Giving: A Guide to Philanthropy 2021 by The Columbus Dispatch/Dispatch Magazines

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A Guide to philanthropy 2021

Powerful Purchases Website ties shopping to giving

Helping from Home

Remote volunteer opportunities allow critical work to continue

Charitable Events

The Truth-Teller Stephanie Hightower on how Columbus can promote racial equity

Hunger Pains

Local nonprofits address growing food insecurity amid a pandemic

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Letter from the Editor

t the end of each year, my husband and I sit down to plan our charitable giving. We choose an amount to spend, then portion it out to organizations and causes we cherish. Many are close to home, meeting needs in our own community. But a few years back, our son, then 16, participated in a service program that included discussions and readings about the nature of charity. He came home talking about rational giving—the idea that you should calculate where your money will do the most good. The most effective charity in the world, he said, distributes mosquito netting to families in sub-Saharan Africa, where hundreds of thousands of children and pregnant women die of malaria each year. The netting cuts their risk dramatically, at a cost of about $3,500 per life saved. What an amazing opportunity to prevent tragedy, he said. How could anyone give to anything else? We countered that needs are all around us, and that it’s also important

to invest in the arts and education and a healthy home community, but he had a different plan. He’d saved a chunk of the money he received at his bar mitzvah, and he sent a big gift to the Against Malaria Foundation. I can’t remember a year when the needs—both within our community and around the world—were more stark. The point of my story is not to deploy all your charitable dollars to fighting malaria, although that’s a rational choice. The point is to find a cause that moves you to action, as this one did my son. Learn about the needs in our community, or across the world, then do something. Write a check. Look within and have hard conversations. Volunteer. It all matters.

Suzanne Goldsmith, Editor

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Table of Contents 6

Letter from Our Partner

The Columbus Foundation

Volunteering

Ways to help during the COVID-19 era

Business Startup

Givevia combines shopping and giving.

Community Startup Can't Stop Columbus does not plan to stop. Cover Photo by

Tim Johnson

File/Columbus Dispatch/Eric Albrecht

Corporate Giving

Nationwide's commitment to racial justice highlights a national trend.

Philanthropy 12 Community funds responded quickly to COVID-19.

The Truth-Teller

A conversation with Stephanie Hightower about race in Columbus

Hunger Pains 18 Four groups address food insecurity in a pandemic.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

Charitable events in 2021

A look inside some top nonprofit organizations in Central Ohio

Social Datebook

Profiles of Giving

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Giving A Guide to Phil anthropy 2021

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11/5/20 1:00 PM

Giving2021

Giv

Letter From Our Partner By Douglas F. Kridler

Time to Step Up In a year of many challenges, the Columbus Foundation stands with its community partners and donors in working to build a better future.

ears ago, the year 2020 was looked forward to and planned for as an aspirational year, a year to build toward. And it made sense. “2020” just plain sounds opportune. After all, it is shorthand for the best of eyesight and vision. Lo and behold, 2020 has

lived up to its potential. We CAN see more clearly now. The problem is, what we see is a pandemic that has laid bare once again the social determinants of health, and that the poor and people of color are once again suffering from the effects of multigenerational poverty. What we see are

Vo the ways in which structural racism causes the suffering of those who are our brothers and sisters in the human race. What we see is that online learning isn’t possible if you can’t get online, thereby setting a generation of kids—our kids—behind, maybe forever. Our challenges are daunting—there’s no denying that—but our community gives us hope. We see the will to address our problems being forged across races, places and incomes. That shared sense of determination is both buoying and much-needed. It’s going to require us to stay stitched together as one community to take on these challenges

that are neither simple nor easily solved. We can do this, Columbus. We know the Columbus Foundation has an important role to play, and manifold contributions to make. That’s why we are stepping up higher than ever before in our history in myriad ways, given the times we are in. The enormous heart and resourcefulness of our nonprofit partners, many of whom are featured on these pages, our public sector leaders and business leaders, and community voices of conscience also all have huge roles to play, and we honor, embrace and thank them for their partnership and their commitment to a better day. And above all, we couldn’t do our part without our donor family and the leading advisors in the legal and financial worlds, so we thank them for their contributions to creating and supporting this place of resource and opportunity for all. We are proud to stand alongside the great folks who put together this Giving guide in wishing you a healthy holiday season, and a more harmonious and less perilous year ahead! Yours in community,

Douglas F. Kridler Courtesy Columbus Foundation

President and CEO The Columbus Foundation

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Giving2021

Volunteering By Tatyana Tandanpolie Photo by Tim Johnson

Helping From Home

Remote volunteer opportunities allow people to continue vital work—and to feel more connected during a time of isolation.

yringes? Check. Clean needles? Check. Alcohol swabs? Check. Tourniquets, cookers and filters? Check, check and check. Lydia Strauss says a blessing for the harm reduction kit's recipient and carefully zips it closed. Her gloved hand places the bag to the side, nestling it next to the large pile of sterile syringes she has yet to pack. An assortment of vital supplies for 199 other kits cover her Worthington home’s dining room table. She leans back and smiles at the thought that the items are a drop-off away from helping others. Strauss, a sexual assault survivor advocate at OhioHealth, is one of the many Columbus volunteers who took their assignments home during the COVID19 pandemic so they could continue their work while keeping socially distant. Like many others, she

Lydia Strauss assembles harm reduction kits at home for Equitas Health.

wanted to extend more aid to her community in a time of dire need for resources and compassion. “Whether it be items [for] harm reduction or the condom-packing project or a group of essential workers receiving a thank you note, you know that someone’s going to be touched by a project that you did at home,” says Strauss, 50. Though the pandemic made volunteering more challenging, many people have risen to the occasion and found remote opportunities to give back through organizations like Equitas Health, a nonprofit community health center for Columbus’ underserved populations. Most Equitas volunteers help build the organization’s harm reduction and safer sex kits, while a small group staffs its sexual health hotline and chat. That aid, volunteer manager Mark Spurgeon says, couldn’t be more valuable. “[Volunteer help] is absolutely critical,” he says. “Our staff could not, alone, meet the needs of the community without the support of volunteers.” Other Columbus nonprofits and initiatives that rely

on donations and volunteers have also pivoted to at-home volunteer assignments. The Hattie Larlham agency, which provides training for people with disabilities, asks volunteers to send monthly cards to intellectually disabled adults through its Card Buddy program. Volunteer-coordinating organization Besa facilitates Zoom events where participants write encouragement cards for essential workers and bake desserts for survivors at domestic violence shelter LSS Choices. Choices volunteer manager McKenzie Houston says home-based volunteers have supplied almost enough personal hygiene care kits for the whole year. “That’s a huge thing for us especially because we rely on donations here,” she says. Patricia Reagan, 66, a retired Ohio State University professor, latched onto the at-home kit-making projects after the pandemic put her at risk. She understands how valuable her homemade contributions are to the shelter staff and its residents, especially. Thinking about the recipients makes her feel good, she says. For Reagan, Strauss and

countless other at-home volunteers, the pleasure they get from giving back to the community makes it that much easier for them to navigate the pandemic themselves. “You feel like you’re making a difference. You don’t feel so isolated,” Reagan says. “The best way to avoid isolation is to help somebody else.”

Some Ways to Volunteer From Home Equitas Health

Besa

Create an account at givebesa. org, then sign up for service opportunities.

Hattie Larlham

Check out volunteer opportunities and fill out an application at hattielarlham. org/v/volunteer.asp.

LSS Choices

Peruse the list of volunteer activities at lss.vomo.org/ org/lutheran-social-services, then click “Join” to create an account and sign up.

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Giving2021

Business Startup By Patrick Cooley

Givevia Helps Users “Shop to Give”

At a moment when online commerce is gathering steam, a Powell couple seeks to help people direct some of their shopping dollars to charity.

ina and Bob Fisher are raising money for charitable causes through a for-profit online shopping startup they launched last year. The Powell couple named it Givevia, and it lets users support organizations they care about through purchases from retailers like Target and Home Depot, and even local chains like Homage. A percentage of each sale goes to a nonprofit of the user’s choice. “A good way to describe it is a shop-to-give program, automatically generating funding for a nonprofit but baked into the online shopping people are already

doing,” Givevia chief marketing officer Justin Showers says. The percentage that goes to charity depends on the retailer, but Tina Fisher says it’s typically around 5 percent. Customers don’t pay any more than the list price, she adds. “It’s free for users, and free for nonprofits,” Fisher says. A portion of the purchase price also goes to Givevia; according to Fisher, most retailers consider it a marketing cost. The site makes it easy for users to support charities through the shopping they would do anyway, Fisher says, which means it’s ideal for people who want to

Courtesy Givevia

Tina and Bob Fisher

donate but don’t have much disposable income. “This is a tool that empowers people,” she says. Hundreds of retailers and nonprofits have already signed on, Showers says. Stores and charities in Central Ohio are on the site, and beneficiaries include the Columbus Museum of Art and the United Way of Central Ohio.

The Worthington Resource Pantry is also on Givevia. “Tina and Bob Fisher are longtime supporters,” executive director Nick Linkenhoker points out. Tina sat on the board shortly after the organization was founded 11 years ago, and the couple has been donating to the group ever since. “So it was a natural fit, when they came up with this idea, to include the resource pantry as an early adopter.” The Worthington nonprofit acts as a food pantry, providing groceries and personal care items to needy families, but Linkenhoker says the organization goes beyond that with some clients. “We’re here to connect our community and connect our neighbors to community resources,” such as social service organizations, Linkenhoker says. After signing on with Givevia, the pantry started to see donations come in through the platform, and “it didn’t cost us a thing,” Linkenhoker says. The organization planned to market its participation on Givevia to encourage people to shop there, but the coronavirus pandemic threw that plan into disarray, he says. “All of our focus shifted to responding to that.” But the economic downturn brought on by the pandemic makes donating to nonprofits like the resource pantry more important than ever, Tina Fisher says. “Online shopping is surging like never before, in part because of COVID19,” she says. “That makes it even more important for those shopping dollars to do more.”

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11/5/20 1:05 PM

A Closer Look

Giving2021

Nonprofit Startup

Can't Stop Columbus projects support: • The arts • Local small business •E motional and behavioral health •V oting, public information and public health •S ocial services •A nti-racism and equity •C ritical supplies •E mployment/economic recovery • Bridging the digital divide •E ducation and child care • Nutrition •P hysical health and wellness

Yumii Kettle Corn food truck visits a football game at Big Walnut High School as part of Truckside Columbus, a Can't Stop Columbus project.

Can’t Stop Columbus Keeps On Going

A grassroots “hackathon” aimed at helping the city weather the coronavirus lockdown matches volunteer ingenuity with needs that are likely to outlast the pandemic. By Danae King Photo by Dan Trittschuh

reated as an emergency weekendlong hackathon when the pandemic hit Central Ohio in mid-March, Can’t Stop Columbus has already outlived its intended length by eight months—and it shows no signs of stopping. Jordan Davis, director of Smart Columbus for the Columbus Partnership, originally dreamed up the hackathon as a two-day brainstorming session to find safe ways to help people affected by the pandemic. Now, the program

has grown to 50 ongoing projects—and Davis sees no end in sight for the effort. “This reality where we all had to work from home pushed us to organize in a different way, but I think we’ve always needed something like this, and I think we probably always will,” says Davis, co-organizer of Can’t Stop Columbus with Derek DeHart. She admits, though, that she never dreamed the project would last this long. “This was not my vision at all,” Davis says. “I thought it would be a weekend thing where we could have a concentrated amount of time with a lot of energy and

maybe get a few projects out of it. … I’m just so amazed at the community to evolve it in this way. I think it’s just a testament to this city and the empathy people have.” The projects initiated through the effort address a wide range of needs. Curbside Concerts allow people to send musicians to perform for a loved one who is isolating at home; Columbus Emotional Health offers mental health resources; and Columbus Remembers helps people with funeral planning and grief at a time when in-person funerals can be dangerous. There’s also a smartphone app created for the Mid-Ohio Food

Collective to match users with available resources they qualify for, says Matt Habash, the food bank’s president and CEO. The projects target 12 impact areas, with about 700 volunteers. While the pandemic continues, Can’t Stop Columbus is expanding its mission to meet additional needs. One project, Come Together Columbus, brings together people committed to racial justice and police reform; another helped people get to the polls to vote safely. Steve Flaherty is a volunteer involved from the beginning. Flaherty, who owns the Yumii Kettle Corn food truck with his wife, Rachel, manages Columbus Truckside, a Can’t Stop Columbus project to help food trucks get some business to replace revenue lost when summer festivals were canceled. Flaherty says the projects Can’t Stop Columbus has generated show the effort can last beyond the pandemic. “It has grown beyond itself. It truly echoes the heart of Columbus and what Columbus means,” he says. “Being able to come together and do something like this, it just speaks to what Columbus stands for.”

