We Create Columbus, an event by the Create Columbus Commission to honor young leaders and professionals, will take place on Tuesday, August 21, at Vue Columbus, 95 Liberty St. The event will honor individuals who personally, or from leadership positions, are helping create a “smart and open city” and lead Columbus into the future.
The Create Columbus Commission, founded by Mayor Michael B. Coleman over a decade ago, originally was created to attract more young professionals to the city. It has now set out to impact young professionals in Columbus through grants, recognition and awards, and other programs.
We Create Columbus is the commission’s newest opportunity to share the work of Columbus’ young people in an open and inviting event that is more open and engaging with the community, says Tim Fulton, chair of the Create Columbus Commission.
“Each of the individuals selected embody the spirit of leadership and co-creation that the Create Columbus Commission seeks to foster and empower in Columbus,” says Fulton. “They may be the recipient of our quarterly Visionary Award with Columbus City Council, a former grant recipient, or someone impacted by a former grant recipient.”
Alexia Winfield, founder of The Columbus Book Project, is one of the honorees for We Create Columbus. Winfield, who moved to Columbus after college, wanted a way to discover her new home and all it had to offer. What resulted was a thoughtfully-designed publication highlighting local photography, art, and stories in a coffee-table book set. That was almost a year ago, and she has received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback.
Winfield says that while the possibility of being honored wasn’t a motivating factor working on the project, she is proud of the book and the team that helped put it together.
“What motivated me was creating something that I owned, I believed in, which was a thriving city filled with so much talent that myself, my family, friends, and community could be proud of,” she says. “This book has been [a] segue to many new friendships, new ideas, new partnerships, new opportunities…I’m so proud of it.”
We Create Columbus will include presentations from past and present commissioners and grant recipients, as well as food and drink provided by Tortilla, Hai Poké, and Actual Brewing.
Find more information about the Create Columbus Commission and the We Create Columbus event at createcolumb.us. To learn more about The Columbus Book Project, visit columbusbookproject.com.