The Mirth Project

09/01/2026

I’ve been trying to do a better job of telling you about the people who make The Mirth Project possible.

It's going to now be a weekly thing :)

Today, I want you to meet Missy Sidick.

Missy and her daughter Chloe have been elves with us for quite a while which makes us love this story even more.

Missy serves on both our Fundraising Committee and The Net Committee, but somewhere along the way, Missy went from being one of our wonderful volunteers to becoming an integral part of what we are building at Scholar House 3.

As co-owner of a recruiting company, Missy knows employment. She has stepped in to help our young adults with resumes, connections, job searches and finding employment that actually makes sense for where they are trying to go.

But she didn’t stop there.

Missy has developed a mentoring relationship with one of our SH3 residents. She and her husband take him grocery shopping. They take him to dinner. She listens. She gives advice when it’s wanted. She shows up.

And when the Wi-Fi was suddenly taken away at SH3 and our students were trying to attend college without reliable internet?
Missy had an idea! She had T-Mobile towers in her home and suggested we bring them to SH3 so our students could stay connected and keep doing their schoolwork. They worked like a charm!

That’s Missy.

She sees a problem and asks, “How can I help?”

Kind feels like an understatement.

Missy, thank you for being an elf, a committee member, a connector, a mentor, a problem solver and, most importantly, someone our young adults know they can count on.❤️

08/31/2026

What if Columbus became the city everyone else looked to and said, “That’s how you support a young person leaving foster care.”

That’s the conversation we’re having on September 29.

Not just about what’s broken.

About what we could actually build.

We’re bringing together former foster youth, business leaders, community leaders, Mayor Andrew Ginther and people who simply care about making Columbus better around one big question:

How can Columbus become the model city for what happens to a teen who turns 18 in foster care?

And we don’t want you to just sit and listen.

You’ll start the morning by experiencing No Safety Net: The Game of Life After Foster Care.

You’ll hear directly from young adults who have lived it.

You’ll sit around a table with other people and come up with ideas.

And then we’re going to put those ideas in front of people who may actually be able to help make them happen.

The Big Table
Tuesday, September 29
8:30–11:00 a.m.
The Junto Hotel
Your seat is free. Your ideas might be invaluable.
Come sit at the table with us.
Reserve your spot at the link below.

Columbus Big Table Event

08/30/2026

Last Christmas, we added a new way for our elves to get involved: Mirth Stories.

Mirth Stories were the “extras” — things that weren’t necessarily on a teen’s Christmas wish list, but that we knew could make their holiday, or even their life, a little more special.

There was a family who had suffered a tremendous loss and needed a Christmas tree and decorations.

A young woman needed a professional outfit so she could participate in Model UN.

And then there was a 12-year-old boy, Ryan.

Ryan was reading at about a third-grade level. His Mirth Story wasn’t asking for a toy or something fun. It was asking for help becoming a stronger reader.

One of our project volunteers, Kelci Jourdan is an intervention specialist. When she saw Ryan's story, she knew exactly how she could help.

She adopted his Mirth Story and purchased a subscription to IXL, an online learning program, so Ryan could continue working on his reading.

Recently, Kelcy happened to check her spam folder.

And there they were.

Weekly updates from IXL.

Ryan had been using it.

Week after week, he had been logging in and doing the work.
In one recent week alone, he spent 1 hour and 10 minutes working and answered 389 questions.

389 questions.

Kelcy gave him the opportunity.

Ryan is doing the rest.

And somewhere along the way, a Christmas “extra” became something so much bigger.

This Christmas marks 10 YEARS of Mirth Christmas. 🎄❤️

Ten years of elves. Ten years of wish lists. Ten years of showing teenagers that someone thought about them, shopped for them and wanted their Christmas to feel special.

And Year 10 is coming.

Are you ready to be an elf?

If you’d like to adopt a teen’s Christmas list this year, let us know. We’d love to have you be part of Year 10.

This is Mirth. ❤️

08/26/2026

Our SH3 students had such a fun night at our monthly cooking class donated by Seasoned Farmhouse! This month the chefs fired up the outdoor pizza oven and everyone made their own dough and designed their own pie!

The Seasoned Farmhouse gave all of the students yeast, pizza cutters and a box grater to take home along with the recipes to make on their own. They also received a Kroger Gift Card to buy the ingredients!

We are so grateful to Wheeler and the chefs at The Farmhouse.

08/26/2026

So grateful for The Seasoned Farmhouse for donating a cooking class each month for the students at SH3.

08/25/2026

I want to start doing something I probably should have been doing a long time ago: telling you about some of the people who make The Mirth Project well The Mirth Project!

So, Kherry, you're up first. ❤️

Kherry has been an elf since the very beginning.

And here's the thing about Kherry: she doesn't just show up. She brings people with her.

Over the years, she's organized her daughter's softball team and Girl Scout troop to take teen Christmas lists. When we needed volunteers to help with No Safety Net at Christmas in July, Kherry rounded up a group of teenagers and said, basically, "We've got you."

These days, she somehow finds time to serve on BOTH our Fundraising Committee and The Net Committee, where she's always ready with an idea, a suggestion or a "What if we...?"