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11/5/20 2:45 PM

Giving2021

Corporate Giving

Racial Equity Rises to the Top

A $1 million commitment to combat racism by Nationwide highlights a national trend. By Chris Bournea

eorge Floyd’s killing sparked a trend in corporate giving. In the immediate aftermath of the 46-year-old Black man’s death under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer and the worldwide protests that followed, Columbus-based Nationwide announced in June a $1 million, multiyear commitment to support organizations that combat racism and promote economic empowerment. The

Customers are asking, “What does your company stand for, and what are they doing in communities to fight injustice when they see it?” Lu Yarbrough III Associate VP for enterprise diverse and cause marketing, Nationwide

company is one of several with large Central Ohio footprints—including JPMorgan Chase, KeyBank and CVS Health—that have recently announced major contributions to social justice causes. Given the national reckoning on race, the fact that more companies are stepping up their contributions is not surprising, says corporate giving expert Laura MacDonald, president of the Columbus-based Benefactor Group. “I don’t know of a single company that’s not using social justice as a lens for their charitable giving right now,” MacDonald says. “Even if they’re donating to organizations they normally support like the YWCA or the Mid-Ohio [Food Collective], they’re now viewing it through a different lens.” Increasingly, customers scrutinize companies’ public stances on issues before doing business with them, says Lu Yarbrough III, Nationwide’s associate vice president for enterprise diverse and cause marketing. In particular, he says, they are asking, “‘What does your company stand for, and what are they doing in communities to fight injustice when they see it?’” That’s true for Nationwide, which, Yarbrough notes, has for decades contributed to causes tied to racial equity through a vari-

ety of partnerships, including fair housing (National Fair Housing Alliance, National Urban League and UnidosUS), education (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the Executive Leadership Council) and economic empowerment (Black Enterprise Entrepreneurs Summit). The ongoing national dialogue on race and policing, in addition to the COVID19 pandemic, prompted Nationwide to expand its focus to criminal justice reform, Yarbrough says. Nationwide is directing the $1 million in contributions to the following organizations: • The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization that champions racial justice through litigation and public education; • Local NAACP organizations to foster social justice and economic empowerment; • The Bail Project, a nonprofit organization that provides free bail assistance and pretrial support to lowincome defendants; • The Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal assistance to people who may have been wrongfully convicted, unfairly sentenced or abused in state jails and prisons. Nationwide has also announced an additional $1 million, multiyear commitment to help fund the National Fair Housing Alliance’s Keys Unlock the Dream initiative aimed at addressing affordable housing and homeownership among people of color. Nationwide selected these organizations by building on existing relationships

in the philanthropy community and by establishing a companywide social justice task force, Yarbrough says. Since Floyd’s death, Nationwide’s leadership and employees at every level have held periodic forums to share experiences related to diversity and inclusion. “From the CEO down to the frontline associates,” Yarbrough says, “I can personally say I’ve seen the commitment that we’ve made to be a catalyst for change.” New York-based JPMorgan Chase, which maintains a Central Ohio workforce that the company estimates at more than 19,200, announced on Oct. 8 a $30 billion, five-year commitment to provide economic opportunity to underserved communities across the country. The commitment includes an

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Courtesy Nationwide

Nationwide employees gather in June for a unity event organized by the company's African American employee organizations.

investment of up to $50 million in Black- and Latinoled financial institutions, and a pledge to continue to mentor and advise them to achieve future success. “As part of the philanthropic portion of this commitment, we recently announced a $35 million investment in career readiness, $7 million of this in Columbus,” says JPMorgan Chase spokeswoman Carlene Lule. “As part of the Career Readiness Initiative, the firm is investing in 10 cities globally—totaling $75 million—to help young people build career pathways.” In Columbus, JPMorgan Chase has brought on local partners, including Columbus City Schools, Columbus State Community College, Ohio State University and the state departments of education and higher

education, to develop career pathways in every high school and prepare students for postsecondary education, particularly students in underserved communities. The project coordinator will be Ohio Excels, a nonprofit coalition of Ohio business leaders focused on strengthening education policy and workforce solutions. “It’s long past time that society addresses racial inequities in a more tangible, meaningful way,” Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in a statement. In July, CVS Health announced a $600 million investment over five years to advance projects and policies that address inequality faced by African Americans and other disenfranchised people. The initiative includes partnerships with civil rights organizations to advance social

justice causes; local projects include a plan to spend $13.7 million on renovating the 230-unit Rosewind apartment complex in South Linden, where 95 percent of residents are Black, with an average household income of $17,000. On Oct. 1, Clevelandbased KeyBank announced $300,000 in KeyBank Foundation grants in the third quarter to local nonprofits across Central and Southwestern Ohio for COVID-19 relief and social justice efforts. Central Ohio grant recipients are: Ohio Black Expo, Columbus Urban League, UNCF Columbus and the Center for Employment Opportunities. Also in October, the city of Columbus and the Greater Columbus Arts Council announced the Deliver Black Dreams initiative, which will support public art

installations and a variety of social justice-themed projects by Black artists. The effort is being funded in part by the American Electric Power Foundation, Huntington National Bank and Grange Insurance. To effect lasting change, companies must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to social justice, says Nana Watson, president of the Columbus chapter of the NAACP, one of the beneficiaries of Nationwide’s $1 million pledge. “Nationwide has been engaged with the NAACP nationally prior to the death of George Floyd. We believe more corporations need to follow Nationwide’s lead,” Watson says. “We’re going to watch and hold businesses accountable for their commitment to diversity and community.”

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Giving2021

Philanthropy By Suzanne Goldsmith

Fundraising for a Crisis Community funds channel dollars to where they are needed most.

n March 9, when just three diagnosed cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Ohio and many residents were still going about their business as usual, Central Ohio’s philanthropic groups began mobilizing to address a crisis of yetunknown proportions. That very day, the Columbus Foundation set up a coronavirus emergency response fund, seeded with $500,000 from one of its unrestricted funds. “People immediately saw a need within the community, even though that need was undefined,” says foundation vice

president Dan Sharpe. “We knew one way or another that was going to have a ripple effect.” The world now knows that the ripples from COVID-19 became a tidal wave. As the weeks progressed, businesses closed, ICU beds filled, unemployment rolls swelled and lines for food and other assistance grew. At the same time, the immediacy of the need inspired generosity in Central Ohio donors, from individuals to corporations. Within a week, the Columbus Foundation’s emergency fund grew to $3 million. The United Way of Central Ohio, a fund dedicated to fighting poverty, also created a COVID-19 Commu-

Columbus Foundation Emergency Response Fund Grants by Category Most funding went to support social services.

7.3% 12.7%

Social Services n nH ealth nU rban Affairs n Education nA rts and Conservation 12

18.6%

nity Response Fund, to which 1,024 donors contributed $2 million in just two months. Gifts ranged from $20 to $250,000. President and CEO Lisa Courtice says people were “looking for places to give, wanting to respond to the need.” That generous response grew along with the crisis. In June, when the Columbus Foundation held its annual Big Give, a one-day fundraising spree for local nonprofits, the amount raised was $32.5 million from more than 44,000 gifts—nearly double the total in past years. Early grants from the emergency funds at both the United Way and the Columbus Foundation went to meet basic needs: helping space out shelter residents to prevent the spread of the virus, for instance; supporting the expansion of Mealson-Wheels when senior centers were shuttered; providing rent assistance to those who lost work; or helping health centers gear up

60.4%

for telehealth delivery. Arts groups were, for the most part, left waiting for help from government sources. While assistance on a scale only government could provide was needed, the role of local philanthropy was to jump into the breach and help out while the wheels of Congress slowly turned. “That’s where philanthropy is great,” says Courtice, “because it’s so nimble.” Government aid did come, eventually, with a federal relief package that included $349 billion in forgivable loans to businesses, including nonprofits, as well as direct stimulus payments to individuals and families, unemployment supplements and funding to states and localities. At press time, Congress and the White House had not agreed on details of a renewal package. As the pandemic stretches on with no sign of abating, some community needs are becoming even more urgent. How long can laid-off workers get by on unemployment, now that the federal supplement that increased their payments has ended? How long can lawmakers prevent landlords from evicting tenants who are behind on their rent? Will the array of social service agencies and organizations be able to survive the series of body blows that just keep coming? “There were at least buoys along the way to help the organizations weather the increased expenses and decreased revenues,” Sharpe said during a midfall interview. “But now we’re about to be facing a giant question mark.”

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By Rita Price Photos by Tim Johnson

Uncomfortable Conversations

Columbus Urban League president Stephanie Hightower says if the city is going to make progress toward racial equity, it will require a good dose of truth-telling.

he story isn’t new. Stephanie Hightower has told it previously, and likely will again, owing to its continuing, maddening relevance. America can’t stop stumbling over race. And Hightower, like so many Black men and women, keeps feeling the pain. She often thinks little has changed in the past 15 years. That’s about how long it’s been since she first tried to host a sleepover for her son’s friends and basketball teammates at Columbus Academy, a private school whose students largely live in white, affluent communities. “I got no responses,” says Hightower, now president and CEO of the Columbus Urban League. “I was really upset. I was just heartbroken.” She turned to her mother, whose counsel was more blunt than sympathetic. “She said, ‘What did you expect? You live in a Black neighborhood, these people are from suburbia. Did you actually think they were going to send their kids down here to your house?’ ’’ Determined and competitive by nature, the 62-yearold Hightower is a former world-class hurdler and member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. She isn’t accustomed to sidestepping barriers. “So I asked one of the parents, ‘Why aren’t you coming?’ ’’ Finals week was approaching, Hightower was told, so it was a busy time. “OK,” Hightower said. “We’ll do it after.” She waited and sent the invitations again. “I had to reframe it,” she says. “I basically said, ‘For those of you who are suburban

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A participant in a May protest at City Hall

A Juneteenth celebration in Columbus in 2020 File/Columbus Dispatch/Courtney Hergesheimer

File/Columbus Dispatch/Barbara J. Perenic

Hightower poses with other local leaders at a 2019 event celebrating plans to create a jobs and business development center.

A protest in Downtown Columbus shortly after the killing of George Floyd File/Columbus Dispatch/Joshua Bickel

folks, we live in a Black neighborhood. This is a biracial household, and my husband and I will be there. We’ll have happy hour for the parents for the first two hours when you drop your kids off.’ ” Hightower said she knew she had to make the other families feel comfortable in her East Side home. She bought good wine and put out a cheese tray. “I have a nice, big house. I had to let them know it was to their standards.” The boys were allowed to spend the night and the parents had a great time, staying longer than she expected. “Then I couldn’t get them out of my damn house,” she says. Hightower laughs at the memory, but 14

Courtesy Columbus Urban League

her smile quickly fades. She doesn’t want the story to be regarded as a simple one with a happy ending. “That’s the kind of stuff that we have to do—that I had to do—to make my son comfortable, to make his friends’ parents comfortable. But why? White folks don’t have to do that. I had to go above and beyond.” As the first woman to head the Columbus Urban League, a post she has held for the past 10 years, Hightower’s job is to raise awareness and push for resources that help lead to racial equity. The goal remains elusive for the century-old organization, which fights for social, economic and educational progress in Ohio’s largest city. “Here we are 102 years

later, and we’re still dealing with the same issues,” she says. “What does that say about our society?” Data and public-opinion surveys back her up: The poverty rate for Black residents of Franklin County is nearly 30 percent, more than

"As long as folks are willing to have these uncomfortable conversations with me, then we’re good. If they’re not willing to have uncomfortable conversations, then don’t call me and ask me to speak."

