Jewish Community Center offers camp experience for youth with special needs

Each summer, a special group of campers descend on the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus' (JCC) College Avenue campus, excited about the opportunity to enjoy days filled with activities from arts and crafts to music and swimming.

» Visit our site to read the whole story

» Listen to a podcast featuring Tim Kauffman, assistant executive director of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus, as he talks with the Foundation's Sidney Hargro about Camp Arye. (5 min)

» Click to read podcast transcript

Photo courtesy of Camp Arye

Lutheran Social Services social enterprise projects fuel self-sufficiency

For most of us, the hum of lawn machinery is a welcome sign of spring. For a group of male clients at the Fairfield County Emergency Shelter, the sound has grown to represent not only the change of seasons, but a new beginning. 
 
In 2008, Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio (LSSCO) founded Fairhaven Lawn Care, a for-profit business in Lancaster. Fairhaven, the first social enterprise venture for LSSCO, provides job opportunities for clients of the shelter who have fallen on hard times, hoping to get them back on their feet and prepare them to re-enter the job force.

Read the full story on our website.

Listen to Leslie Poole, president of Lutheran Social Services of Southern Ohio, explain the importance of their services. (7 min, 21 seconds)

Award-Winning Interactive Exhibits and Performances  

The current exhibit in the Elijah Pierce Gallery at the Community Arts Project, has soul. Titled, The Men, The Music, The Message, The Movement: Martin, Malcolm and Marley, it examines the link between these historic civil rights icons and the music that resonated during a tumultuous time in our nation's history.

Read more about Community Arts Project, Inc. as featured in our March e-News.  
 
And hear from Dr. Barbara Nicholson as she shares some history about the Kings Arts Complex and talks more about their current exhibits and mission in our March podcast. (Length 4 min 45 sec)

"This is an opportunity for us to remind some and inform others that the music during the period that each of these civil rights activists lived had a connection to the missions they were on."  — Dr. Barbara Nicholson 

To learn more about Community Arts Project, Inc. visit PowerPhilanthropy at www.columbusfoundation.org.

The Salvation Army Brings Cheer to Thousands in Central Ohio

Few things mark the start of the holiday season like the sights and sounds of The Salvation Army’s red kettles and brass bells. Christmas is a busy time for the organization that has been helping central Ohioans in need for more than 120 years.

From their traditional kettle program to their Adopt-A-Family, Angel Tree, and Christmas Cheer programs, opportunities abound to help those in our community most in need.

Major Frank Kirk, divisional secretary of The Salvation Army in Greater Columbus, shares insights about The Salvation Army in this interview, featured in the December issue of The Columbus Foundation e-News.

Podcast (Length: 5 min 34 sec)

To learn more about The Salvation Army, visit PowerPhilanthropy at www.columbusfoundation.org or The Salvation Army in Greater Columbus at www.salvationarmycolumbus.org.

Help us stimulate $1 million to support local nonprofits in 48 hours 
 
In response to uncertain and tough economic times, The Columbus Foundation recently announced Match Day 2.0, a historic two-day giving event created to support nonprofit organizations through PowerPhilanthropy, the community's online resource for giving.
 
The Foundation's Governing Committee has committed $300,000 in matching charitable dollars to elevate and strengthen local nonprofits helping our community.

How can Match Day 2.0 positively impact central Ohio nonprofits? Hear from Lisa S. Courtice, Ph.D., vice president of Community Research and Grants Management for The Columbus Foundation.

Podcast (Length: 5 min 20 sec)

On November 18 and 19, we invite you to join us by logging in at www.columbusfoundation.org and give to your favorite cause through PowerPhilanthropy.

See how Match Day 2.0 and PowerPhilanthropy can make your giving more powerful.

Visit our website and learn more about Match Day 2.0 | Nov. 18 & 19

Innovative program pairs low- and middle-income class members to tackle poverty issues.

The Circles Initiative, introduced in 2007 by Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, focuses on a simple approach to tackle issues facing many low-income families in the community—communication.

This community impact program connects low-income people with "allies" in the middle- and upper-class, and together the two groups mentor each other as they both learn strategies of success.

Lou Seipel, Director of Supportive Services for Community Properties of Ohio Management Services, shares more about the Circles Initiative in this interview, featured in the October issue of The Columbus Foundation e-News.

(Length: 5 min 38 sec)

For more than 20 years, Columbus Housing Partnership (CHP) has been helping central Ohioans achieve and retain one of life’s greatest gifts—a place to call home. During recent years, CHP has proven to be an invaluable, critical resource to thousands of individuals and families caught in the web of foreclosure. Their free programs range from homebuyer education to foreclosure prevention counseling.

Featured in the June edition of The Columbus Foundation e-Newsletter, Amy Klaben, CEO and president of CHP, shares information about the housing crisis and what CHP is doing to help central Ohio families avoid foreclosure in our community.