Thoughts from the Director

Friends .. This last weekend we were able to spring forward, and I hope you have been enjoying the less evasive sunshine and the warmer days that have come with the entry into the spring. I have tried to build in more outdoor time and walks and have valued the fresh air and exercise, the joyful songs of birds, and the signs of budding trees and emergent plants that bring promise of increasingly warmer days and the rejuvenation of our ecosystem. I am also appreciative of the trend in decreasing numbers of COVID-19 across much of our state and the availability of the vaccine (I received my first dose yesterday). If we continue to see these positive trends over the next few weeks, we will be able to begin increasing in-person program efforts (number, type, and participant caps) and we will have the ability to transition more fully back into our statewide offices (continuing to balance safety and flexibility with meeting the needs of our communities). Our goal is to slowly and thoughtfully increase our face-to-face programming and operations while continuing to successfully follow all CDC, state of Ohio, and university guidelines. I am optimistic about recent positive trends (vaccine uptake and reduced numbers of COVID-19 spread) and university decisions (the recent announcement of an outdoor spring commencement) as we have been able to demonstrate that we can keep people safe while serving our communities. I encourage us all to keep focusing on doing our work with the safeguards in place (distancing, masks, and sanitizing) so we can continue to enjoy the benefits of moving toward what’s next this spring and summer. Stay tuned early next week for additional information about our plans for in-person programming and return to office transition efforts over the next weeks and months.  -Best wishes, Jackie