File/Colum

twice that of whites. Recent data from Gallup and several other survey sources find that a majority of Black Americans report experiencing bias, discrimination, fewer opportunities to get ahead and ongoing confrontations with prejudice. Americans’ perceptions of the country's racial divide have not improved over several years, and in many ways have become more negative, Gallup found. But they also might feel more optimistic about the possibility of change. The protests and vast outpouring of support that swept the nation following the death of George Floyd, a Black man who suffocated in May beneath the knee of a white Minneapolis police

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Hightower speaks at CUL's 2019 Empowerment Day luncheon. Courtesy Columbus Urban League

Children watch a march on Summit Street on June 9. File/Columbus Dispatch/Courtney Hergesheimer

A Bexley anti-racism event in June File/Columbus Dispatch/Eric Albrecht

Columbus Urban League

Artist April Sunami’s mural on East Long Street celebrates women of color and sisterhood. File/Columbus Dispatch/Eric Albrecht

File/Columbus Dispatch/Doral Chenoweth III

officer, are unlike any in recent history. Black Lives Matter signs dot yards and hang in shop windows throughout the country. Giving sat down with Hightower to talk about the moment, the movement and what it means in Central Ohio. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. As you have said, calls for reform and justice are not new. Can this time be different? I think it is different. I think this next generation of people doesn't want this to continue. When your children are coming home and saying, my Black friend got pulled over, or my daughter’s boyfriend was attacked,

or my biracial grandbaby was stared at, this next generation is saying, enough is enough. But this is what I wrestle with: All these people who are woke now? I’m not frustrated, but I will say I’m enlightened that people I thought were a little more progressive, and really understood the work that we’re trying to do here, really didn’t understand the work after all. Or maybe it was just too painful for them to really admit that things hadn’t changed. Or they thought they had done whatever they could do. But now they have to admit that they didn’t do enough. As long as folks are willing to have these uncomfortable conversa-

tions with me, then we’re good. If they’re not willing to have uncomfortable conversations, then don’t call me and ask me to speak. Because at this point, I feel like I have to be that truthteller if we’re going to move the needle in this community. That doesn’t make me popular with some people. But I’m OK with that. A lot of people marched this summer, a lot of people made signs, a lot of people agree that we need racial equity–on so many fronts—in this country. Many of them are white and have their BLM signs in their yards. I’m not being dismissive; I know it’s heartfelt. But are there things they can

do in day-to-day life that work toward better racial equity? Things other than the big, lofty goals? It’s really not that hard, and I hope that people don’t overthink this. Just being able to recognize and appreciate your Black co-worker matters. If you don’t understand something about them, ask. Or look at the biases you might have. Like, “She talks so loudly.” Well, that’s part of our culture. We’re not angry Black women because we talk loud. Go to one of our family reunions, and there might be a lot of people talking over each other, and that’s just the way it is. Look at things differently instead of as a negative. You also have to start

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checking people. I was married to two white men, one European and one American. One of the things that was eye-opening was the fact that he still had friends—both of them did, actually—who thought it was OK to use racial slurs in their presence even though he was married to a Black woman. My European husband had a hard time being able to say in those circles that it was inappropriate. So he would let it pass—and still let me go socialize with

them, knowing. My point in sharing that is that more white folks have a duty when a neighbor or friend or colleague or relative is comfortable with using racial slurs. I have an 83-year-old mother who is a devout Christian, Southern Baptist. When I had a holiday party up here, I had to say to her, “There’s going to be a bunch of gay people in the house, and I need you to not say something inappropriate.” That was my respon-

Columbus Urban League

The 102-year-old Columbus Urban League serves thousands of Central Ohioans each year through advocacy and programming that support racial and economic equity. Annual budget: About $3.4 million Number of employees: 75 President and CEO: Stephanie Hightower Focus areas: Recovery, reform and resiliency Approach: The Columbus Urban League provides emergency relief to help keep families in housing and to help businesses thrive; promotes policies that eliminate systemic racism; and offers coaching to boost individual earning power while leveling the economic playing field for Black communities. Source: The Columbus Urban League/cul.org 16

sibility to say to her that homophobic comments are not acceptable in this house. White folks have a responsibility to do that, too. Think about your neighborhood. Do you live around any Black people? Why is that? Did you purposely move so that you wouldn’t? How many Black people have you had over for dinner or to your parties? Or for sleepovers with your kids? Your hometown has been in the news since the death of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman shot to death in her apartment this year during a botched law enforcement raid. Tell me about you and Louisville. And coming to Columbus. All of my youth wasn’t there. Dad was in the military. My first two years of high school after we moved back from Germany were at Fort Knox High School. My dad retired, then we moved to one of the suburbs outside Louisville, and that’s where I graduated from high school. My parents are from the Warren-Youngstown area, but they didn’t go back after

he retired because at that time, girls’ sports programs in Ohio were not as integrated into high schools as they were in Kentucky. Dad made a conscious effort to stay in Louisville so that I could continue my high school career in track and field and then eventually get a scholarship, and I ended up at Ohio State. With the level of racism that existed in Kentucky at that time, I knew that I did not want to stay. That was a place where using the n-word or being called the n-word was common practice. But the thing that I did notice after being at Ohio State was that at least in the South, you usually know Southern racists are racist. They let you know. But in the North, it’s covert, and you don’t know. And so you don’t know where you stand. It’s a different kind of experience with racism. I don’t know what’s worse. That’s one of the reasons the Urban League movement was built. Folks moved from the Jim Crow South and were looking for better jobs, education, health care and housing. It was better

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than what they had in the South, but it was inadequate. You were packed into lower-income areas and the other side of the tracks. In this [East Side] neighborhood, because of redlining and the way they put the highway through, it just completely deteriorated and cut it off from the Downtown community. Bexley didn’t get a freeway cutting through its neighborhoods. Exactly. There are reasons our neighborhoods look the way they look today, reasons our criminal justice system looks the way it looks, reasons Columbus schools look the way they look. It all speaks to why the Urban League still needs to be in existence. Now, with this pandemic, it has really uncovered all the things we have been talking about for the past 10 years I’ve been here. We just couldn’t get any traction. Why has it been so hard to gain traction, to get more support for addressing racial disparities? We’re a reminder of the

stains of slavery, a reminder of the stains of the Jim Crow South, a reminder of all that is not just as it relates to Black people. And so folks are like, we’ll give you a little bit of money over here, because we know you have to exist. We’re doing the transformative work. I’m trying to say this in a very diplomatic way, because I don’t want to say anything disparaging about anyone, but there are folks and entities in this community that do great work in emergency services and one-time hits. Get you a job, get you some food, get you dressed, get you in a quick rehab program for six weeks. And that’s great and it’s needed. And so that’s where the money goes, right? But the transformative work, which is what we do, takes much longer. I’m trying to get people stabilized in their homes, I’ve got to get their credit scores up, I need jobs for them that pay a living wage. And if you’re an ex-offender, you’re going to be blocked from subsidized housing. With felony records, you cannot get a good job. To your point, it’s a journey. It takes a while. Many studies have found Columbus and Franklin County to be places with especially wide gaps in economic and childhood opportunity, with Black families suffering the worst effects of high levels of neighborhood segregation. Why does our city stand out? It goes back to what I just mentioned. We have historical institutions that are the feel-good, immediate gratification that we pour our dollars into. That’s one thing. What also has happened, and what I’ve found

in the last couple of years, is that these institutions that are being given the money don’t have the cultural responsiveness to deal with those issues. You have well-intentioned people who want to do the work, but they’re not from the neighborhoods, they don’t look like the people being served, they don’t have the same experiences. When folks are giving money out, they’re also not asking these institutions to disaggregate the data. When you do that, and start looking at all the outcomes for these Black people that you are supposed to serve, you will find that they weren’t servicing them or getting the outcomes that they should—or you and I wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation today. We can’t keep doing stuff the same old way. We keep doing stuff the same old way in Columbus. The same folks get the money, the same folks are not held accountable with the money. What about public policy? What can people advocate for so that, after the marches end and the signs come down, accomplishments remain? There are so many policies that need reformed.

"Think about your neighborhood. Do you live around any Black people? Why is that? Did you purposely move so that you wouldn’t? How many Black people have you had over for dinner or to your parties? Or for sleepovers with your kids?"

Look at the criminal justice system, look at the laws around evictions. Look at men who have back child support—at some point their arrearage turns them into a convicted felon. Then how are they going to pay? We have to look at school funding and at urban districts in a big way. These are things that put people at a disadvantage. We need to say to our lawmakers, a lot of these policies you’ve put in place for us to receive federal funds aren’t flexible. We have to look at our corporate partners. We’ve got to figure out how we put more affordable housing into this community. How can we entice developers? How do we build up Black-owned businesses? One thing people can do is buy Black. There are Black caterers, florists who are in just as dire straits as everyone else right now. I say to my colleagues, we’ve got to put back into the community, too, and not just through our faithbased institutions. Coming down here to your church on Sundays isn’t the same as having these kids see Black professionals walking around, or living next door. They need to see there’s nothing they can’t attain. Are you hopeful? Yes. I have to be. Having hope and being hopeful is what keeps us going here at the Urban League. We have to be that beacon. People have to know there’s a place they can come. Doesn’t matter what they look like, where they live or what their circumstances are. We’re going to give them respect, encouragement, and yes, hope. That’s why I get up every day. Hell yes, I’m tired. But if I’m gonna be tired, I’d rather be tired for doing this.

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Fighting Hunger

National Guard members (lower right) were deployed to the Mid-Ohio Food Collective to supplement a diminished volunteer force (right and below left) during the pandemic.

By Peter Tonguette

t the start of the coronavirus pandemic, staff at the Children’s Hunger Alliance noticed a young woman making regular visits to its meal site at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Northern Lights Branch. They learned she was a mother whose children had, before the pandemic, received two meals a day in school. She had held onto her job, but she saw her hours reduced. Hers was a family in need. “She was struggling,” says Judy Mobley, president and CEO of the Children’s Hunger Alliance.

"When the governor started talking about closing the Arnold [to spectators] ... we realized, 'Uh-oh.'" Matt Habash President and CEO, Mid-Ohio Food Collective

“She was coming every day to get the meals that we were providing.” For countless Central Ohioans, the coronavirus pandemic arrived as it did for that young mother—like a bolt from the blue. One day, Downtown offices were jam-packed with workers; the next, they were emptied except for those considered essential. One day, most socialized without fear or hesitation; the next, distancing was recommended and masks required in many places. But in addition to the need to keep safe from the virus, another less obvious need quickly emerged that would affect surprisingly large numbers: the need for food. It is fair to say that one Central Ohioan who anticipated the virus’s relationship to increased food insecurity sooner than most is Matt Habash, the president and CEO of the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. In early March, when the Arnold Sports Festival was called off by Gov. Mike DeWine, Habash realized that times were about to change for the organization, which, in supplying 680 partners, serves 155,000 meals each day to individuals in 20 counties. “We listened to the governor,” Habash says. “When the governor started talking about closing the Arnold [to spectators] before we even had our first case, and he’s talking about closing schools,

we realized, ‘Uh-oh.’ ” The team was already monitoring areas that were then known to be COVID-19 hot spots, such as Seattle. “We were talking to those food banks,” Habash says. “You could see it starting to happen.” The agency is one of a number of Central Ohio food-insecurity organizations that find themselves reckoning with a challenging new normal: For reasons ranging from job loss to the shuttering of schools and senior centers, hunger has increased among numerous demographics, including families, children, senior citizens and laid-off workers. For example, at LifeCare Alliance, which serves seniors through the Meals-on-Wheels program and operates a food pantry tailored to the specific needs of HIV/AIDS and cancer patients, officials have seen a 54 percent increase in the number of clients and a 65 percent increase in the number of meals; some clients who had received one meal now need two. Despite the challenges, agency leaders sound motivated and even invigorated. “I think you’ve got to step up in these things,” says LifeCare president and CEO Charles Gehring. “The staff almost is excited. They write me emails or they talk to me. I roam around the buildings, and they say, ‘Oh God, you know what? We got this done today.’

