Columbus, OH (June 11, 2024)—The Columbus Foundation is pleased to announce the 2024 Summer Fellows selected for its Summer Fellowship Program.
Launched in 2010, the 10-week program provides college students, recent college graduates, and graduate students valuable experience in the nonprofit sector, with each Summer Fellow being placed with a nonprofit host site in Franklin County. Summer Fellows, who receive a stipend for their work, support a project chosen by the host sites, helping to build the organizational capacity of local nonprofits. This year, a total of 13 organizations and Summer Fellows were selected to participate in the program.
“The Summer Fellowship Program engages and inspires young leaders to learn more about the dynamic and essential work of nonprofits in our region,” said Dr. Mark A. Lomax, II, Director of Arts & Generational Grantmaking at The Columbus Foundation. “Through this immersive, hands-on experience, Fellows gain valuable professional skills while contributing to important projects that positively impact the community.”
Pictured: 2024 Summer Fellows. Front row (l-r): Kaia Lewis, Kanyinsola Adesoba, Jordyn Hannon, Aayushi Soni, Austin Gray, Nia Hooper, and August Middendorf. Back row (l-r): Kenny Anderson, Riley Woods, Josephine Cacciato, Karina Burck, and Gia An Thach. Not pictured: Kennedy Smith. Photo by Challen Brown/The Columbus Foundation.
2024 Summer Fellows and Nonprofits:
- Bridgeway Academy—Gia An Thach, a senior at The Ohio State University from New Albany, will support the planning and execution of Bridgeway Academy’s Summer Program for children with autism and developmental disabilities.
- City Year Columbus—Kaia Lewis, a junior at The Ohio State University from Columbus, will support the operations of City Year Columbus’ development department in the areas of prospect research, media and communications, and development operations.
- Community Housing Network—Karina Burck, a junior at The Ohio State University from Huntley, Illinois, will assist with the design and implementation of an environmental scan in support of Community Housing Network’s 2024 strategic planning process.
- Children’s Hunger Alliance—Nia Hooper, a junior at Denison University from Columbus, will assist with corporate and community volunteer engagements and with the planning and implementation of the organization’s Taste to Remember.
- Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS)—Riley Woods, a senior at The Ohio State University from Plain City, will support “Self-Sufficiency and Food Security in Refugee Communities,” a client food security and community resource development within CRIS’ Resettlement and Community Engagement team.
- Community Shelter Board—Jordyn Hannon, a senior at Otterbein University from Columbus, will support Community Shelter Board’s annual Founder Awards celebration by engaging in numerous communications and marketing activities.
- Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed (FLOW)—Josephine Cacciato, a senior at The Ohio State University from Columbus, will help educate residents about trees and support FLOW’s operations of two native tree and shrub nurseries for giveaways and reforesting.
- Grange Insurance Audubon Center (GIAC)—Aayushi Soni, a junior at The Ohio State University from Nashville, Tennessee, will work with GIAC’s communications manager to mobilize supporters and elevate awareness of the organization’s mission and work.
- Leadership Columbus—Austin Gray, a junior at The Ohio State University from Columbus, will support the planning, implementation, and wrap-up of the Central Ohio Leadership Academy and help coordinate Leadership Columbus’ 50th anniversary engagement campaign.
- Legal Aid Society—August Middendorf, a junior at The Ohio State University from Columbus, will support the development and communications team in creating long-term strategic communications with diverse groups of clients, donors, and philanthropic partners.
- Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)—Kenny Anderson, a senior at The Ohio State University from Canton, will provide research assistance and help with daily support tasks in relation to MORPC's ongoing Water Quality Management Plan. Kenny has been selected as the 2024 Richard H. Oman Fellow.
- Seeds of Caring—Kanyinsola Adesoba, a student at Columbus State Community College from Westerville, will engage youth ages 6 to 12 from under-resourced areas in service-based learning that fosters social-emotional growth and supports critical needs of local nonprofits. Kanyinsola has been selected as the 2024 Linda Bowers Memorial Summer Fellow.
- The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio—Kennedy Smith, a senior at The Ohio State University from Cleveland, will help communicate the organization’s impact to supporters through storytelling by conducting interviews, compiling information, and creating communications assets.
Read the Fellows' blog to stay up to date with their experiences this summer.
Learn more about the Summer Fellowship Program.
About The Columbus Foundation
The Columbus Foundation, one of the top 10 community foundations in the United States, serves thousands of individuals, families, and businesses that have created unique funds and planned gifts to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible.