One Voice

#ONEVOICEHSC

In a world often filled with echoes, the #OneVoiceHSC series rises as a singular chorus: where service finds its voice. This is more than just a collection of stories; it's an ongoing exploration into the very heart of our community, a deep dive into the pressing issues that shape our lives. Through the narratives of individuals on the front lines of service and the dedication of Central Ohio's health and human service organizations, we begin to understand the challenges and, crucially, the pathways toward meaningful change. Join us as we delve into the many perspectives of our community and discover the path to improved outcomes for everyone who calls it home.

One Voice: Aaron Mendoza

“When I started working here two years ago, I had come directly from school, so I had an academic mindset around theater. I thought there was a specific model that ...

One Voice: Marie Miller

“Part of my job is managing a team of coaches who go out into childcare programs. We coach them on curricula and offer them resources, training, and support to help ...

One Voice: Mikey and Rachael Sorboro

Rachael: “I was working in an after-school program in Hilltop, and I had persistent burnout. It was hard work, and I was looking for a change. Then one day when ...

One Voice: Dr. Dorothy Hassan

“I'm telling everyone that it's not time to rest, it's time to take advantage of the opportunity to do uninterrupted work. This Administration has a greater long-term vision of chopping ...

One Voice: Juanita Amakor

“Motherful is home. It is like a mother to mothers. And that is important because a lot of single moms don't have a mother. Many of us don't have people ...

One Voice: Sarah Hider

“Growing up, I never liked being competitive in sports. I loved being competitive in drama club, speech and debate, and choir, those kinds of things. I just never felt comfortable ...

One Voice: Christina Vera

“If I had had Femergy growing up, there would have been so many things I would have done differently. But programs like this didn’t exist. I didn't even know what ...

One Voice: Sophia Lombardo

“I remember knocking on doors for candidates with my mom every election season since I was very little. We’d pick people up and drive them to the polls. I was ...

One Voice: Stephanie Leppert

“I've been working here for six years. I answer the telephone. I do birthday cards and welcome packets. I do attendance sheets, and I also do special projects and advocacy ...

One Voice: Dessaree Barrows

“I was a single mom who was unemployed, and needed this space to get my daughter clothed for school. I felt so much shame about not being able to take ...

One Voice: Raj Chhetri

“Our seniors are the most vulnerable group of the refugee community. They have left behind everything back in their home country. They have endured and suffered a lot. And they ...

One Voice: Tariq Tarey

“Everyone has a family member that arrived in this country at some point, whether it was from Europe or Korea or Africa. Immigration is what makes this country better than ...

One Voice: Tatjana Bozhinovski

“When we came here to the United States from Macedonia, former Yugoslavia, we came straight here to Columbus. I was in my second semester of sophomore year in high school. ...

One Voice: Jill Gorz

"Achieving stability and peace is truly an uphill battle for many of the youth we serve at Star House. Many of the young people we serve were not afforded the ...

One Voice: Hailee Childs

“I had given birth to my fourth daughter, and she was born at 23 weeks and 2 days. She was in the NICU for the next 118 days, and I ...

One Voice: Katie Beaumont

“While I was caring for my mom, we would go to medical appointments and see so many individuals sitting alone and waiting for hours. I could see their depression, the ...

One Voice: AnnMarie Buswell

“Everything that I've experienced, overcome, and survived — and where I am today — is astonishing. I’m here standing in my truth, offering hope to others through my journey and ...

One Voice: Aaron Westbrook

"I always called my arm, ‘my little arm.’ I think it was just what my parents called it, so I went with that. Over time, I learned what to say ...

One Voice: Nora Yepez-Ornelas

“I come from a single mother home in a predominantly immigrant community. As an adult, I understand now that decisions were made in our home about whether we were paying our ...

One Voice: Taylor Reed

“I believe we all deserve a right to be healthy. Every day we see patients who are desperate for a hand up, who have a deep desire to be healthy, ...

One Voice: Rob Hall

“The guy who started this company started with a red truck and a garage. He was just a regular guy. He passed on a few years back, but from hearing ...

One Voice: Erin Upchurch

“Our young people are a beautiful reflection of what's actually possible in the world. They are so unapologetic about who they are, and at the same time I feel like ...

One Voice: Dr. Rhea Debussy

“We’re on the front lines at the Ohio Statehouse, where we work to protect our community and to ensure that folks are able to live happy, healthy lives. The recent ...

One Voice: Amanda Radke

“You've probably never heard of AmeriCorps, but the purpose of it is to get young people involved in their communities by funding full-time positions. So many organizations are utilizing this ...

One Voice: CJ Martin

“A lot of people don’t realize what goes into creating the largest free Pride celebration in the Midwest. Most Prides require a paid ticket, but we manage to make ours ...

One Voice: Zach Hunt

“I almost got kicked out of the program many times. I had a problem with setting expectations on people and when they didn't meet those expectations I would lash out. ...

One Voice: Martin Butler

"A majority of our neighbors are ALICE neighbors, which means they are Asset Limited, Income Constricted and Employed. They make enough money to survive, but then they have an unexpected ...

One Voice: Jesse Tschannen

“We oversee the whole food outreach operation. We come up with menu ideas. Prep everything and try to serve a nice meal twice a week, and we're out Mondays and ...

One Voice: Lindsey Kreamer

“When I started to work here, I started to talk to our staff about their passions and aspirations. A lot of our people come from different backgrounds and come with ...

One Voice: Mark Childs

“I feel like there's always a little bit more you can give. I think everyone has something that they're passionate about. There's so many nonprofits who need mockups of different ...

One Voice: Effie Muah

“I have never been in a position where I felt helpless, like I can't do anything, you know? I always had a mom and a dad. I never had to ...

One Voice: Sarah Schuster

“I didn’t start out thinking I would do this kind of work. I got a degree in criminology. But I started working at children’s services and going out into the ...

One Voice: Hamida Ouali

"Our lives in Bejaia City, Algeria were very comfortable. I was a history and geography teacher, and my husband was a professor at the University of Bejaia. In 2018, we ...

One Voice: Subha Lembach

“We know that there are at least a hundred thousand kids in Franklin County who are living 200% or below the federal poverty level. We need those kids to succeed ...

One Voice: David Cooper

"I grew up in this community and a lot of people don't know that housing projects started here in Columbus, and this area saw one of the first housing projects ...

One Voice: Debera Diggs

"I help people enroll in Medicaid or marketplace insurance plans, but really it’s about looking for solutions to whatever you're going through. It's about educating and exposing people to the ...

One Voice: Shelly Casto

“We use the term “Food Apartheid” because using the term "food desert" suggests that it's somehow a natural occurrence to be far away from resources. But it is not. It ...

One Voice: Bhumika Patel

"I am, obviously, the biggest believer in flexible funding for non-profits. Organizations are constantly having to fundraise to support their operations and programming. There are so many misconceptions people have ...