By Okon Ekpenyong

“Rise UP CBUS” is returning for its second season in 2023 with even bigger and better things. The initiative is part of the city’s Department of Neighborhoods’ efforts to tap into neighborhood potential, strengthening and equipping Columbus residents with resources to help them succeed. 

“Rise UP CBUS,” launched this year at Dodge Community off Sullivant Avenue, Columbus on April 27, 2023, proved to be a triumph for Department of Neighborhood Director Carla Williams Scott, Deputy Director Todd Dieffenderfer, the New American Initiative Program Coordinator Abdi Soofe, and the rest of their team looking to find alternative ways to keep connected to its residents.

Rise CBUS will host or participate in 12 events between April and September, all held on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

With 23 departments serving over nine hundred five thousand residents, attendees can expect to see representatives from the Franklin County Municipal Court, the Department of Development, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Education, the Fire Division, Human Resources, Public Safety, and the Public Utilities Department, among others. 

By attending these events, new and existing community members, as well as immigrants and refugees, can gain knowledge about Franklin County’s and the city of Columbus’s resources and services that can assist them in improving their quality of life by speaking with experts, meeting some of the city’s directors and staff members who help run various departments, and answering any questions they may have.

Here are the upcoming dates for Rise Up CBus:

April 27, 2023, Dodge Community Center, 667 Sullivant Ave, 43215

May 11, 2023, Milo Grogan Community Center, 862 E 2nd Ave, 43201

May 25, 2023, Driving Park Community Center, 1100 Rhoads Ave, 43215

June 8, 2023, First Church of God, 3480 Refugee Rd, 43232

June 22, 2023, Adams Community Center, 854 Alton Ave, 43219

July 13, 2023, Columbia Heights Church, 775 Galloway Rd, 43119

July 27, 2023, Whetstone Park/Community Center, 3923 N High St, 43214

August 5, 2023, Marion Franklin Community Center, 2801 Lockbourne Rd, 43207 (Collaboration with Cap City Experience, event from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

August 10, 2023, Cross Creek Park Hilliard, 3342 Hilliard Rome Rd, 43026

August 24, 2023, Central Baptist Church, 1955 Frank Rd, 43223

September 14, 2023, Eastpoint Christian Church, 745 N Waggoner Rd, 43004

September 28, 2023, Wedgewood Middle School, 3800 Briggs Rd, 43228

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