon hearing this, Hope Hollow’s co-founder, Jane, immediately went to the grocery store, with the mother’s potato soup recipe in hand, and purchased the necessary ingredients. At that moment, it appeared that a bowl of potato soup was only meaningful because the cancer patient had a meal that she was willing to eat. But, years later, that bowl of potato soup is held dear by the cancer patient, her mother, Jane, and others who have heard the story. Jane’s generosity, towards an individual she had never met, provided comfort for an individual who was going through the toughest battle of her life. 

While this particular story is remarkable, it is customary for Hope Hollow. On a daily basis, Hope Hollow finds a way to provide the requested support for its patients. The lodging, meals, transportation assistance, and emotional support provided by Hope Hollow are really avenues for Hope Hollow to provide meaningful, personal support for cancer patients throughout their journey. Hope Hollow really grows to know the people that they are supporting, which makes it easy to form lasting friendships and impressions.

I have learned so much at Central over the past 9 weeks, and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I am happy to announce that after the conclusion of my fellowship, I will not be leaving, but staying on part-time as a Development Associate as I move into my second year of Grad School! I can’t wait to continue learning and growing in this new role, and I am so thankful to the Columbus Foundation for linking me to Central Community House, and to my supervisor Alex, for giving me this opportunity.  

This week I worked on a couple more small grants, but the craziness of grant writing seems to have slowed down for now. At least, I am told, until September. One project that I am having a lot of fun working on this week is compiling a history of Central Community House for the upcoming Village Maker Festival, which will celebrate 85 years of service to the community! I was given a box of extremely old documents and pictures to sift through, and I am slowly writing down important tidbits of information to create a timeline of events for the organization. I am turning through pages of annual reports and profit & loss statements like they are the pages of a best-selling novel, confirming that I am, indeed, a giant dork. 

Below are a few pictures of people at Central throughout the years! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do! (It’s the fashion for me!)

This week I mostly focused on the operations manual for Zora’s House. The operations manual is a guide for Zora’s House volunteers on what their work entails in the space and with the people who use it. This document is more dated compared to the employee handbook, but the revision process is going a lot easier compared to the employee handbook, since the revision process for the handbook brought out a lot of things that I could apply towards revising the operations manual. 

For the past few weeks, my supervisor and I were also collecting frequently asked questions from the volunteers to incorporate into the manual so that the document would be as useful as possible for its intended audience. The questions that stood out to me the most were about whether non-women of color are allowed in the space. When I first saw these questions, I thought that since Zora’s House is a space specifically for women of color, why would non-women of color be allowed to be a part of it, or would even want to be in the space? During my time in Zora’s House and in college when I was running a group for women of color, I have seen how important these types of spaces are for the communities they are serving, and how good it feels for people to have a space to call their own. 

However, Zora’s House’s policy on non-women of color accessing the space is the following: 

“Non-women of color are allowed to be in Zora’s House. However, as an organization that centers women of color, all those who do not identify should be aware and comfortable operating as guests within a space that centers women of color” (Zora’s House Operations Manual FAQs). 

I thought this statement was interesting, because it embodies the mission and values of the organization very well. Zora’s House is not interested in “excluding” people from their space, but rather their work is focused on helping women of color thrive and create spaces where their needs are validated and their work is celebrated; focusing on who’s “out” doesn’t really help much in advancing the goals of the organization. This reminds me of our discussions throughout our learning sessions about a “deficit mindset” and how we need to move past that way of thinking. Here, Zora’s House is pushing against that by showing that you can center a group’s needs and create an overall positive environment for everyone. This is just one instance (out of many) of how I’ve seen Zora’s House put into practice what we’ve discussed in our learning sessions about changing our way of thinking around helping others and being servants to our communities. I am grateful for having the chance to be a part of this organization for the summer, and to help them during this exciting period of growth and transition for them.