File/Columbus Dispatch/Joshua A. Bickel

While much of the focus this year has been on the researchers and medical workers battling the novel coronavirus, these four agencies are quietly addressing a rapidly growing consequence of the pandemic: food insecurity.

They know it’s different than making a widget that nobody cares about.”

Adapting to the Crisis Many agencies have been forced to reinvent how they bring food to their clients. The change was especially dramatic for Mid-Ohio Food Collective, which, in recent years, had deemphasized dry food, like breakfast cereals, in favor of fresh

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File/Columbus Dispatch/Joshua A. Bickel File/Columbus Dispatch/Barbara J. Perenic

food, such as produce. The decision was in part out of necessity. By the mid-2000s, donations of dry food tailed off as grocery stores began using data to more accurately determine how much of a given product should be stocked, a process that led to less excess food available for pantries. Before the pandemic, the collective had a total mix of food that was about 65 percent fresh. Then came COVID.

Although Habash knew that the government would eventually make surplus food available to the agency, he also knew that the process might take months. He felt that the increased need would be instantaneous. “We immediately, without any additional dollars in the bank, said, ‘Start buying truckloads of food,’ ” he says. “We had gotten away from doing that. We really were trying to minimize our semi-

load purchasing of food, trying to live in the surplus fresh food market.” At press time, the agency had ordered 135 tractor-trailer loads of food since March. “Dry goods, toilet paper—the things that we knew were running out in the grocery stores,” Habash says. At the same time, the means by which the agency got food to its customers changed due to concerns

over the virus. Its emphasis on grocery store-style shopping for clients was scrapped and replaced with a prepacked, drive-up, notouch model. As it was ramping up its supply of food, the agency also had to contend with a depleted volunteer roster. Among the volunteers who worked at the agency’s Grove City warehouse, about half had been seniors, but as an at-risk group, they were being told to stay home. Corporate employees, once a reliable part of the agency’s volunteer corps, were also scarce in the new work-from-home environment. Habash had his own concerns. If COVID showed up within the food bank, he might need to close the site, leaving clients scrambling. Now-familiar safety practices, such as temperature checks administered on each person entering the building, were instituted early on. To replenish the volunteer forces, National Guard soldiers were dispatched to help; 100 Guard members were on hand from March through August, and about 50 will remain until Christmas. The Guard members went to work, quickly packing 27,000 emergency food boxes, many of them for distribution in rural counties where Habash anticipated few volunteers would be available, due to restrictions related to COVID-19. Despite the increased and ongoing demand, the Mid-Ohio Food Collective never ran out of food. Funding from the CARES Act, as well as private donations, enabled the agency to double its purchasing budget from $5.5 to $11 million—a sign of just how severe the need is. “We were really in our early time—and still are—

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File/Columbus Dispatch/Eric Albrecht

A former employee of The Table walks through the empty restaurant to deliver a free meal to a furloughed food service worker.

telling people, ‘If you need help, come get it,’ ” Habash says. “Use the food so that you don’t spend money on food that you could have [used to pay] rent or utility bills. … Through no fault of their own, this happened.”

An Industry in Need The Mid-Ohio Food Collective has been in existence for four decades, but the pandemic also gave rise to fresh approaches to tackling hunger. When bars and restaurants closed to curb the spread of the virus, chef Matthew Heaggans (co-owner of Preston’s: A Burger Joint) recognized right away that his fellow workers would be in need. “When the governor issued the shutdown order, it was just devastating,” Heaggans says. “It immediately cratered the industry here in Columbus.” The fear was that everyone from servers to cooks was now at risk of 20

going hungry themselves. Keenly aware of the unfolding crisis, Heaggans and chef Sangeeta Lakhani (co-owner of The Table, which at press time was still closed due to COVID19) considered what they could do right away to make the greatest impact on the industry they knew and loved. “We knew that what people were going to need faster than they needed anything else was food,” Heaggans says. “Within a few weeks, we teamed up with some other people in town, put together a little bit of money and started making food for affected industry workers.” Out of the conversations came a new organization dedicated to providing emergency aid for workers in the hospitality industry, Service! For eight weeks beginning in April, the group assembled a hybrid staff made up of temporary

hires and volunteers to make meals available to impacted workers at pickup locations. “We worked out of the Food Fort,” Heaggans says, referring to the Economic and Community Development Institute’s kitchen incubator on the East Side. “They generously donated the use of their kitchen to us, and we stood there every day and made food for 200 people.” In all, more than 10,000 meals were prepared. After that initial twomonth burst of activity, Service! transitioned into an agency issuing microgrants for another eight weeks. “It was a really, really low bar for entry,” Heaggans says. “If you’re in the industry, and you can demonstrate any sort of a need, we’ve been writing grants just to try to help get people through.” The average grant, supporting everything from hunger to housing, was $250.

The hospitality field in Central Ohio remains precarious: Although many restaurants have reopened with restrictions on capacity, others closed for good, and unemployment in the field is still high. Consequently,

“We knew that what people were going to need faster than they needed anything else was food.” Matthew Heaggans Co-founder, Service!

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“I’m in Trouble.” The increases LifeCare Alliance has seen in the number of clients and meals served in its Mealson-Wheels program can be directly linked to the pandemic: Individuals who had scraped by with the help of a relative or friend suddenly found themselves cut off from their usual supports. “We’re up just tons of people who thought they could get by, but now they can’t,” Gehring says. “Maybe they had a family member who was taking them to the grocery store on Saturday or bringing them stuff. Well, that all stopped with COVID because you’re not allowed in [their homes].” Although the pandemic has driven many to shop online, for many seniors, ordering food for delivery is not an option. “They don’t have the money to get deliveries to their home,” Gehring says, bluntly adding: “This whole thing with online—ordering from Amazon or whoever you’re ordering from—is a foreign concept to them.” According to surveys conducted by LifeCare, fewer than 15 percent of its Meals-on-Wheels clients have a computer or

Rick Jardiolin

Children's Hunger Alliance staff distribute food at a mobile meal stop.

A custodian wheels out a cart of graband-go lunches for school-aged children at Columbus South High School.

File/Columbus Dispatch/Joshua Bickel

Service! is now on the third leg of its journey. “We’re giving some consideration as a group to what our next step will be and how we’ll raise money to execute that,” says Heaggans, who, as an industry veteran, was unsurprised by the need the crisis generated. “The thing that was surprising and heartening was how quickly the community stood up to be of assistance and chip in money to help us meet those needs,” he says, pointing to the combination of individual and corporate giving that has helped to sustain Service! and those it helps.

smartphone in their home. Gehring says that some 1,400 new Meals-on-Wheels recipients were added to the program through referrals from city, county or aging departments. “And they started calling us direct and saying, ‘I’m in trouble. My daughter can’t get to me because of COVID. I’m afraid. Can you help me? I have no food,’ ” Gehring says. Further taxing the agency’s Meals-on-Wheels operation: The program had previously run dining centers at senior communities, which, in addition to providing meals, helped with socialization. “Those

all had to close with the [state health department’s] restaurant order,” Gehring says, so the dishes served as part of that program were suddenly turned into Mealson-Wheels home-delivery meals. “Immediately we lost those meals, but we gained 800 people that were going to those locations,” he says. Meanwhile, use of LifeCare’s pantry for those in the midst of cancer or HIV/ AIDS treatment has spiked by 54 percent. Before the pandemic, about 60 percent of its meals for the ailing were delivered; now, 100 percent are brought to these clients. “We never wanted you on a bus coming here to

pick up stuff anyway,” Gehring says. “If you’re going through treatment, your immune system is horrendously compromised.” How did they cope with the increased volume? Production wasn’t a problem. “We can make meals all day long,” Gehring says. “We can add shifts. … The problem was getting them out to people.” Some of the agency’s paid drivers, which include people into their 80s, did not feel comfortable making stops during the pandemic. But over 1,000 new volunteers—many of them workers who had been temporarily sent home— stepped up in the early days

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of COVID. Many of the new clients, he says, could use microwave ovens, allowing them to accept frozen meals, which unlike hot food, which could be delivered once a week. “Now we’ve lost a lot of new volunteers because they’ve gone back to work,” Gehring says. “We’ve got a sign out in front of our building that says: ‘We’re hiring’—I mean, literally.”

File/Columbus Dispatch/Courtney Hergesheimer

Nourishing Children There are few better illustrations of the ripple effect of the pandemic than the spike in food insecurity among children. “Kids that don’t get healthy food, or enough food to live a healthy life, they just are behind from the very beginning,” says Mobley of the Children’s Hunger Alliance. During the pandemic, the Children’s Hunger Alliance,

LifeCare Alliance • Clients increased by 54 percent • Number of meals served increased by 65 percent lifecarealliance.org

Mid-Ohio Food Collective • 25 percent of families served since March are first-time clients • Pounds of food distributed increased by 20 percent midohiofoodbank.org

Service! • 10,000 meals served to affected hospitality workers servicerelief.org

Children’s Hunger Alliance • Summer feeding sites went from four in 2019 to over 50 this year childrenshungeralliance.org

Restaurateur Sangeeta Lakhani puts together free meals for service workers who lost their jobs due to COVID-19.

a 50-year-old statewide agency headquartered in Columbus, has seen sharp increases in demand for its services. For example, last summer the agency ran or sponsored four feeding sites in Central Ohio; this summer, that number was more than 50 sites. Over the summer, the organization served 1.2 million meals, Mobley says. The USDA, the agency that administers federal nutrition programs, waived regulations that mandated that children eat together at a given summer site, known as “congregate feeding.” That allowed CHA to go to a grab-and-go model. Instead of sitting down for a meal at a given site, family members could pull up to a parking lot and pick up meals. “Cars just line up and come and tell us, ‘I’ve got four kids at home,’ and we hand them four meals,” Mobley says, adding that people often picked up meals for neighbors with children who were in need. “In a time when we don’t want kids to be around each other very much, it just made sense,” she says. The need this summer

could have been even greater if Columbus City Schools had not agreed to supply children with breakfasts and lunches during the summer; the Children’s Hunger Alliance provided dinners. “They normally would not have fed their kids in the summer, but [during] COVID they did, and we continued right alongside them,” Mobley says. The agency’s food vendor struggled to keep up with demand, but instead of

"Until there's a really good vaccine that really works, this need isn't stopping." Charles Gehring President and CEO, LifeCare Alliance

turning programs away, the agency lessened the load by agreeing to pack meals using their own staff and volunteers. “We started ordering individual food components from Sysco ... and our landlord at our corporate office here provided us some space free of charge,” Mobley says. In late September, in recognition of the continuing need, the agency rented a warehouse to continue packing meals. Even though schools in Central Ohio have trickled back open this autumn, uncertainties remain about after-school meal programs. “As schools start opening, the question is, will they then allow these afterschool partners to come and operate an after-school program?” Mobley says. “Do they not want to mess with that … because that’s additional risk? You’ve got other people in your building.” The leaders of the local hunger agencies agree that the aftereffects of the pandemic are likely to be felt for some time. “Until there’s a really good vaccine that really works,” Gehring says, “this need isn’t stopping.”

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Special Advertising Section

Profiles of

Giving A look inside some of the top nonprofit organizations in Central Ohio, focusing on the populations they serve and how they accomplish their missions

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Special Advertising Section

A kid again 777-G Dearborn Park Lane Columbus, Ohio 43085 614-797-9500 akidagain.org/centralohio

Courtesy a kid again

ABOUT Annual revenue: $3,199,987 Number of employees: 20 Established: 1995 Number of locations: One AKACentralOH @akidagain

Sources of funding Private Donations: 47% Special events: 31% Corporate: 14% Grants: 8%

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Jessica Kim Chad Lusher Sarah Miller Brad Mullenix Greg Oden Mike Paoletta Jon Petz Austin Poe Kirsten Sheely Jeremy Taylor Kerri Ward Jeff White Archie Williamson

Our Goals At A Kid Again, illness stops … and adventure begins! For families navigating difficult medical journeys, A Kid Again fosters hope, happiness and healing by providing year-round group activities designed to take their minds off their daily challenges while creating happy memories. Now more than ever, families raising a child with a life-threatening condition need A Kid Again. We will never charge a family to participate in our programs. The entire immediate family enjoys monthly Adventures, support and resources from other families going through similar experiences, and professionals who are prepared to help them smile. The pandemic has made for some of our most challenging times, and that is especially the case for A Kid Again families. A quick pivot meant meeting the needs of our families in a variety of ways. Virtual Adventures, Adventures in a Box to enjoy at home, and where safely possible, inperson Adventures continue to provide the needed support for our brave kids and families.

