Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs

I can’t believe I’ve only been working at the Worthington Resource Pantry for three weeks- it feels like I’ve been here for much longer! My coworkers and I have been moving full-force this past week, and I have enjoyed diving right into the non-profit world.

This week started off with another morning spent at CoHatch! I’ve mentioned CoHatch in previous posts, but it is an awesome creative space in downtown Worthington for business people in town to work and create in one place. Our executive director Jennifer, our development director Kelly, and I enjoyed a productive brainstorming session on Wednesday. We spent this time working on our future development plan and goals for this next year, focusing on the community and how to further interact with our sponsors, our neighbors, and our volunteers.

On Thursday morning we began our day with an office meeting over our morning coffee, which is my kind of meeting! The five of us, the five staff who work at the pantry together, got to sit down and reconnect with each other, and most importantly we were able to touch base with all of our different tasks, projects, and ideas! Working at a non-profit company is full of ongoing projects and it requires flexibility, creativity, and most importantly, a LOT of patience. I enjoyed listening to everyone’s ongoing projects, what they needed support with, and learning about how each part of the business is connected to every other part. It was a crazy but productive week and I can’t wait to start week #4 in the morning!

Oh, I almost forgot! We were given about 11,000 POUNDS of frozen broccoli this week!!! A truck full of broccoli stopped by with all of it after realizing the company it was headed for over-ordered! Thank goodness for friends and community who helped us out with distributing broccoli to people who need it! A special shout out to Sylvie, another fellow with Community Services, for picking some up! What a week!

This week I’d like to focus on one experience in particular. It was Tuesday and my supervisor realized she hadn’t given me the full tour of the Hoover Y grounds yet, so we set out on a walk together. There had been a huge rainstorm the night before, which made the late morning far more bearable than the previous week’s oppressive near 100 degree heat.

We walked through the open areas of the park and also explored a network of trails encompassing the grounds that I’d had no idea existed. Our conversation turned to some of the Hoover Y’s history and we discussed a visitor that we’d had the day before. An older gentleman, who was visiting Ohio from Florida, stopped by the park to see how it had changed since he worked here in the 50s and 60s. My supervisor told me that visits like that were quite common and that people involved with the YMCA of Central Ohio tend to have really deep connections to it. I had gotten a sense that the Y community was pretty tight knit when I met staff from other branches last week who had grown up going to YMCAs, which incited their passion to work there later in life. After our walk it felt very gratifying to know that I have a place in the Y community through this fellowship, which is a new experience for me because I didn’t grow up going to a local YMCA.

I’ve seen that sometimes in the nonprofit sector, because resources tend to be pretty limited, organizations and people can get competitive rather than collaborative. However, I’ve found that the Y is a really supportive and collaborative network, and I think that’s because there’s such a strong sense of community. I really appreciate how this creates such a positive work environment.

I learned a lot from a brainstorming session that I had with Lynne and Steph (from the Marketing and Communications team) about my general project idea this week. We talked about target audience, goals, and focus-and hearing them reflect on their own creative processes really opened my eyes to some “behind the scenes” aspects of communications that I had never considered before. Their questions caused me to think a lot more deeply about the campaign that I’m creating, why I’m creating it, and what I hope to accomplish with it. This re-focusing guided my work through the rest of the week and helped me to recognize the significance of each step. I created a poster board full of notes, sketches, and bullet points that lays out my ideas visually and also includes content about my overarching goals for the program. The board has already proven extremely helpful-both for myself and the times that I feel stuck in all the details, and for effectively explaining the campaign to others without forgetting to include important aspects.

This is only a tiny section of one of our storage rooms. So many supplies are needed to run this House! This particular section is full of toys that will be given to kids at Christmas time and other special events throughout the year.

I’ve also learned more about the magnitude of the House and all that it takes to run it this week. Multiple storage rooms are filled from end to end with supplies for the families and we still frequently run out of important items. (Side note: follow RMHC of Central Ohio on social media and check out our #WishListWednesday posts to see what kinds of donations are currently needed!) Yesterday, we had more than three times as many families who wanted a room as there were rooms available, and the house is frequently at maximum capacity (there are 137 rooms). There are so many ways that this organization is continuing to grow and expand, and these things are motivating to me because they demonstrate that growth and expansion is absolutely necessary, and that the House is truly making a difference in a massive number of families’ lives.

It was a beautiful night for a baseball game at Huntington Park!

Henry the therapy dog shows his excitement that it’s Friday!!

Finally, on Thursday night, I had the opportunity to go to my first Columbus Clippers game with other interns from the fellowship, and I had a blast! It was so fun to hang out and to get to know some of them on a more personal level, and I think that the passion and creativity that they all have for their projects and the organizations they are working for is so inspiring!

-Courtney Fulton

Hello again! This is my official second week as a summer Fellow and I am still loving every minute of it. Research is going well and we have received some great feedback!

