Daily Archives: June 18, 2016

New Opportunities, New Experiences, and New Friendships

Even though I am only starting week four, I feel like I belong, like I have made great strides, like I have become a part of something pretty awesome. Where I work is different than what I am used to. When they said it was a small office, I assumed it would be like other places worked before- an office with 12-15 people. Just enough to get to know everyone pretty well, and maybe even a few would become friends. Well, when I got here on my first day, I arrived early, but the door was locked. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I made my way back to the car to wait another 30 minutes before trying again. After that, I was able to get in. That’s when I met Laura, the legal assistant/paralegal/doer-of-other-random-things. She introduced herself, informed me that Zac- the attorney and executive director would be late due to a last minute meeting, and showed me around the office. It was not the size of office I was used to. It only took aScreen Shot 2016-06-10 at 1.33.14 PM few minutes to realize that this was only an office of two (well, now three).

In that moment, I was surprised and not sure how the next few months would go. However, it did not take long to realize that having fewer people in the office would give me the opportunity to develop unique relationships with intelligent coworkers and work closely and ask questions of people who have more life and work experience than me.

Also, Charitable Allies is a small office, but one that has a large client base and makes a big impact in the nonprofit world. That meant that starting on day 1, I was given part of the workload, the ability to take on big responsibilities and learn about the legal world in a way I have not been able to before. I was essentially given a case to work on throughout the summer. Along with other responsibilities like writing news articles and doing work on policies for other charities and nonprofits, I will have time to build a case with evidence for one of the firm’s largest cases.

The last four weeks have brought opportunities, friendship, some challenges, but a lot of opportunities to learn. Within one week, Laura and I had found many similar points of interest and now, I consider her a friend. On day one, we realized that in addition to both being Valpo graduates, we also went to the same high school and are from the same side of town. Now, she has shared not only information and knowledge about tIMG_4445 (1)he legal world and the work that she has done over the last several years. I definitely look forward to more time to get to know her and growing in a work relationship and friendship.

Opportunities for learning, for networking, and for doing meaningful work have been abundant. Just this week, I shadowed a county prosecutor who let me go to court with her and allowed me to ask questions about her career path, her education, and things like work-life balance and finding a calling and purpose. Last week, I was able to attend the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance conference where I met professionals in the philanthropy world at community foundations, trusts, and more and got to attend various sessions learning about the intersections of philanthropies, nonprofits, improving quality of life, and more.

Entering into the nonprofit world was not something that I was new to four weeks ago. I have worked in three since I’ve been in college. But seeing it from the outside, from a legal perspective, and the philanthropy that makes this experience a unique opportunity to explore even more career paths that my life could take. I am looking forward to more weeks of learning, working, and developing relationships.

 

Inclusion Through More Than Just Art

As I reflect on my time so far as the Summer Projects Coordinator at ArtMix, I am in awe of how much I’ve accomplished and learned in only three weeks. My first couple of assignments were fairly simple, like look around the Harrison Center (which is where ArtMix is located), familiarize myself with the website, read last year’s end of the year financial report, and memorize the mission statement:

I love my desk space! And the name tag makes me feel very official.

I love my desk space! And the name tag makes me feel very official.

ArtMix transforms the lives of people with disabilities through the creation of art.

I quickly learned that ArtMix is all about inclusion, not just in their programs, but on the administration side too. The moment I walked into the office I felt like I was a part of the team. They value my ideas and ask for my opinions.

My co-workers believing in me, gave me the confidence I needed to jump right into the projects they had come up with for me. So far my projects have revolved around two events, that were raising money to support our program Urban Artisans. The Urban Artisans program is nationally recognized, and it helps students with and without disabilities develop vocational skills. The students learn how to create, market, and sell art, while being payed minimum wage.

Here's the Sccop

My co-worker Adrienne and I holding bowls as we setup for Here’s the Scoop!

The first event was called Here’s the Scoop. It was Saturday, June 11 in conjunction with the Independent Music and Art Festival. We sold ice cream in ceramic bowls made by the Urban Artisans, and all of the proceeds went right back into the program. In preparation for Here’s the Scoop, I corresponded with the volunteers. I also created a picture frame that people could take photos with, in the hopes of increasing our social media reach. I had total freedom with the project, and when it was finished, I was really proud of what I had created.

My Here’s the Scoop projects were easy in comparison to the projects for our other event. The kick-off to the Art & Home Tours was Thursday, June 16. The bulk of my work was outreach, which I really enjoyed. I created a list of organizations and contacted them in the hopes that they would spread the word about the tours to their coworkers. One place that I contacted was the Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ). I had hoped that they would do some advertising for us, but I didn’t realize how big the publication really was. They got back to me very quickly, and they were very willing to work with us. Since I was the one who contacted them, this was my project, and that meant I was put in charge of creating the ads for IBJ. I had a lot of creative freedom on the project, and with some minor adjustments from my co-workers, the ad I created was published in the IBJ online. Its surreal to know that something I made was seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people.

I also created the program for the event. I’m starting to feel confident in my ability to create things on behalf of ArtMix, and I am feeling comfortable with our brand. I understand the way things should look in order to represent the organization well. I still have a lot to learn, but I think I’ve come a long way in just three weeks.

While I love corresponding with people and creating promotional materials, I think the best part of my job so far has been talking about the programs. I love sharing with people the work we do at ArtMix. During Here’s the Scoop, I got to tell people exactly what ArtMix does. We were able to share with so many people our mission. Next week I get to meet the students who are participating in the Urban Artisans program. I can’t wait to learn more about these students and see all that they accomplish this summer.