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Fueling the Adventure in 2021 Thanks to fantastic community partners, there is something for everyone at A Kid Again Adventures. Some of the Adventures planned for 2021: • Miracles and Magic • Columbus Blue Jackets game

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The Wilds Dream Night at the Columbus Zoo Kings Island The Ohio State University Basketball Clinic Zoombezi Bay Columbus Crew game Halloween at Magic Mountain Butch Bando’s Fantasy of Lights A Kid Again Holiday Party

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Courtesy columbus early learning centers

Courtesy a kid again

Special Advertising Section

COLUMBUS EARLY LEARNING CENTERS 1611 Old Leonard Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43219 614-253-5525 columbusearlylearning.org ABOUT Annual revenue: $3,433,152 Number of employees: 64 Established: 1887 Number of locations: Four About Us For over 133 years, our tradition of affordable access to high-quality early childhood education has strengthened the lives of thousands of children and families and the communities in which they live. We serve over 300 children and their families annually at four locations in the city of Columbus. An additional 1,100 children and their families are served each year by home visitation and various wraparound services such as access to housing and utility assistance, food security and holiday support. The children in our service area are disproportionately faced with food insecurity, housing instability, domestic violence, substance abuse and other traumas that impact brain development, increasing the odds of social and learning challenges. We believe that our philosophies of responsive caregiving, intentional teaching, community partnerships and family support helped us to be recognized by The Columbus Foundation in 2019 as one of the Top 5 Nonprofits to Watch. Mission To help young learners develop, families succeed and neighborhoods thrive. We believe that all children should have an early learning experience that gives them a foundation for future success in school and in life. Giving Opportunities • Bridging Bright Minds campaign • Scholarship sponsorship $105 = one week of assistance for a child $5,250 = one year of assistance for a child

ColumbusEarlyLearning

Sources of funding Government contracts: 53% United Way: 16% Fees for service: 16% Private and foundation grants: 8% Contributions and fundraising: 7%

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• • • • • •

Food support for weekly lunches $7.50 one week’s assistance for a child $340.50 for one year’s assistance for a child Classroom supplies $125 per month for classroom supplies Birthday Club for CELC’s children Kroger Community Rewards Amazon Smile Corporate giving In-kind donations

Volunteer Opportunities • Administrative assistance (filing, mailings, committees) • Reading partners • Classroom activities • Parent Child+ home visiting volunteer • Marketing/PR and website activities • Grounds work and classroom improvement projects • School supply drive • Diapers and paper supplies drive

LEADERSHIP Gina M. Ginn, Ph.D. CEO BOARD MEMBERS Doug Hromco President Eric Reisch Treasurer Jennifer Voit Secretary Erika Gable Immediate Past President

Michael Adams John Auletto Randy Bush Jessica Cano Michael A. Ceballos Brian Dick Andrew Geary Nab Kundu Mallory McGill Jaiza Page Anagha Pathak Suresh Rachuri Kim Saxton Jennifer Seale Emily Johnston OSU Moritz College of Law Fellow Mike Swickrath OSU Fisher College of Business Fellow

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Special Advertising Section

Courtesy community shelter board

COMMUNITY SHELTER BOARD 355 E. Campus View Blvd., Suite 250 Columbus, Ohio 43235 614-221-9195 csb.org ABOUT Annual revenue: $44,393,669 Number of employees: 30 Established: 1986 Number of locations: One CommunityShelterBoard @CommShelterBd

Sources of funding U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development: 41% City of Columbus: 15% Franklin County: 13% COVID-19 funding: 9% Private sector contributions: 7% State of Ohio: 6% United Way of Central Ohio: 2% Other: 7%

LEADERSHIP Michelle Heritage Executive Director

BOARD MEMBERS Barbara H. Benham Darnita M. Bradley Jon Cardi Susan Carroll-Boser Amy Dawson Shannon Ginther Joseph Hayek Erik Janas Patrick F. Jarvis Chad A. Jester Andy Keller Tim King Ian R.D. Labitue Dawn Tyler Lee Timothy T. Miller Sheila Prillerman Stephen M. Smith Paul M. Stachura Jonathan D. Welty

MISSION Community Shelter Board leads a coordinated, community effort to make sure everyone has a place to call home. CSB is the collective impact organization driving strategy, accountability, collaboration and resources to achieve the best outcomes for people facing homelessness in Columbus and Franklin County. More than 1,200 people sleep in homeless shelters in Columbus and Franklin County on any given night, while an estimated 600 or more are on the streets. Community Shelter Board is leading a battle to slow the spread of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness. CSB is planning strategically to implement immediate actions in response to COVID19 and preparing for the middle- and long-term impact that this pandemic will have on the health and economy of our community, particularly on low-income people facing homelessness. GIVING OPPORTUNITY No child should spend the holidays in a shelter, especially during a global pandemic. Help us get families home for the holidays. We’ve already housed 500 families so far this year. Help us get even more families home before the holidays. We need your help more than ever before. If you’re thankful to have a safe, warm home, make a gift today at csb.org or text HOME2020 to 91999.

discussion about critical social problems and shed light on innovative solutions to homelessness. The 2020 event featured a live broadcast special with NBC4 about Community Shelter Board’s pandemic response. It included a 10-day lead-in of promotions and news stories with videos featuring each major sponsor. Our community and NBC4 viewers responded with extreme generosity, helping CSB protect homeless men, women and children during this extraordinary time.

EVENTS Under One Roof is Community Shelter Board’s signature fundraising event to spark

Sponsorship for the 2021 event is available at all levels. Contact Melissa Garver at mgarver@csb.org or 614-715-2543.

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CREATIVE LIVING 150 W. 10th Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43201 614-421-1226 creative-living.com ABOUT Annual revenue: $1,124,177 Number of employees: 30 Established: 1974 Number of locations: Two

Courtesy creative living

Courtesy community shelter board

Special Advertising Section

CreativeLivingColumbusOhio Creative Living was founded in 1974 as a 501(c)(3) organization to solve the housing dilemma for physically disabled individuals who desire to live independently to further their education, pursue careers and contribute to the community. Our residents are quadriplegics and paraplegics with spinal cord and brain injuries caused by traumatic accidents or clinical diagnoses that have required full-time or nearly fulltime use of a wheelchair for mobility. At the heart of our mission is the unique Resident Assistance (RA) Program that delivers peace of mind and on-call, nonmedical assistance 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year—things like removing a jacket, transferring from wheelchair to bed or vice versa, or assisting with a full-on emergency, among other needs. This invaluable service bridges the gap between the time a personal care attendant might spend with residents and the remaining hours of the day. Operating the RA Program comes at a price tag of nearly $350,000 per year, which amounts to approximately one-third of our annual operating budget. Opportunities to support us financially include: • Direct contributions to our Annual Campaign, 100% of which benefit the RA Program • Sponsoring/attending one or more of our annual events: the Bouquet of Flavours Wine Tasting, the Creative Living Golf Classic and the Brew Review Craft Beer Tasting

Sources of funding Resident rents, fees & HUD subsidy: 58% Events: 17% Individual and corporate gifts: 14% Investment income: 8% Grants: 3% *B ased on fiscal year 2018–19 •

• • •

Designating Creative Living as a beneficiary/matching employee contributions via workplace giving programs Grants from corporate foundations Planned giving via bequests or other appreciated assets Gifts to our Max’s Brigade program and Resident Relief Fund

Also welcome are donations of time, talent and in-kind goods, such as: • Volunteering to help with events, activities, special projects and programming • Serving on/providing leader(s) for our Board of Trustees • Sporting or entertainment tickets, goods or promotional packs for resident enjoyment or inclusion in event auctions • Providing employment or educational opportunities for the advancement of our residents and/or organization

LEADERSHIP Robert Overs Executive Director

BOARD MEMBERS David Berentz President Todd Ackerman Emily Williams Arp Jon Giganti Kenneth Hall Mira Kipker John Lepley Kim Manley James Martin Rebecca Mohiuddin Chris Wager

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GIRL SCOUTS OF OHIO’S HEARTLAND 1700 Watermark Drive Columbus, Ohio 43081 614-487-8101 gsoh.org ABOUT Annual revenue: $7,462,223 Number of employees: 85 Established: 1912 Number of locations: Six Courtesy girl scouts

GirlScoutsOH @GirlScoutsOH

Sources of funding Product Program: 70.1% Program Fees: 13.8% Contributions: 11.2% Retail: 3.3% Other: 1.6%

LEADERSHIP Tammy H. Wharton President and CEO BOARD MEMBERS Amy Franko Chair Jennifer Reimer First Vice Chair Cathy Lanning Second Vice Chair

Shakila Ali Bhakti Bania Michele Bertoia Jacquie Bickel Karrie Braganza Darren Cherry Tracy Elich Cailin Falato Lisa Groff Stella Keane Susan Krantz Su Lok Matt Pieper Elizabeth Seely

Molly Crabtree Secretary Sarah H. Martin Treasurer Tammy H. Wharton President and CEO Ryann D. Diva S. Girl Members

Mission Statement Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. About the Organization Since 1912, Girl Scouts has played a major role in the lives of millions of girls worldwide by giving them a safe space to learn, lead and thrive. In a typical year, Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland serves 30 counties, 153 school districts and more than 18,000 girls annually with the help of more than 4,000 volunteers. We stand for empowering all girls—in every community across our nation, from every background and every ability—to create the change they want to see in the world. Through our programs, girls get to lead the way, team up with other girls and choose hands-on activities that interest them most. Along the way, they gain important skills in STEM, the outdoors, life skills and entrepreneurship; the pillars of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Individual and Corporate Opportunities At Girl Scouts, we believe that when girls succeed, so does society. We provide girls with a place to discover their passions and find their voice while positively impacting their communities. There are many different ways to invest in girls, from individual giving opportunities to

corporate team volunteering. When you support Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland, you are building future leaders right here in our community. Ways to Support Girl Scouts • Volunteer opportunities that fit your schedule. • Attend or sponsor a Girl Scout event. • Donate online at gsoh.org/donate. • Participate in corporate grant opportunities for programming in STEM, outdoor education, life skills, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. • Make a planned gift. Upcoming Events Tuesday, March 2, 2021: State of the Girl Friday, Sept. 24, 2021: Urban Campout

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ABOUT Annual revenue: $4,821,924 Number of employees: 38 Established: 1987 Number of locations: One

Courtesy homeport

Courtesy girl scouts

HOMEPORT 3443 Agler Road Columbus, Ohio 43219 614-221-8889, homeportohio.org

HomeportOH

Sources of funding Who We Are Homeport is the largest, locally focused nonprofit developer of affordable housing in Central Ohio; it works with individuals, families and seniors making 60 percent or less of the area median income, which is $45,840 for a family of four. Homeport owns 2,409 affordable rental apartments and homes in 38 communities and provides a broad range of services to its 6,279 residents. Homeport is a leading provider of homebuyer education and budget and credit counseling for Central Ohio. What We Do The team at Homeport is truly in the “people business.” Providing a roof over someone’s head is only the start of a stronger home. Homeport surrounds its rental communities with comprehensive support to promote long-term stability and health. With the assistance of partners and volunteers, Homeport organizes out-of-school programs, free produce markets, school supply drives and more for thousands of residents every year. Why We Are Important Homeport addresses the growing demand of affordable housing in Central Ohio. And the challenge is huge: • 54,000 Central Ohio households are paying more than half their incomes for housing. • The poverty population has grown at more than three times the rate of the overall population (2009-2014) and extends into Columbus suburbs.

Rentals and other revenue: 59.3% Contributions and pledges: 27.3% Government grants: 13.4%

LEADERSHIP Bruce Luecke President & CEO

• •

•

There is only one affordable rental unit for every three renters in poverty. Of the top 10 occupations with the most annual openings, nine do not pay workers enough to afford housing. More than 17,000 Central Ohioans are on the application list for a rental subsidy.

