Uplift- the little club that could

It’s the start of a new school year and the start of Uplift Youth Volunteer’s second year as a registered student organization at The Ohio State University.

First, let’s start with a little introduction. My name is Eva Shearer and I am the co-founder and co-president of Uplift Youth Volunteers. With every stride Uplift makes I become more and more proud of our organization. Uplift began thanks to a class called Psychology of the Childhood. My roommate Sarah and I were partners who sat at the front and eagerly learned about child development. I don’t know if I can count myself as a people person, but I love kids. They say crazy things and are frank and silly and explore this world with a confidence that they haven’t yet become wary of. In March of that semester, we finally reached a lecture on childhood IQ and risk factors. I sat in horror as our professor described how IQ can be lowered based on a variety of risk factors. Access to healthy food, books, and exercise can affect children’s IQ and outcomes later in life, such as their likelihood of graduating high school and attending college.

Do you ever get a stir deep in your belly? Whether you’ve had a brilliant idea or have come to a realization that demands attention? That stirring started pestering my belly as I sat in the classroom. I’m not naive enough to think I can stop childhood poverty. But I knew I could make a difference in some child’s life. Even if it was just one. As soon as we left the lecture hall I rounded on my roommate, excitement shortening my breath as I explained my idea. Born from a similar program called Food2Go4Kids in my hometown Ligonier. Over the next few weeks, we excitedly planned what would soon become Uplift Youth Volunteers. Uplift provides bags that contain food, books, and activities to children in need within the Columbus community. We are incredibly thankful for the support of our family and friends who have helped us grow this club from the ground up.

Over the past year, we have made significant strides as we continue to build our organization. We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an official student organization at The Ohio State University. We were able to provide over 200 bags to children in need. Some of the materials supplied were sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, puzzles, and a variety of books and food. We also have raised over $3,000 through spike ball tournaments, selling pizza on High Street at 1 a.m. even though it was a freezing February night, and donation letters to readers like you. We have packed bags and our volunteers read to kindergarten and 1st-grade classes at Graham Elementary and Middle School (GEMS). Reading to these kids has become an incredible joy- not just because I got proposed to by cute seven-year-olds. It’s a joy because I’m doing the work that these kids need.

This year we attended The Ohio State University activity fair. I won’t lie, I was nervous. Our strong 7 member exec team believed in our mission wholeheartedly, but it was time to convince others. We handed out popsicles and stickers as we talked to students about our organization. I got my elevator pitch down to 30 seconds and rattled it off to anyone I could get to listen. And trust me I’m a fast talker so I pushed as much information as I could. Our first meeting was the day after and we crossed our fingers that people listened to us and came. Unfortunately, we had the benefit of being in the room right in front of the tennis club’s meeting. We joked to each passing group “Uplift is better than tennis”. I might've even tried my hand at poaching students as they walked past. The meeting went off without a hitch. I am so proud to say we have expanded our membership from a measly 7 to nearly 30. One of our goals is to continue growing membership to scale our organization larger. We will continue supplying bags to children in need while also expanding to provide mentorship to children at GEMS. Uplift will be continuing reading days and there are plans to host a career fair for students at GEMS. Additionally, we are hoping to host book drives and a Halloween costume drive. Like Thomas the Train we are the little club that could and we’ll keep chugging along to provide for those who need it most.

Without your support, none of this would be possible.

Donations may be made by check and mailed to:

Uplift Youth Volunteers

2095 Ohio Union, 1739 N High St

Columbus, OH 43210

On behalf of Uplift Youth Volunteers, thank you for supporting our cause, you can follow along on our blog at https://uplift4.wixsite.com/uplift-youth-volunte.

Sincerely,

Eva Shearer

Co-President