Our Impact in
the Community

Let Me Tell You About It

In partnership with a Chillicothe, Ohio 8th grade class, J Merrill Foundation took students through a complete writing and publishing process. The experience was not a simulation — it was real. The book is real. The students are real authors.

Let Me Tell You About It is the founding proof point of the Classroom Author Project — our most distinctive and scalable program. This project demonstrates that the Foundation's model works: take students from blank page to published author, one school at a time.

In partnership with the Byron Saunders Foundation, we serve a full Thanksgiving meal to families across Columbus — and we have grown every year: 25 families in 2023, 50 in 2024, 75 in 2025. Our 2026 goal is 150.

We offered English as a Second Language instruction virtually via Microsoft Teams, serving adult learners across the Columbus metro area. The program is being reactivated in 2025 with expanded capacity.

We partnered with an 8th grade class in Chillicothe, Ohio to take students through a full writing and publishing experience. The result: a real, printed book authored by the students themselves. This project is the founding prototype of the Classroom Author Project.

Foundation volunteers have served alongside Mid-Ohio Food Bank staff at local food bank stores throughout Columbus, contributing hours to one of the region's most critical food security operations.

A chartered Read In Color Little Free Library on Parsons Avenue serves the Scioto Southland community. Easy access. Diverse and representative children's books. Scan the QR code inside to access our digital Story Hour library.

Our standing partnership with the Byron Saunders Foundation anchors our Community Table program. Together we coordinate logistics, community outreach, and family identification for the annual Thanksgiving meal service.