How You Can Help An investment in Homeport is an investment in the lives of Central Ohioans and beyond. A decent home is at the center of every important issue; it has a multiplier effect and changes the lives of generations. Our resident services enhance the chances of family, financial and community stability. This leads to jobs, better health, improved economic conditions and financial education.

Valorie Schwarzmann Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice President, Program Operations Maude Hill Senior Vice President, Community & Government Relations Leah F. Evans Senior Vice President, Real Estate Development Lisa J. Roberson Vice President, Human Resources BOARD of directors Mark A. Pringle Chair Michael Kelley Vice Chair Paula Hughes Secretary

Emmett M. Kelly Treasurer Chris L. Hune Past Chair Anthony Anzic Stephen R. Buchenroth Dawn Carpenter Melissa Centers Robert “Bo” Chilton Julius Cox Scott Failor Linda Flickinger John Geha Matthew Keating Mike Lange Cindy Millison Sara Neikirk Larry Price Michael Purcell Denise Robinson Jose Rodriguez Stefanie StewardYoung Jill Tangeman Charles Thompkins Kristopher “Kip” Wahlers Non-Voting Board Fellows Derek Bergman Madison McDowell

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MARBURN ACADEMY 9555 Johnstown Road New Albany, Ohio 43054 614-433-0822 marburnacademy.org Courtesy Marburn Academy

ABOUT Annual revenue: $9.6 million Number of employees: 100 Established: 1981 Number of locations: One MarburnAcademy @marburnacademy

Sources of funding

Tuition and fees: 88% Contributions (individuals, corporations and foundations): 12%

LEADERSHIP Eldrich A. Carr III Head of School Jennifer MartinGledhill Associate Head of School Lucy Godman Chief Advancement Officer Chip Spires Chief Financial Officer Laura Schmidt Brady Chief Human Resources Officer BOARD MEMBERS Brian Hicks Chair

Lisa Edwards Steven Guy, Ph.D. Karen Heiser, Ph.D. Jay Jadwin Jason Judd Steve Miggo Rick Milenthal Michael Parkes Jim Perry Terry Sanders Beth Savage Carolyn Wall Tom White Tony White Amber Williams Sharon Wolfe Eldrich A. Carr III Ex Officio Member Marjorie Garek Trustee Emerita

Tim Martin Vice Chair Jessica Ditullio Secretary Tim Johnson Treasurer

VISION STATEMENT We envision a world where every child may learn. MISSION STATEMENT At Marburn Academy, we celebrate students who learn differently, empowering them to awaken their potential, to achieve success in school and life, and to drive positive change in our communities. ABOUT MARBURN ACADEMY Marburn Academy is an independent day school for students who learn differently due to dyslexia, ADHD and executive function difficulties. In a typical year, Marburn educates more than 370 students in grades 1–12* year-round in its day school and summer programs. Marburn provides a positive learning environment where students thrive. This happens through a one-on-one advisory structure, hands-on experiential learning, Orton-Gillingham language classes and small class sizes. Marburn provides a full complement of art, music, drama, physical education and technology classes, as well as co-curriculars in athletics, the arts and community service. Students entering Marburn Academy often feel defeated by their educational journey. Marburn Academy meets students where they are and helps them find their strengths. When students leave Marburn, their view on education has changed, they have confidence, they advocate for themselves, and they are on the path toward success. *F irst grade available based on the number of qualified applicants.

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES • Individual giving • Corporate giving • Foundations/Grants • Sponsorship of Marburn Academy’s Annual Gala • COVID-19 Emergency Family Assistance Program • Gifts-in-kind (products and services) • Marburn Academy Legacy Society (planned giving) • Endowment Contributions enable the school to provide vital scholarships for qualified Marburn families, to strengthen cutting-edge curricula and to support innovative teaching. Marburn depends on the generosity of its donors to defray daily operating expenses. WAYS TO GIVE Please support Marburn Academy initiatives that help to make a difference in the life of every student. Individual gifts can be made online at marburnacademy.org/invest or mailed to Marburn Academy, 9555 Johnstown Road, New Albany, Ohio 43054. For all other gifts, please contact the development office at 614-396-4877.

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MARYHAVEN 1791 Alum Creek Drive Columbus, Ohio 43207 614-445-8131 maryhaven.com Courtesy maryhaven

ABOUT Annual revenue: $34,569,000 Number of employees: 484 Established: 1953 Number of locations: Eight MaryhavenInc Maryhaven

Mission Maryhaven helps individuals lead healthy lives free from addiction and mental illness through education, treatment and support.

Sources of funding Public grants and programs: 49%

Programs and Services Maryhaven provides integrated behavioral health care services to help men, women and children restore their lives from the effects of addiction and mental illness.

Medicaid: 39% Other: 6% Contributions and donations: 5%

Public Health Programs • Adult residential and outpatient programs • Adolescent home-based outpatient treatment programs • School-based prevention services in Morrow and Delaware counties • Homeless services Public Safety Programs • Intervention and treatment programs connected to adult and juvenile court systems • Underage drinking/drug programs for ages 12–20 • Federal prison, probation and pretrial programs Maryhaven Addiction Stabilization Center This 55-bed treatment facility on the South Side of Columbus specializes in the care of individuals who have recently experienced an opiate overdose or are at high-risk to experience an opiate overdose. Services include triage and withdrawal management (detox). Giving Opportunities • Corporate giving – Corporate donations –D esignate Maryhaven as the

Federal probation/ pretrial: 1%

•

• • • •

beneficiary of employee events onation of products, materials –D and services – Event sponsorships –G ive through corporate giving campaigns – Matching gifts – Senior executive board service – Volunteer groups or individuals Individual giving – Volunteer – Adopt a building – Attend Maryhaven’s annual fundraiser – Planned giving elect Maryhaven as your –S designated charity through giving programs such as Amazon Smiles and Kroger Community Rewards Estate donations Planned giving Endowment fund Volunteering opportunities

LEADERSHIP Shawn D. Holt President and CEO

BOARD MEMBERS Kevin Brady Board Chair

Adam Rowan COO

Amy Heaton Vice Chair

John Reed CFO

Noreen Nichols Treasurer

Angela Stewart VP of HR

Abby Morrison Secretary

Dr. Trupti Patel Medical Director

Tina Ambrozy David E. Cain Patricia Eshman Thom Lach John Littlejohn Daniel R. Moore Jr. Rich Mueller Guy Lester Reece II Lana T. Ruebel Lisa L. Sadler Charles A. Schneider Michael Stovall

Matt Donovan VP of Operations Melissa Mitchell General Counsel Nanon Morrison VP of Development and Marketing

How to Help during COVID-19 • Volunteer virtually • Donate PPE supplies • Make a recurring monthly gift • Organize a fundraiser Giving 2021 columbus monthly | columbus ceo

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Giving2021

Social Datebook

Compiled by Suzanne Goldsmith

Charitable Events

A yearlong calendar of fundraisers, friend-raisers and other philanthropic gatherings

To share information about your 2022 charitable events, email sgoldsmith@ columbusmonthly.com.

Spring TBD Action for Children Annual Fundraiser Benefiting: Action for Children Date: TBD Type of event: Virtual Tickets: Free Action for Children transforms the lives of children by supporting, empowering and advocating for the adults who make the biggest impact on children’s lives—their parents, caregivers and teachers. Join the annual event to learn more about the organization’s work and to kick off its 50th anniversary. 614-2240222, actionforchildren.org Taste Of Class for Kids Benefiting: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio Date: TBD Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. 614-839-2447, bbbscentralohio.org

Summer TBD T’s for Tees Benefiting: First Tee – Central Ohio Date: TBD Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD At First Tee, the goal is to enhance and enrich the lives of children by using the game of golf as a medium to teach a variety of life skills, core values and healthy habits. Funds will be allocated to programming at courses, in schools and through outreach partnerships. 614-751-8227, tsfortees.com

Fall TBD Bed Race Benefiting: Furniture Bank of Central Ohio

Date: TBD Location: Easton Town Center Tickets: TBD Funds raised through the Bed Race will support the Furniture Bank’s efforts to provide essential furniture and household goods to Central Ohio individuals and families impacted by poverty and struggling with severe life challenges such as homelessness, domestic violence and child safety and security. 614272-9544, furniturebankcoh.org Helping Horses Help Kids Charity Event Benefiting: PBJ Connections Date: TBD Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD PBJ Connections provides professional behavioral and mental health therapy to children, families and adults through horses, counseling and nature. Programs include teletherapy, office visits and equine-assisted therapy to all members of the Central Ohio community, regardless of ability to pay. Proceeds support operating costs and scholarships to those that need financial assistance to receive mental health therapy. 740-9247543, pbjconnections.org Herbert J. Block Memorial Tournament Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Date: TBD Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: $1,500 individual golfer The Herbert J. Block Memorial Tournament was founded in 1982 to benefit cancer research at the OSUCCC—James. 614-2939349, go.osu.edu/blocktournament Harvest of Hope Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Date: TBD Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: $600 and up This fundraising gala benefiting the OSUCCC— James promises to be an elegant evening featuring a sophisticated wine and culinary experience. It supports the OSUCCC—James’ efforts in immuno-oncology research—the next frontier in cancer prevention and treatment. 614-293-4711, cancer.osu.edu/harvestofhope

Columbus Mac & Cheese Festival Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Date: TBD Location: Easton Town Center Tickets: TBD The Columbus Mac & Cheese Festival features mac and cheese tastings from the best Columbus restaurants. Your ticket grants you entry to the festival and full access to the tastings provided at no additional cost. Funds raised will support adolescent and young adult cancer research at the OSUCCC—James. 614-293-9349, cancer.osu. edu/macandcheese

January Jan. 1 Democratize Philanthropy 2021 Benefiting: The 52 Million Project Type of event: Virtual Tickets: Free The 52 Million Project asks donors to give no more than $1 per week. Funds are used to support a different nonprofit fighting poverty each week, with the aim of democratizing philanthropy. 614-390-3326, 52millionproject.org Jan. 12 Opera Columbus Asks Luncheon Benefiting: Opera Columbus Location: Lincoln Theatre Ballroom, 769 E. Long St. Tickets: $65 A luncheon event, part of the VIP Party Series, with a panel conversation that will investigate the healing power of music and the arts. Proceeds will benefit local youth organizations and Opera Columbus. 614-4618101, operacolumbus.org Jan. 18 36th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast Benefiting: Martin Luther King Breakfast Committee, Inc. Type of event: Virtual Tickets: $20; sponsorship opportunities available This year, the keynote speaker at this popular event honoring the memory of Dr. King will be Karine Jean-Pierre, chief public affairs officer of MoveOn.org and a political analyst for NBC and MSNBC. Proceeds support scholarships to Morehouse College, Dr. King’s alma mater,

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as well as the King Arts Complex. 614-8636442, mlkjrbreakfast.com Jan. 27 The New Albany Lecture Series: Civil Discourse and Debate with David Axelrod and Chris Christie Benefiting: The New Albany Community Foundation Type of event: Virtual Tickets: Free The New Albany Community Foundation presents the New Albany Center for Civil Discourse & Debate program at 7 p.m. featuring David Axelrod, director of the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN senior political commentator, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, moderated by NBC4 anchor Colleen Marshall. Register at foundation website. 614-939-8150, newalbanyfoundation.org Jan. 30 Wonderball 2021 Benefiting: Columbus Museum of Art Type of event: Virtual Tickets: Free; donations encouraged Dress up in your favorite black and white attire and get ready to experience wonder from the comfort of home as Wonderball 2021 goes virtual. Wonderball celebrates the creative spirit of Columbus through collaboration with artists and performers who inspire. Proceeds benefit creative programs at Columbus Museum of Art, where imaginations run wild. 614-221-6801, columbusmuseum.org

February DATE TBD Youth of the Year Benefiting: Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: Sponsorship opportunities available from $2,500 Boys & Girls Clubs’ Youth of the Year program honors and celebrates the nation’s most inspiring teens. Candidates compete to become the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio Youth of the Year by writing and delivering a speech, as well as fielding questions about their leadership and service. 614-221-8830, bgccentralohio.org Feb. 13 38th Annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake Benefiting: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio Location: Columbus Square Bowling Palace, 5707 Forest Hills Blvd. Tickets: $25 registration fee; bowlers set their own fundraising goals Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. 614-839-2447, bowl-big.org Feb. 19 A Capital Valentine Benefiting: Ohio Cancer Research Location: Hilton Columbus at Easton, 3900 Chagrin Dr.