Any group would be lucky to have a Kherry.

Unfortunately, you can't have ours. 😂

Thank you, Kherry, for being an elf from the beginning, for all the ideas, for always being willing to help and, bringing other people along for the ride.

We love you. ❤️

08/24/2026

There is a difference between having a home and feeling safe in your home.

The young adults we work with at SH3 live in a beautiful building. For many of them, getting the keys to their apartment felt like a huge step toward stability.

But here's something I don't think most people understand about affordable housing.

Your rent can change when your income changes.

Work more hours one month? Your rent may change.

Get a raise? Your rent may change.

Pick up extra shifts because you're trying to save money and get ahead? That can affect your rent too.

And sometimes the change doesn't happen right away.

So imagine being 19 or 20 years old, trying to figure out adulthood without parents to call, and knowing that some of the money you're earning today may need to be set aside because months from now you could learn that you owe more rent but your phone bill needs paid now and your brother asked you for money to pay his phone bill too so....

Add changing recertification requirements, subsidy issues you may not even know are happening, paperwork that can be incredibly difficult to understand and rules that don't always seem to be clearly communicated.

Suddenly, your beautiful apartment doesn't feel quite so safe.
We see this with our students all the time.

They worry.
Is my subsidy being paid?
Did I turn in the right paperwork?
Did a rule change?
If I make more money, how much of it can I actually spend?
Could I suddenly owe money I wasn't expecting to owe?

Will I get a letter taped to my door this month telling me I'm in danger of eviction?

These young people who grew up in foster care have spent their whole their lives wondering where they will live next.

Housing is supposed to end that fear.

Our dream at The Mirth Project is bigger than helping young adults navigate the system that exists today.

We dream of creating housing specifically for young adults who have aged out of foster care where the rules are clear, the rent is predictable and earning more money is something to celebrate.

08/23/2026

How can we make Columbus the model city for what happens to a young person who turns 18 in foster care?

That’s the question we’re putting on the table at The Mirth
Project’s Big Table gathering on September 29th.

And we’re looking for people who want to help us answer it.

We are also incredibly honored that Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther will be joining us for the morning as our special guest.

We’ll begin the morning with No Safety Net: The Game of Life After Foster Care, followed by a conversation with a group of former foster youth about what really happens after foster care and what they wish existed. We will also have a breakfast buffet to fuel the discussion.

Then we’re going to work.

Guests will bring their ideas and expertise to the table to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing young people aging out of foster care: including housing, transportation, education, employment, financial stability, mental health and relationships.

We’ll end by bringing those ideas to civic and community leaders and asking one question:

What could we actually do?

This isn’t about having another conversation about foster care. It’s about bringing young people who have lived it, people who understand the problems and people who have the ability to change systems into the same room.

We believe Columbus can do something extraordinary.

If you have expertise, ideas, connections or simply believe we can do better, I’d love to have you at the table.
The Big Table
September 29 | 8:30 to 11:00 a.m.
The Junto Hotel
Reserve your spot here: https://givebutter.com/big-table-2026-02fngk
NOTE: Tickets are free, don't feel obligated to donate when you reserve your spot. Although, if you feel so inclined, we're not going to stop you.

Columbus Big Table Event

08/19/2026

Transportation is an enormous obstacle for many of the students at SH3.

Yes, they’re on a bus line. But not everything is a bus ride away.

Right now, when we bring students to events, The Mirth Project pays for their Ubers. And sometimes a student just needs help getting to a job interview, a class, an appointment, or an event that could open a door. When asked, we help with those rides too.

Those Uber rides add up.

So what are we doing about it?

One of the things we are working toward funding is a van and part-time driver.

But we’re also thinking bigger. After all, innovation is one of our core values, and we believe part of our job is to keep asking, Is there a better way to solve this?

One idea we’re exploring is a ride network app where students could request transportation and pre-approved, vetted volunteers could sign up to give them a ride.

Think about how many 19-year-olds can simply call a parent and say, “Can you take me to my interview?” or “Can you pick me up after class?”

What happens when you don’t have someone to call?

That’s what a safety net is supposed to do.

Sometimes it looks like financial help. Sometimes it looks like a van. And sometimes it might simply look like someone saying, “I can drive you.”

08/18/2026

I believe we can make Columbus the model city for what happens to a young person who turns 18 in foster care.

But that doesn't happen because we believe it should.

It happens because we build it.

The Mirth Project is raising $300,000 for the next phase of our Capital Campaign benefiting The Net, our program supporting young adults who have aged out of foster care as they navigate college, trade school and the beginning of adulthood.

The Net is exactly what its name suggests: the safety net most of us were blessed with growing up.

Someone to call when the rent is short.
A ride when your car won't start.
Groceries when the money runs out.
Help figuring out a budget, finding a job or navigating a problem you've never had to solve before.

And sometimes, simply someone who says, We've got you. Keep going.

We're building that net in Columbus.
And we're looking for people, companies and foundations who want to help us build it.

If that's you, I'd love to talk.

Because turning 18 in foster care shouldn't mean you're suddenly on your own.