Human Service Chamber of Franklin County

06/11/2026

We are so excited to welcome Aaron Vick to the HSC team as our Summer Fellow. Aaron has earned a B.A. in Psychology from The Ohio State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Counselor Education at Ohio State. His work sits at the intersection of mental health, higher education, and nonprofit service, shaped by experiences as a Counselor Trainee at Intentional Wellness Space, a private practice serving Central Ohio, a Graduate Teaching Associate at Ohio State, and his contributions to professional development programming at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He currently serves as Vice President of Chi Sigma Iota, Ohio State’s counseling academic and professional honor society, and he is an active member of Counselors for Social Justice at Ohio State. A lifelong Central Ohio resident, Aaron enjoys attending concerts, thrifting and upcycling clothes, spending time outdoors, and trying new restaurants with friends.

Aaron comes to us from The Columbus Foundation's 2026 Summer Fellowship Program. As a fellow, he aims to deepen his understanding of the nonprofit world and better understand how organizations, policy, and community partnerships come together to address the diverse needs of Central Ohio.

06/09/2026

Across Central Ohio, a meaningful shift is underway in how nonprofits think about long-term sustainability.

Praxia Partners' 'Impact Solar' initiative was created by The Columbus Partnership and Community Renewable Energy to help nonprofits navigate increasing financial pressure by installing solar arrays on their properties with no upfront cost. Recent collaborations with Bridgeway - Academy & Therapy Center and The Buckeye Ranch are strengthening operational stability, allowing that money to be reinvested in their missions, and sending a ripple of support throughout our central Ohio community.

If your organization is interested in exploring solar opportunities, we invite you to learn more in our latest blog: https://www.humanservicechamber.org/how-solar-is-unlocking-new-potential-for-area-nonprofits/

06/08/2026

Given the growing popularity and importance of our Jobs Board, featuring our members’ open positions, and Events Calendar, featuring our members’ events, we’re excited to launch two newsletters and a streamlined Chamber Chatter, all intended to expand visibility for our nonprofit community while also giving you, our readers, the opportunity to select the communications you want to receive! Take some time today to subscribe or update your preferences so you can stay in the know.

https://humanservicechamber.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=adcff598153af71d6fe9b2284&id=c0197fcf28

06/06/2026

Looking for a new position? We've got plenty! The HSC Jobs Board is packed with nonprofit jobs in our community. Learn more and apply: https://www.humanservicechamber.org/jobs/

06/05/2026

“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 them maintain their license and secure funding to serve families utilizing Publicly Funded Child Care. The higher rating a program receives from the state, the more funding they get to support their bottom line.

But even with this funding, there's a high turnover rate for teachers because facilities can’t afford to pay their workers more. Right now, programs are struggling with enrollment. There's a lot of families who are not using childcare, even if they have partial support, because they don’t make enough to cover the cost.

I was in that position several years ago. I had one child in preschool and was pregnant with my second. I knew I couldn’t afford to pay for both of them to be in childcare, even though I was doing the work that I love. I had to stay home for a little bit until my oldest went to school, and I got lonely. I missed adult interaction. My value was my family, which was beautiful, and I loved it, but I needed something outside of that. And so did my son.

I'll be honest, I have my master's in special education, but by staying home with my kids, they didn't get the social-emotional development they needed. I would go outside with them and take them to play dates. But it's not the same. You can always see that sending children to a quality educational program helps them build that social-emotional aspect so that they thrive when they get to elementary school.

“The systemic issues in childcare will persist. There will always be problems, but they’ll change, they always do, and we’ll adjust to meet the needs those changes create. Parents are finding ways to return to the office. So, things could look very different in just six months. And we’re ready. We’re out there working with the teachers. And we’re here to help as much as possible.”

– Marie Miller is the Step Up To Quality Program Coordinator for Action for Children, which offers free support to childcare centers across Central Ohio.

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

We are crestfallen about our members at Local Matters, who announced Friday that they will be sunsetting operations this month.

05/19/2026

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 I was driving home, I heard this NPR snippet about diaper need, and I had never even thought about it. We didn't have children at that time. We weren't even married. But I researched it, and there were no diaper banks in Columbus.”

Mikey: “We ended up going to Washington D.C. to visit a diaper bank and learned how they did it, and the lady who ran it was like, ‘Whatever you do, don't start a diaper bank.’

At first, we thought, ‘It's easy. It's just one product. It's diapers.’ But the more you dig in and learn about the issue, the more complicated it gets.

Government programs like the WIC Nutrition Program do not cover hygiene products, and the lack of funding around hygiene products as a whole means that the need will never go away, unless some miracle happens and hygiene products start to be funded federally. Diapers are as close to a necessity as you can get.”

Rachael: “When we had our children, the need became so much more real. You go through so many diapers, and it gets so irritating. There’s so much stress in worrying about always having enough on hand. And it just snowballs from there. You see them go to waste almost as soon as you change them. And sure, you have cloth diapers, but how many people have laundry on site? Detergent is expensive. Water bills just keep going up.

We are organizers. We work with other nonprofits and partner agencies to deliver the diapers, so we rarely interact with the people we serve. But I recently delivered diapers to one of our partners who works with immigrant and refugee families, and I was reminded that we serve people from all walks of life. It’s just so rewarding.”

Mikey: “Prices are higher. Incomes are down. We see people struggling right now, and there's just less support. But we just received a grant from Franklin County, and we are so grateful. It was like oxygen. We’ll be able to do this work for at least a few more years, and then after that, we hope to secure more funding and do this for as long as we can.”

- Rachael and Mikey Sorboro are the founders of Columbus Diaper Bank, providing diapers to Central Ohio families and advocating for dignity, health, and opportunity for every child.