This week I thought I would share why I wanted to work for Columbus Children’s Choir. Creative arts have been a huge part of my life since I was very little. I would say if it was not for the arts, I do not know how I would express myself. I did sports, science, girl scouts, etc but what always grabbed my attention and connected with me was music and art. When my parents and I found ways to be involved in music and art my life completely changed! That was constant from elementary to college. The choir was the catalyst; it provided a group where I could make friends, travel, and express myself. Choir also instilled a sense of long-term commitment for me. There are many benefits to joining a children’s choir such as learning other language forms like sign language and Latin, choral and classical music, and learning new instruments. Overall, choir provided an exquisite learning experience.

Fast forward to Columbus Children’s Choir! These kids are incredible! They remind me of my choir experience all of the time. Today, the Summer Singers program, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Columbus, concluded with a mini concert. The kids learned Greek, Zulu, American Folk music, and basic drum rhythms in FIVE days! It amazes me every day how fast we can learn languages when music is used as a learning tool! The directors collaborated by teaching drums and music to facilitate teaching rhythmic ability, musical style, and other concepts. If you all had listened to these kids, you would have thought they had been practicing for weeks! The effect music has on a person’s ability to learn surpasses our imagination.

Lastly, below are pictures from this week’s program! The kids were wonderful and had a really great time!

This Thursday, Ohio Wildlife Center held an event called the Evening Release Celebration as a fundraiser and community outreach program. We released a barred owl and two little Virginia Opossums with the company of about 40 guests.

The two opossums were none too eager to be released, they moseyed around for a solid 7 minutes before they wandered back into the wild. These opossums were brought to us when their mother was hit by a car so they had been raised in our wildlife hospital from early stages and were finally ready to hit the ground running– or slowly waddling.

Next, we released a barred owl that had been hit by a car in the winter and had been nursed back to health by our trained veterinary technicians. This release was exhilarating to watch. One of our handlers opened the carrier and out swooped this magnificent bird of prey, climbing upwards into the sky with a roughly four foot wingspan.

Our audience was wowed and quite frankly so was I. Moments such as these exemplify the hard work that I observe everyday from our animal caretakers to our administrative staff coming full circle in releasing a wild creature back to it’s home, healthy and magnificent. The evening continued with live music and animal-lovers mingling with hor d’oeuvrs and drinks in our reclaimed 1891 wooden Bonner barn. The weather was pleasant and I appreciated the genuine passion and light evident in the eyes of the guests around me. Good people doing something good. While events can be strenuous in terms of set up and tear down, I drove home at 10 pm that night exhausted and content. Forty more people just got to witness a miracle of healing, recovery and life. Maybe that’s not much but if even half of our efforts are manifested in donations, volunteerism or conservation efforts, it was well worth the while. 

It can be easy to get frustrated and beat down by the 24 hour news cycle of negativity and contention in the human race. But these small victories of pure human energy are the precious fuel that the non-profit sector continues to thrive upon. 

Olivia Adkins

(Kelsie Fields, Westerville Symphony)

Because we are such a small, community based nonprofit, we rely strongly on our board, partners, and community members. In particular, small business and shops that help us promote our events, give donations, and more. Because of this, at least once a week, my boss and I take a little walk around downtown to familiarize me with the local businesses. This will be important not only for direct fundraising efforts, but also for context. Understanding the neighborhood and demographics of Westerville allows us to more creatively and effectively reach our target audiences.

Westerville is more charming than I knew before starting work here. Flower-lined streets provide the perfect path for a lunch-break walk, and Otterbein’s campus is a hidden gem in and of itself. This week on our walk, we came across a local farmers’ market! In fact, it is a recurring market that takes place right down the street every fourth Friday of the month!

This week, we also concentrated on some professional development, and I attended a few webinars about nonprofit technology. I also updated some of our sponsor and donation documents in preparation for the fundraiser next month. I also used this week to do a bit of planning–who to reach out to, where to distribute flyers, and other necessary parts of planning a large fundraiser. There are many small but important details that go into event planning, and it’s important to stay organized in order to keep it all together!

And just like all other nonprofits–we had meetings! Because we have a partnership with Otterbein University, we communicate with them frequently regarding music, event space, and more.

And I’m sure others will write about this as well, but yesterday, we all attended the Clippers game! What’s more Columbus than that?! The other fellows are genuine and smart, and I’m thankful to be a part of such a great group!

Kelsie

Hello again! As week 3 wraps up, I believe I have met just about every regular staff or volunteer here, seen all of the nooks and crannies of the building, and even can recognize the daily attendees at the bird feeder outside my office window.  I am thankful that “settling in” here does not feel heavy, mundane, or quite like settling at all. Settling in here means that I now feel confident to give guests a tour of the building, answer the phone in my office, and build strong relationships with my coworkers. I really love the people that I work with, they are “big picture” type of people who also are incredibly talented at fine tuning details. The educators that put on camps and programs for children make it look so seamless. The pictures I take of their games and crafts fail to capture the hours of work that go into ensuring that the kids have a blast while learning about nature.  The staff at the Audubon Center also do a wonderful job of giving the kids time and space to reflect on the sights and smells of nature, as can see below.

