Harmony Project

Harmony’s growth is a story of people and partners who believe in what this community can become. The Columbus Foundation has been an important part of that story.

We were glad to welcome the Foundation’s Community Research and Grants Management team to Harmony Center for their department meeting, a tour and a conversation about our work and what’s ahead.

Over the years, the Foundation’s support has helped Harmony grow beyond the stage, creating more opportunities for people across Central Ohio to experience the arts, serve their neighbors and build relationships with one another.

Thank you to the entire team for spending time with us and for your continued belief in Harmony. We’re grateful for your role in how far we’ve come and what comes next.

A day of music, football and community, all in memory of David Miesse.

David was a Harmony singer and supporter, and for the past nine years, Meisse Fest has brought friends and neighbors together to celebrate his legacy while supporting Harmony Project.

This year, the tradition continues with the Ohio State game, live music from Zoo Trippin’, local food, a fireside jam session and more. Proceeds benefit Harmony, helping make the work happening across our programs and community possible.

Harmony volunteers will be there, too, continuing a tradition of showing up in honor of David and the Miesse family’s generosity.

We’re grateful for nine years of music, service and community, and for the people who continue to carry David’s legacy forward.

Miesse Fest returns to Bexley on Saturday, October 3. Learn more and get tickets at miessefest.com.

Today, Harmony Center became one very big table.

Nearly 200 students from Harmony’s Student Arts program sat alongside community members for The Big Table—sharing a meal and talking about something that belongs entirely to them: their dreams for the future.

Our students come from across the world, bringing different languages, cultures, experiences and perspectives into the same room. Today, we asked them to imagine what comes next, and gave the rest of us the opportunity to listen.

Their answers were ambitious, thoughtful, funny, hopeful and entirely their own. Here are a few:

- “To become a lawyer and fight for the innocent.”
- “To live in a world where there is peace.”
- "To finish high school, learn more English and improve my language.”
- “To travel and see many cultures.”

This is what can happen when young people know their voices matter, and when a community makes space to hear them.

Thank you to The Columbus Foundation and The Big Table for creating a day centered on conversation, curiosity and connection, and to Columbus City Schools, Global Academy and Columbus International High School for helping make today possible.

Clothing. Shoes. Toys. Household goods. All free. All for our neighbors.

Community Closet returns tomorrow with clothing and household essentials ready to find their next home.

There’s no cost and no documentation required. Just come to the Franklin County Harmony Center and take what you need. Shopping bags provided.

Wednesday, September 30
5–7 p.m.
Franklin County Harmony Center
4411 Tamarack Blvd.

Harmony friends, we’d love to share an invitation with you.

On Wednesday, October 14, Columbus will celebrate the dedication and unveiling of the Ohio Women’s Monument, the first monument on the Statehouse grounds dedicated to women. It honors the women who fought for the right to vote and those who continue to advance equality in Ohio.

We’re grateful to the Ohio Arts Council and the many people and partners who have helped bring this historic project to life.

We hope you’ll be part of this moment. The event begins at the Ohio Theatre and continues at the Ohio Statehouse. It’s free to attend, but registration is required.

See the flyer for details, and register here: https://bit.ly/4rsXB23

Same song. Same questions.
Different lives. Different answers.

This November, something new is happening at Harmony Center.

Harmony Sessions brings live music, conversation and storytelling into the same room. Hosted by Ann Fisher and featuring the Harmony Band and String Orchestra, each evening begins with a different song—and opens up stories you won’t hear anywhere else.

Come for one night. Come for all three. No two Sessions will be the same.

Mondays, November 2, 9 and 16 | 6:30–7:45 PM. Mark your calendars!

Free to attend. Reservations open October 5 and are limited to two per person, per Session.

Everyone sings the same song. No one sings the same story.

Sometimes support looks like finding the clothes or household essentials your family needs. Sometimes it’s getting connected to a resource you didn’t know was available.

At our September 30 Community Closet, our partners at Nationwide Children’s Hospital will be there to help families do both.

From 5–7 p.m., stop by the Nationwide Children's Hospital’s shuttle outside the Harmony Center for safe sleep kits, bassinets, kindergarten readiness resources and other family giveaways, while supplies last.

Inside, Community Closet will offer free clothing, shoes, hygiene products and household essentials to our neighbors at no cost.

Franklin County Harmony Center
4411 Tamarack Blvd.
Wednesday, September 30
5–7 p.m.

The Kelley family has lost its beloved patriarch, and our community has lost someone whose generosity, warmth, and spirit touched more lives than he probably ever knew.

Don Kelley lived a remarkable life shaped by faith, family, service, and generosity. Together, Don and his beloved wife, Nancy, believed deeply in the power of love and the importance of human connection.

Last summer, I sat on the patio of the Kelley family home with Don and Nancy and several of the Kelley clan singing “Father Abraham” as Don’s infectious—and unmistakably mischievous—laugh rang through the air. I could never have imagined that, just over a year later, they would both be gone. I’m grateful for that memory, and for so many others that remind us that a life is measured not only by what someone accomplished, but by what they gave away.

Don’s parting words to his children and grandchildren were simple: “Be generous.” Few words could better describe the way he lived. He was generous with his resources, certainly, but also with his time, his laughter, his encouragement, his wisdom, and his heart.

In tribute to Don, Nancy, and the family they left behind, let's take Don's words and live them to the best of our abilities.

Be like Don. Be generous.

- David

A few hours. A lot of sorting. Dedicated volunteers choosing to spend their time at the Harmony Center sorting donated clothing and household goods ahead of our September 30 Community Closet.

It’s the kind of work that happens before the doors ever open: organizing, preparing and making sure hundreds of neighbors can walk in and find what they need at no cost.

This is what practicing community can look like. People showing up, working alongside one another and taking responsibility for the well-being of their neighbors.

Thank you to everyone who gave their time to make the next Community Closet possible.

Live jazz meets swing dancing at the Harmony Center.

Columbus Pride Bands’ Big Band and Swing Columbus are coming together for Swing Fast, filling the space with live music and plenty of reasons to get up and dance.

We love sharing the Harmony Center with community partners who bring people together in their own way. Whether you’re dancing or just enjoying the music, there’s room to be part of it.