Tickets: $250 Ohio Cancer Research is a statewide, independent nonprofit organization that provides seed funding for new ideas in basic cancer research at institutions throughout Ohio, including the Ohio State University and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. OCR-funded research success has led to many developments that result in saving, improving and extending lives. 614-224-1127, ohiocancer.org Feb. 21–26 Buckeye Cruise for Cancer Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Labadee, Haiti (private island) and Falmouth, Jamaica Tickets: Package pricing varies The annual cruise sets sail with a ship full of Buckeye greats and fans in support of the Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Research. 614-792-6204, buckeyecruise.com Feb. 22 The New Albany Lecture Series featuring Dan Buettner Benefiting: The New Albany Community Foundation Type of event: Virtual Tickets: Free The New Albany Lecture Series, in collaboration with Healthy New Albany, will feature explorer and National Geographic Society fellow Dan Buettner in a virtual conversation.

For over 30 years, this has been I Know I Can's promise to Columbus students. Through its strategic combination of early intervention, one-on-one advising, and supportive mentoring, I Know I Can is guiding more students to informed choices that lead to high school graduation and postsecondary success. Learn more at iknowican.org. Join us in our mission to inspire, enable and support Columbus students in pursuing and completing a postsecondary education. info@iknowican.org www.iknowican.org || 1108 1108 City City Park Park Ave., Ave Suite Suite301 301Columbus, Columbus,OH OH43206 43206||614.233.9510 614.233.9510

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Buettner is an award-winning journalist and producer and a New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world—dubbed Blue Zones—where people live the longest, healthiest lives. Register in advance for this free, virtual program. 614939-8150, newalbanyfoundation.org

March March 11 Opera Columbus Gala Benefiting: Opera Columbus Location: The Fives, 555 W. Goodale St. Tickets: $650 and up The mission of Opera Columbus is to advance the experience and the art of opera. The annual gala will be a glamorous evening of opera and elegance, celebrating the season with dramatic flair. All proceeds from the event will support operating expenses of Opera Columbus. 614-461-8101, operacolumbus.org

April DATE TBD Handbag HULLABALOO! Dublin Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events DATE TBD Short North Gala Benefiting: Short North Alliance Location: TBD, Short North Arts District Tickets: TBD The Short North Gala proudly recognizes the individuals, businesses and organizations who make an impact in the Short North Arts District. More information will be announced on the Short Nort Alliance’s website prior to the event. 614-299-8050, shortnorth.org/gala DATE TBD Thurber Prize for American Humor Benefiting: Thurber House Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Thurber House, a nonprofit arts organization and museum of humorist James Thurber, provides author events, writing workshops, residencies, and educational programs for young people. The Thurber Prize for American Humor is a national award for humor writing. Past winners include Trevor Noah, David Sedaris, and Jon Stewart. Funds raised support Thurber House programs. 614-4641032, thurberhouse.org

DATE TBD Under One Roof Benefiting: Community Shelter Board Type of event: Virtual Tickets: TBD Community Shelter Board leads a coordinated, community effort to make sure everyone has a place to call home in Columbus and Franklin County. Under One Roof raises critical funds to provide homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, street outreach, rapid re-housing and permanent supportive housing programs to vulnerable people in Central Ohio. 614-715-2534, csb.org April 8 Lincoln Theatre Celebration Benefiting: Lincoln Theatre Association Location: Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St. Tickets: TBD Lincoln Theatre Association provides the foundation needed to fund mission-driven programming, incubate and engage local artists and enrich the life of Central Ohio residents through the presentation of multiethnic, multigenerational and multipurpose arts and education. All funds raised through the celebration will go toward general operating support. 614-719-6746, lincolntheatre columbus.com April 10 AIDS Walk Ohio Benefiting: Equitas Health Location: McFerson Commons, 218 West St. Tickets: $1 registration; $50 fundraising commitment One of the longest-running fundraiser walks in Central Ohio raises funds for HIV prevention and treatment. 614-340-6715, aidswalkohio.com April 22 Women of Promise Benefiting: New Directions Career Center Location: St. Charles Prepatory School, 2010 E. Broad St. Tickets: TBD Women of Promise, the center’s signature fundraising event, is an unforgettable evening filled with food, drinks, auctions and celebration, all in the name of supporting the exceptional career guidance, development and counseling services available at New Directions Career Center. 614-849-0028, newdirectionscc.org April 22–25 Art in Bloom Benefiting: Columbus Museum of Art Location: Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. Tickets: Prices vary Welcome spring with creative floral interpretations of works of art at the Columbus Museum of Art. Art in Bloom also includes virtual and on-site programming, such as The Art of Style with Carson Kressley on April 23. Proceeds support creative programs and initiatives for children and families at the Columbus Museum of Art. 614-221-6801, columbusmuseum.org

April 23 The AmazeAbility Ball Benefiting: Bridgeway Academy Type of event: Hybrid (virtual event, potentially with in-person component) Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Bridgeway Academy is a nonprofit education and therapy center serving nearly 350 children and teens with autism and developmental disabilities. Funds raised at The AmazeAbility Ball help support the staff, families and programs at Bridgeway Academy, so that all children can have the support they need to reach their highest potential. 614-262-7520, bridgewayohio.org April 23 Evening of Light Benefiting: Alvis Inc. Location: Hollywood Casino Columbus, 200 Georgesville Rd. Tickets: TBD Evening of Light supports Alvis’ Family and Children’s Program. The purpose of this unique program is to heal parent-child relationships that have been broken by a parent’s involvement in the justice system. The program provides parenting education, counseling for adults and children, and structured activities designed to build relationships. 614-252-8402, alvis180.org

May DATE TBD Handbag HULLABALOO! Powell Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events DATE TBD JCC Golf Open Benefiting: Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus Location: Columbus Country Club, 4831 E. Broad St. Tickets: $150 The JCC Golf Open supports the ongoing community support work of the Columbus JCC. Early childhood education, senior adult programs, fitness and wellness activities, and community arts and culture programming make up just some of what the JCC is known for. After a hiatus in 2020, join the JCC to celebrate and spend a day on the greens. 614559-6202, columbusjcc.org DATE TBD SOS Pops the Cork – Wine and Appetizer Tasting with Silent Auction Benefiting Scholarship Opportunities for Success

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File/Columbus Dispatch/Brooke LaValley

Hat Day

Tickets: $40 Location: York Golf Club, 7459 N. High St. Scholarship Opportunities for Success provides scholarships for lower-income women in their path to improve their lives by obtaining a college degree. Many of these women are overcoming abuse—whether it be physical, mental, sexual, emotional, drug, alcohol or, often, a combination thereof. 740-815-3520, sosgrants.org May 4 The New Albany Lecture Series featuring Margaret Trudeau Benefiting: The New Albany Community Foundation Type of event: Virtual Tickets: Free The New Albany Community Foundation, in collaboration with The Well-Being Connection, presents Margaret Trudeau, bestselling author and mental health advocate. This virtual program is free and open to all. Register in advance at the foundation’s website. 614-939-8150, newalbanyfoundation.org May 7 Les Chapeaux dans le Jardin (Hat Day) Benefiting: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Location: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. Tickets: $350 Hat Day benefits Franklin Park Conservatory’s pre-K and K–12 education and outreach programs. 614-715-8044, fpconservatory.org/hatday

May 8 Make-A-Wish Central Ohio BIG Wish Gala Benefiting: Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana Location: Hilton Columbus at Easton, 3900 Chagrin Dr. Tickets: TBD Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana grants life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. All the money raised at the Central Ohio BIG Wish Gala will go toward making wishes come true for Central Ohio children. 614-763-6263, oki.wish.org May 14 2021 CCAD Fashion Show Benefiting: Columbus College of Art & Design Type of event: Virtual, with an option for an in-person, socially distanced experience Tickets: $25 virtual admission; VIP and sponsorships available Columbus College of Art & Design is one of the oldest private, nonprofit art and design colleges in the United States. The CCAD Fashion Show—the most fashionable fundraiser of the year—highlights the work of emerging designers and raises funds for student scholarships. 614-222-3232, ccad.edu/fashionshow May 14 Sporting Clay Charity Event Benefiting: The Salvation Army in Central Ohio Location: Cardinal Shooting Center, 616 State Route 61, Marengo

Tickets: TBD The Salvation Army serves the most vulnerable populations, and one way is by feeding the hungry. Since COVID-19 began the organization has seen a 200 percent increase in the need for its pantry services. All proceeds from this event benefit Salvation Army feeding programs. 614437-2138, salvationarmycentralohio.org May 15 Celebration for Life Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Smith & Wollensky, 4145 The Strand W., Easton Town Center Tickets: $2,500 per person Celebration for Life is an annual event chaired by Judy and Steve Tuckerman to benefit the James Fund for Life, an annual fund established by Abigail and Les Wexner. 614-2934700, cancer.osu.edu/celebrationforlife May 16 Opera Columbus Boozy Brunch Benefiting: Opera Columbus Location: The Point at the Park, 150 S. High Street Tickets: $75 The last event in the Opera Columbus VIP Party Series will be a fun brunch before the annual Cooper-Bing vocal competition, with a conversation panel of board members and community advocates. Proceeds will support Opera Columbus. 614-461-8101, operacolumbus.org Giving 2021 columbus monthly | columbus ceo

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File/Columbus Dispatch/Eric Albrecht

Doo Dah Parade

May 17 Charity Golf Classic Benefiting: Cancer Support Community Central Ohio Location: The Medallion Club, 5000 Club Dr., Westerville Tickets: TBD Funds will be used to support more than 80 monthly evidence-based programs and services for people impacted by cancer. Programs include support groups, care plans, movement classes, stress management sessions, educational workshops, and healthy cooking and nutrition demonstrations. All programs are designed to improve overall health and quality of life for all those impacted by cancer—patients, family members, caregivers, friends—at no cost. 614-884-4673, cancersupportohio.org

June DATE TBD Bash at the Barn Benefiting: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Location: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. Tickets: $75 Funds raised through Bash at the Barn benefit the conservatory’s horticulture programs and community outreach initiatives, cultivating a closer connection between people and the natural world. 614-715-8044, fpconservatory.org/bash DATE TBD Joe Mortellaro Junior Golf Tournament

Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events DATE TBD A&F Challenge Benefiting: SeriousFun Children’s Network Location: Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Global Home Office, 6301 Fitch Path, New Albany Tickets: TBD The A&F Challenge is A&F Co.’s annual festival and fundraiser supporting SeriousFun Children’s Network. Each year, Abercrombie employees fundraise so kids with serious illnesses can experience the magic of camp at SFCN’s global family of camps and programs—all free of charge. anfchallenge.org DATE TBD Step Up for Stefanie’s Champions Benefiting: Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Cancer Center, 1145 Olentangy River Rd. Tickets: $36 and up This is a family-friendly 4-mile/1-mile walk or

run. A program celebrates champions in the lives of survivors prior to the start. 614-2939349, go.osu.edu/stepup DATES TBD LemonAiD Benefiting: The Salvation Army in Central Ohio Location: Various locations and online LemonAiD stands Tickets: Free to participate; donations accepted This program serves low-income youths through after-school learning centers, summer and day camps, free music lessons and character-building programs. All proceeds raised through LemonAiD go back into funding youth programs. 614-358-2627, salvationarmylemonaid.org June 4 Big Hearts Benefiting: Furniture Bank of Central Ohio Location: The Fives, 555 W. Goodale St. Tickets: TBD Funds raised through Big Hearts will support the Furniture Bank’s efforts to provide essential furniture and household goods to Central Ohio individuals and families impacted by poverty and struggling with severe life challenges such as homelessness, domestic violence, and child safety and security. 614272-9544, furniturebankcoh.org June 6 Bexley Women’s Club House and Garden Tour Benefiting: Bexley Women’s Club missions Location: TBD

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Tickets: $20 Proceeds from the Bexley Women’s Club’s tour provide scholarships, community and social services support in Bexley and the surrounding communities. bexleywomen.org

AN INVESTMENT IN DRESS FOR SUCCESS COLUMBUS

IS AN INVESTMENT IN WOMEN. In families, in communities, and in economic empowerment

June 13 Jack Roth Rock ’N’ Run/Walk Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Cassingham Elementary, 250 S. Cassingham Rd., Bexley Tickets: TBD An annual run/walk benefiting lung cancer research through the Jack Roth Fund at the James. 614-293-4927, jackrothfund.org

1204 NORTH HIGH STREET. COLUMBUS, OHIO 43201 DFSColumbus.org | 614.291.5420

June 14 An Evening With Dr. Alan Keyes Benefiting: Greater Columbus Right to Life Location: Villa Milano, 1630 Schrock Rd. Tickets: General admission: free; VIP: $100 Greater Columbus Right to Life is a nonpolitical education and advocacy organization, with a mission to build a culture that protects innocent human life from conception until natural death. Funds raised will support operational and program expenses related to prayer, education and advance medical directives projects. 614-445-8508, gcrtl.org June 26 JR Memorial Cruise for a Cure Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Indian Lake, Huntsville Tickets: TBD The cruise starts at Cranberry Resort at 1 p.m., then heads to Acheson’s at 2:30 p.m. and finishes the day at Mimi’s, where there will be live music, auctions and great food. 614-293-4927, jrmemorial.com

Helping people in Central Ohio breathe easier for 114 years!

