Celebrating a Summer of Impact: OFIC's 2026 Non-Profit Internship Program
This summer, OFIC's Non-Profit Internship Program placed college students from member campuses into paid roles at nonprofits across Ohio, funded by two longtime partners: The Nord Family Foundation, supporting placements in Lorain County, and Employers Health, supporting placements across Portage, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas, and Wayne counties.
The program does more than give students a paid summer job. It sends them back to their home communities to do meaningful work, and it gives small nonprofits extra capacity they could not otherwise afford. This year, that impact was on full display at two celebratory luncheons: one hosted by Employers Health on July 23 for interns serving Stark County, and one hosted by The Nord Family Foundation on July 22 for interns serving Lorain County.
Employers Health Luncheon: Stark County
Employers Health opened the luncheon with a reminder of what these internships can lead to. A member of the company's leadership team shared that one of Employers Health's own chief sales officers started out as an OFIC intern more than twenty years ago, and that the company's assistant general counsel was once a law student in his classroom. The message to this year's cohort was direct: build your network now, because most people do not land their careers by sending a resume into the void.
From there, five Stark County nonprofits took the microphone to introduce their interns and describe the work they had taken on.
C.A.M.P. brought up Kadence, a computer science and data science double major from John Carroll University, who spent the summer building the organization a donor and mentorship portal from the ground up. Her supervisor described years of information scattered across paper files and spreadsheets, and credited Kadence with turning that into an organized, searchable system the team can build on for years to come.
Compassion Delivered, which prepares meals at no cost for individuals with life-threatening illnesses, is marking its tenth year and will cross 100,000 meals delivered this November. Co-founder and CEO Daniel introduced this summer's intern, Nada of Baldwin Wallace University, who worked closely with the organization's menus, studying how different ingredients support clients managing serious health conditions, and helped build out educational materials explaining the nutrition behind each meal.
Domestic Violence Project, a 48-year-old organization operating two shelters, a transitional housing program, and legal advocacy services, brought on Anna, an English and psychology double major from Ohio Wesleyan University, just weeks before its largest fundraiser of the year. Her supervisor called it the organization's most successful fundraiser yet and credited Anna's help running the event. Her favorite project was small but personal: assembling a handmade gift for a client at the shelter who was expecting a baby.
First Tee Canton introduced Ethan of Cedarville University, who managed golf instruction for children ages 5 to 18, helped run seven satellite tournaments, and worked on the organization's largest annual fundraiser, its Summer Golf Outing.
Stark County Minority Business Association, represented by Elise Watkins, introduced Candace of Muskingum University, who worked across the organization's marketing and finance teams as it launched a new business marketplace on 10th Street. Watkins said Candace did not just execute ideas handed to her, she took ownership of projects, including leading a full social media video shoot on her own.
The Nord Family Foundation Luncheon: Lorain County
OFIC President Bill Spiker opened the Lorain County luncheon thanking program sponsor Employers Health and putting the spotlight on the seven non-profits and their interns:
Big Brothers Big Sisters introduced Mia of Baldwin Wallace University, who spent the summer supporting the organization's youth mentoring programs.
City Fresh introduced Chapin of Oberlin College, who took ownership of two projects that had long fallen through the cracks for the busy organization: producing weekly recipe cards distributed with City Fresh's produce boxes, and staffing sign-up events for a program that provides eligible families up to 140 dollars in coupons to spend at local farmers markets. Chapin signed up ten families in a single afternoon at the Elyria Public Library, and volunteers have consistently asked to work alongside Chapin throughout the summer.
El Centro introduced Skyla of Oberlin College, a rising junior majoring in anthropology, who supported the organization's senior programming and community engagement work. Her supervisor said the extra capacity allowed the team to take on more committee work, grant research, and marketing than they could otherwise manage.
Elyria Community Partnership introduced Madeline of John Carroll University, who spent the summer on research tied to downtown development, event support, and community outreach. Her supervisor said Madeline's steady energy through a fast-moving, unpredictable work environment made a real difference for a small team stretched thin.
Lorain County Urban League introduced William of Oberlin College, a political science student who spent the summer on policy analysis, election summaries, and video production. He described researching legislation on gun ownership and voter registration, and named a booklet summarizing candidates and voting districts for an upcoming Senate race as his favorite project of the summer.
Main Street Lorain introduced Artemis of Oberlin College, a web marketing and design intern who worked directly with the local businesses the organization supports. Artemis said the internship gave her a new appreciation for her own hometown and the shared sense of pride among the small businesses Main Street Lorain represents. Her supervisor said Artemis has taken on content creation, social media, and website updates the organization could not otherwise keep up with.
YWCA introduced Elaine of Wilmington College, a social work and political science student, who supported the organization's housing programs and helped coordinate a new playground project for children living in YWCA housing, done in partnership with the Lorain County Health District. Her supervisor said Elaine's work reviewing three years of case files brought clarity and consistency to the organization's documentation practices, on top of everything else she took on.
Thank You to Our Partners
Both luncheons closed the same way: with gratitude. Gratitude from nonprofits that gained real capacity they could not have funded on their own, and gratitude from students who got hands-on, paid experience in the fields they hope to build careers in.
OFIC thanks The Nord Family Foundation and Employers Health for making this program possible, and congratulates every intern who spent their summer giving back to their home communities.