The Columbus Foundation Announces 2014 Summer Fellows

Columbus, OH (June 6, 2014)—The Columbus Foundation is pleased to announce participants in its 2014 Summer Fellowship Program. Now in its fifth year, the program provides college students and recent college graduates with the opportunity to work with central Ohio nonprofit organizations for a 10-week period.

The Foundation’s Summer Fellows Program was launched in 2010 to engage the next generation of young leaders in the nonprofit sector through career-related work. Funded by The Columbus Foundation and its donors, the program offers hands-on experiences that allow fellows to support the work of the host organizations.

The 11 individuals chosen to participate this summer will be supporting a variety of projects with local nonprofits, from policy research to developing a curriculum for a youth summer camp. Nonprofit organizations and prospective fellows submit applications and go through an interview and review process before being chosen for the program. Each fellow receives a $5,000 stipend for their work.

2014 Summer Participants include:

• Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association, Central & Southern Ohio—Andrew Lewandowski of Aurora, and a graduate student at The Ohio State University, will redevelop the Equipment Loan Program, to provide persons with ALS access to much-needed, supportive equipment.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus, Inc.—William Crawford of Flint, Michigan, and graduate of The Ohio State University, will support the Summer Brain Gain and Make Summer Count initiatives through implementation of curriculum and community outreach.
• Broad Street Presbyterian Church—Susie Long of Mansfield, and graduate of Otterbein University, will facilitate collaborations with local organizations providing health, wellness, and nutritional services; and the creation of an implementation plan for in-pantry programming.
• Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio—Victoria Parsons of Toledo, and attending The Ohio State University, will research and identify additional programs to assist Medicaid-  and Medicare-eligible patients with the cost of healthcare premiums, co-pays, prescriptions, etc.
• Children’s Hunger Alliance—Julia Wade of Sullivan, and attending The Ohio State University, will develop an awareness strategy to increase participation in summer meal programming.
• Columbus Housing Partnership, Inc. dba Homeport—Jill Disbro of Upper Arlington, Ohio, and graduate of Roanoke College, will create and implement a volunteer engagement and training program.
• Community Refugee and Immigration Services, Inc.—Alex Alfonso of New Albany, and attending DePauw University, will support the streamlining of client pre-arrival, resettlement, and placement services and procedures.
• Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW)—Chris Liebold of Green Springs, and graduate of Ohio Dominican University, will create and populate a Geographic Information System capturing the increased tree canopy in a 300-acre watershed.
• Mid-Ohio Foodbank—Colleen Durfee of Worthington, and graduate of The Ohio State University, will facilitate the Plot Against Hunger community garden program through community engagement, volunteer recruitment, and the creation of a resource toolkit.
• Ohio Designer Craftsmen—Marly Coldiron of Dayton, and a graduate student at The Ohio State University, will manage processes, curriculum, and volunteers participating in the Young Masters summer art camp program for youth ages six to twelve.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio, Inc.—Sean Brewster of Norwalk, and attending Otterbein University, will develop and refine a comprehensive volunteer cultivation, engagement, and recognition program.

Stay up to date with the students’ experiences by reading the Fellow’s Blog.