614-457-4570

www.breathingassociation.org

Mobile Clinic Locations

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July DATE TBD 35th Annual RMHC Joe Mortellaro Golf Classic Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: Multiple golf courses, Dublin Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events July 4 Doo Dah Parade Benefiting: Friends of Doo Dah Location: Throughout the Short North Tickets: Free The Doo Dah Parade provides a platform for anyone to have place to express opinions through humor. All funds raised go to support

Subscribe or renew your annual subscription to Columbus Monthly for $18. Go to columbusmonthly.com or call 877-688-8009. Giving 2021 columbus monthly | columbus ceo

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the operations of producing the parade. 614118-1868, doodahparade.com July 22–25 Pan Ohio Hope Ride Benefiting: American Cancer Society Location: Start line: Cleveland; finish line: Cincinnati Tickets: Registration options on website The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save lives, celebrate lives and lead the fight for a world without cancer. 440-541-9930, pohr.org July 31 The Ohio Eggfest Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: TBD Tickets: TBD A fundraising event and celebration of family, food and everything Big Green Egg. The event is a grilling, smoking, barbecue and cooking competition that features the Big Green Egg. 614-261-0824, theohioeggfest.com

August Aug. 2 Give 18 Charity Pro-Am Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: The Lakes Golf & Country Club, 6740 Worthington Rd., Westerville Tickets: Sponsorship and golf opportunities from $350 to $10,000 Give 18 supports and funds research targeting all types of cancers, including melanoma, lung, colorectal, sarcoma, ovarian, prostate and breast cancer. 800-295-4572, give18.org Aug. 6–8 Pelotonia Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Throughout Central Ohio Tickets: Fundraising commitments vary Founded in 2008, Pelotonia started as a grassroots bike tour but has become so much more than that. It’s an organization that exists to change the world by accelerating innovative cancer research. 614-221-6100, pelotonia.org Aug. 10 Taste the Future Benefiting: Columbus State Community College Foundation Location: Columbus State Community College Main Campus Courtyard, 550 E. Spring St. Tickets: $100 A culinary showcase of Central Ohio’s best in food and drink. More than just food, it is a tasty fundraiser to support student success at Columbus State. 614-287-5101, tastethefuture.com Aug. 13 Heroes in the Hangar: A Suitcase Party Benefiting: 3rd & Goal Foundation

Location: MPW Aviation Center at John Glenn International Airport, 4600 International Gtwy. Tickets: $150 Founded by Brady Quinn, the 3rd & Goal Foundation is committed to making a difference in the lives of veterans in need. 614-733-4899 3andg.org

vatory’s community outreach and access programs. These include gardening initiatives to support community gardens, address food insecurity and support food banks as well as accessibility initiatives that ensure everyone can enjoy the benefits of the conservatory. 614-715-8044, fpconservatory.org/fieldtotable

Aug. 14 Columbus Symphony Gala Benefiting: Columbus Symphony Orchestra Location: The Fives, 555 W. Goodale St. Tickets: $600 and up The annual gala is a fundraising event for the symphony. Event support will benefit all CSO programs, a wide array of concerts, education and collaborative events in the community to support our mission of inspiring and building a strong community through music. 614-228-9600, columbussymphony.com

Aug. 28 Wonderball Warm Up Benefiting: Columbus Museum of Art Location: Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. Tickets: TBD Experience a taste of Wonderball in a new season. Wonderball Warm Up is the pre-party for Wonderball 2022, featuring a relaxed indoor and outdoor setting for an inspired summer celebration. Proceeds benefit creative programming at Columbus Museum of Art, where imaginations run wild. 614-221-6801, columbusmuseum.org

Aug. 20–21 C2C Relay Run Benefiting: American Cancer Society Location: Start line: Genoa Park, 303 W. Broad St., Columbus; finish line: Yeatman’s Cove, 75 E. Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati Tickets: Various options The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save and celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer. 440-541-9930, c2crelayrun.org Aug. 23 Golf Classic Benefiting: New Directions Career Center Location: The Club at Tartan Fields, 8070 Tartan Fields Dr., Dublin Tickets: TBD New Directions Career Center’s mission is to empower women in transition to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency. Toward this end, NDCC provides career counseling, employment-related education and information services. Since 1980, more than 65,000 individuals have been served. Its programs and services will empower you to become capable, confident and strong in the face of a competitive, ever-changing job market. 614849-0028, newdirectionscc.org Aug. 23 Papa John’s Charity Challenge Benefiting: Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: The Medallion Club, 5000 Club Dr., Westerville Tickets: TBD This will be the fifth annual golf outing benefiting the Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Research. 614-296-7136, papajohnscharitychallenge.com Aug. 27 Field to Table Benefiting: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Location: Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, 1777 E. Broad St. Tickets: $350 Field to Table raises funds for the conser-

September DATE TBD Be The Good Benefiting: Besa Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Besa connects people with local charities— from food pantries and community gardens to homeless shelters and senior homes. With your help, Besa provides support to those who need it most. Donations ensure that the organization can connect people with the causes they care about and that nonprofits can fulfill their missions. 614-363-2315 ext. 4, givebesa.org DATE TBD Campfire 2021 Benefiting: Flying Horse Farms Location: Flying Horse Farms, 5260 State Route 95, Mount Gilead Tickets: TBD Flying Horse Farms is a medical specialty camp that offers children with serious illnesses a way to live without limitations for a week at a time. Funds raised at Campfire 2021 will allow children and families to attend Flying Horse Farms for their own healing, transformative experience. 419-751-7077, flyinghorsefarms.org DATE TBD Handbag HULLABALOO! Ross County Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: The Christopher Conference Center, 20 N. Plaza Blvd., Chillicothe Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events

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File/Columbus Dispatch/Eric Albrecht

Pelotonia

DATE TBD RMHC Sporting Clays Tournament Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: Mad River Sportsman’s Club, 1055 County Highway 25 S., Bellefontaine Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events DATE TBD Paint the Town Center Red Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: Easton Town Center Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events Sept. 10 Chix with Stix Benefiting: Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at the Ohio State

University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute Location: Raymond Memorial Golf Course, 3860 Trabue Rd. Tickets: TBD An annual “fun-raising” golf outing for the Columbus architectural and design community. 614-293-4927, facebook.com/Chix-With-StixColumbus-Ohio-115819653448 Sept. 23 Beyond the Suit Benefiting: Dress for Success Columbus Location: Hilton Columbus Downtown, 401 N. High St. Tickets: TBD Dress for Success Columbus empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. 614-291-5420, dfscolumbus.org Sept. 23 Runway to Awearness Fashion Show Benefiting: The Patricia A. DiNunzio Ovarian Cancer Fund Location: The Ivory Room, 2 Miranova Pl. Tickets: $125 This event raises money for ovarian cancer survivors to help with genetic testing and counseling. It also supports a bereavement hospice service dog. 614-208-5736, patdinunzio.org

October DATE TBD A Toast to The House Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614-2273700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events DATE TBD Art Celebration Benefiting: Columbus Museum of Art Location: Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. Tickets: $750 and up Art Celebration is Columbus Museum of Art’s signature fundraising gala, which provides critical operating support for its award-winning programs, exhibitions and cherished collections, and access for its diverse community every day. 614-221-6801, columbusmuseum.org DATE TBD Handbag HULLABALOO! for the House Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Giving 2021 columbus monthly | columbus ceo

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Location: The Pickwick Place, 1875 N. Sandusky Ave., Bucyrus Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614227-3700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events

Highball Halloween

Oct. 17 Night of Chocolate Benefiting: Cancer Support Community Central Ohio Location: Hollywood Casino Columbus, 200 Georgesville Rd. Tickets: TBD Funds will support programs for people impacted by cancer: support groups, customized care plans, stress management classes, healthy cooking and nutrition programs, educational workshops—all to empower individuals and families with knowledge and support to manage the cancer journey. All programs are provided at no cost and are proven to be effective in improving health outcomes and quality of life. 614-884-4673, cancersupportohio.org Oct. 23 Art for Life Benefiting: Equitas Health Location: Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. Tickets: $150–$300 Art for Life is the largest art auction fundraiser in the Midwest. The event raises critical funds for HIV prevention, education and treatment. 614-340-6715, artforlifecolumbus.com

November DATE TBD Handbag HULLABALOO! New Albany Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614227-3700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events

File/Columbus Dispatch/Doral Chenoweth III

DATE TBD HighBall Halloween Benefiting: Short North Alliance Location: TBD, Short North Arts District Tickets: TBD HighBall Halloween is the nation’s most extravagant costume party. Staged in the fashion capital of Columbus, this yearly event for the Halloween season combines runway style with the culture of the Short North Arts District. 614-299-8050, highballcolumbus.org

DATE TBD RMHC Breakfast with Santa Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: Texas de Brazil, 4040 Easton Station, Ste. E 105 Tickets: TBD Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614227-3700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events DATE TBD The RMHC Bake Sale Benefiting: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio Location: Ronald McDonald House, 711 E. Livingston Ave. Tickets: Free Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio keeps families close to their children in area hospitals, whether by providing the family with accommodations and meals at the Ronald McDonald House or offering a space of respite from the patient’s room at the Ronald McDonald Family Room. 614227-3700, rmhc-centralohio.org/events Nov. 9 15th Annual Need Knows No Season Luncheon Benefiting: The Salvation Army in Central Ohio Location: Hyatt Regency Columbus, 350 N. High St. Tickets: Price TBD; sponsorships are available The Salvation Army is a holistic agency serving the poor by feeding the hungry, housing the homeless and educating children. The needs are great year-round, and funds raised

at this event help them serve where most needed. 614-437-2145, salvationarmy centralohio.org

December Dec. 1–3 Giving Week with Charity Newsies Benefiting: Charity Newsies Type of event: Virtual Tickets: N/A Charity Newsies is the only local organization offering new, brand-name clothing to Franklin County school-aged children in need so that they can be comfortable and confident in pursuing their education. 614263-4300, charitynewsies.org Dec. 5 Wagons Ho Ho Ho Build Day Benefiting: Wagons Ho Ho Ho Type of event: In-person Location: TBD Tickets: Volunteer opportunity; donations and sponsorships encouraged. Each year, 700 volunteers come together to build wagons and pack Christmas dinners for 1,500 children who are in dire need during the holidays. Wagons Ho Ho Ho is a 100 percent volunteer-driven organization with all funds raised going to the purchase of wagons. 614-794-2008, wagonshohoho.org Dec. 11–13 CD102.5 for the Kids Thon Benefiting: CD102.5 for the Kids Type of event: Virtual, on-air Tickets: N/A Funds raised during the CD102.5 for the Kids Thon benefit various children’s charities in Central Ohio. 330-518-9208, cd1025forthekids.org

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