Hello friends!

We have a lot of updates to share this week! Don’t forget about our intentional communities event coming up tomorrow! Plus, info about our next study group, a new participatory budgeting program launched by Columbus City Council, commemorating a foundational Ohio co-op, and details about the 2026 Cooperative Law Conference at Ohio State University.

Exploring Intentional Communities - Tomorrow!

Currents Cooperative Community is a multi-generational Intentional Community that grew out of the food cooperative movement 45 years ago. Roger Wilkens, a founding member, will share his perspective on Currents’ model of cooperative ownership and social process. He will begin with Currents’ history and its current efforts at generational transition. Finally, he will share a preview of his forth-coming series of workshops on Creating Cooperative Culture, which is the foundation of cooperative communities.

Thursday, August 20
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Grandview Heights Public Library, large conference room
1685 1st Ave, Columbus, OH, 43212

RSVP Here

Co-op Columbus Study Group - Next Meeting!

We had a lovely first meeting where we got to know each other and had great conversations about what well-being and cooperation mean to us. We agreed to read pages 1-48 of The Emerging Cooperative Economy before our next meeting on August 27th! As you read, please make note of any questions or ideas you’d like to discuss—we plan to keep track of the most outstanding and relevant ideas that we discover as we read. At the end of our reading and discussing this book, we will have a record of what both we and Nadeau think.

Even if you don’t get the chance to read anything, we still hope you’ll join us!

Thursday, August 27
6:00 PM to 7:30 PM
Northside Library, meeting room 2
1423 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43201

Participatory Budgeting in Columbus

Columbus City Council has recently introduced an initiative called Our Voice, Our Choice Budget—the city's first-ever participatory budgeting process. The initiative gives residents a real say in $9 million in capital funds, $1 million per district, with residents themselves deciding what gets built.

This initiative is currently recruiting for volunteers in two categories:

• Budget Delegates will work alongside city staff to evaluate submitted project ideas, weigh feasibility and costs, and shape them into the final proposals that go on the ballot. The time commitment will be about 2 hours a week for ~2 months.

• Budget Facilitators will guide meetings as neutral hosts, keeping discussions inclusive and on track. The time commitment will be about 4 hours a week for ~2 months, with a $500 stipend at the end of the phase.

Anyone 14 or older who lives, works, or attends school in a Columbus district is eligible. You can apply here or email [email protected] for more information.

Federation of Ohio River Cooperatives

FORC, the FEDERATION OF OHIO RIVER COOPERATIVES celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding this month. August 10th found 6 local cooperators together in Columbus and 4 more online from across the country remembering what was a life-defining experience for us. This collective, together with 13 others from Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia united in 1976 to buy our organic and natural foods together. A few years later we were some 300 cooperatives meeting every 2 months to run our business and to organize other activities collectively: world hunger committee, intentional communities group, a facilitation team that was known throughout the nationwide network of food co-op federations for pioneering consensus facilitation methods with large groups, and much more!

2026 Cooperative Law Conference

The CFAES Center for Cooperatives at The Ohio State University hosting a conference for attorneys, accountants, business developers, and students to grow their business advising toolbox to include cooperative business approaches on September 15 & 16 in Columbus, Ohio.

Learn more and register here.

Okay, that’s for now! Hope to see you soon!

In solidarity,
Ben, Co-op Columbus