On Thursday, we had a “Summer Solstice Shindig” to and celebrated the longest day of the year with free yoga, scavenger hunts, crafts, and s’mores. After hours of setup and preparation, the first hour passed and two people came in. We were a bit disheartened but within the next few hours, we had around twelve people enjoying the crafts and learning about the Summer Solstice. I am thankful that the staff here did not see the event as a failure because the numbers were not as expected. Instead, they recognized that the families that did come stayed the rest of the night and were incredibly engaged throughout. I learned a valuable lesson that success is not always quantitative, but found in the quality of programming and intentionality of the staff and volunteers.

The night ended with the ceremonial changing of the birds. The summer bird, the Baltimore Oriole, is now proudly displayed above the front desk!

The Grange Insurance Audubon Center has been a wonderful place to settle into and truly invest my time and talents to helping spread the word about Columbus’ backyard!

I look forward to meeting with the other fellows next week to hear all about what they have been up to at their sites.

Peace and trees,

Tori

I genuinely cannot believe how fast this summer is going! More importantly though I don’t think I can yet fully comprehend the immense feeling of accomplishment that I feel at the end of my days working at NSI.  While the fact that the pantry is open for service Mondays through Thursdays 10am-1pm enables my days to have a certain level of predictability to them, my interactions with NSI’s diverse group of volunteers, community partners and most importantly our neighbors has ensured that no two days are the same.

There are so many highlights from this past week I really don’t know where to begin! The level of engagement at our first Fellow Learning Circle on Tuesday definitely set the tone not only for my own personal week, but I think for what we can expect to be on the horizon for this unparalleled group of fellows.  The opportunity to hear from trailblazing leaders in the non-profit sector who have a specific focus on policy was incredible! Participating in a discussion about the school-to-prision pipeline with these leaders from two highly esteemed organizations (The Children’s Defense Fund and Voice’s for Ohio’s Children) only further fueled my desire to be apart of this work.  I cannot adequately express my gratitude for The Columbus Foundation and their efforts to create spaces where we can realize our fullest potential.

My big focus of the week was finishing the design and then beginning the implementation of my summer-long project for NSI. My role at NSI is to help them develop a research tool to better evaluate the needs of our neighbors. While in the design phase over the last two weeks I spent a lot of time researching past surveys/reports that other food pantries have used to inform the design of their services.  On Wednesday of last week after having the survey be reviewed by my supervisors and even a board member we hit the ground running! Though the day wasn’t without a few setbacks.  For instance, I learned that having neighbors participate in the survey while they wait to be served may inadvertently slow down service. Also, I realized that while the questions I had created could offer valuable insight, it seemed more important to gather the information requested on NSI’s existing recording system, PantryTrak. Lastly, just after one day it became apparent to me that while our goal was to survey as many neighbors as possible, our neighbors want nothing more than for someone to show genuine interest in hearing their story and taking the time to sit down and “interview” them could create a space for that. Needless to say, Wednesday night when I got home and was reflecting on the day I started drafting up a second version.

I am excited to share more about the progress of the project later this week!

-Sylvie Durlacher

Hey everyone. Just to remind you guys, my name is Jake Humphrey; and I am a current Columbus Foundation Summer Fellow working with Green Columbus. As part of my duties at Green Columbus, I will be collaborating with another non-profit, Godman Guild Association, to provide environmental education to a select group of 14 and 15 year old students. My role at the Guild will consist of leading the program twice a week. Last week I was able to begin the orientation for the summer program with the children, as well as starting the educational aspect yesterday.

The orientation with the children unfolded just as any other orientation does: a lot of paperwork and icebreakers. While all of us dread the idea of icebreakers, it was actually quite enjoyable to facilitate some of the activities. It was amazing to see some people break out of their shells and to see how groups work both efficiently and inefficiently together. I was not able to participate fully in the orientation because it spanned the entire week; however, it went very well on the days that I was in attendance.

After the orientation week, the students started the program in full this week. So far, I have only met with them one day, but things seem to be going well. Yesterday, I was able to teach the students about the three pillars of sustainability (environmental conservation, social development, and economic development), and how those three pillars can be related back to our lives in Columbus.

In addition to the first day of the program, I was able to sit in on a meeting regarding the planning of the rest of the program. We discussed different educational areas of interest, possible field trips, and activities all related to sustainability and the environment. All in all, I think that the youth program and collaboration with the Godman Guild will be a great learning experience for me, and I am extremely excited to continue working with the association throughout the summer.

Until next time,

Jake