We are excited to take the month of February to highlight women making an impact in our community through the work they do in non-profit organizations. We asked these women to share one thing…why they are passionate about their work. We are inspired by their responses, and we know you will be, too! Today are thrilled to highlight our friend Amy Klaben who is dedicated to making a difference through the amazing work she does at Strategic Opportunities, LLC!

All of my life I have been a passionate advocate for women and families as our voices have not been fully heard and our talents fully realized. This is truly a loss to our community–and our country.

I have been privileged to have had a successful career, raise a family in a wonderful community with great schools, and launch my children into healthy, happy adults. I want to live in a world where everyone has the opportunity to prosper as I have and believe that we all benefit by having mixed income neighborhoods where all children, rich or poor or in between, brown, black or white, grow up together, go to school together, and learn from each other. Adults and businesses benefit as well as when people of all backgrounds can live near job opportunities and can participate in the economic fabric of our community.

I am passionate about my work facilitating the new initiative Move to PROSPER as it combines everything that I care deeply about, women, children, and opportunity to reach one’s potential while creatively creating mixed income housing opportunities in high opportunity neighborhoods. Move to PROSPER will provide short term rental support for apartments in high opportunity communities and life coaching to single women in low wage jobs who are working hard to provide the best they can for their children. These families are currently living in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty and the women do not have a safety net and other resources. But they do have motivation, grit, and determination. From prior research studies, we know that many women and families will prosper when given the opportunity. That’s what we will do!

We are excited to take the month of February to highlight women making an impact in our community through the work they do in non-profit organizations. We asked these women to share one thing…why they are passionate about their work. We are inspired by their responses, and we know you will be, too! Today are thrilled to highlight our friend Erika Gable who is dedicated to making a difference through the amazing work she does at the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, Inc!

Through my work at the Women’s Small Business Accelerator, a local nonprofit, I seek to close the revenue gap between women-owned and male-owned small businesses, and to create a thriving community of women entrepreneurs.

Starting a business is an exciting adventure and can positively contribute to local economies and support growing families. It is also a challenging and isolating time for new entrepreneurs. Through our programming, we help start-up entrepreneurs gain the tools to monetize their business, early-stage entrepreneurs connect with and support each other, and mid-stage entrepreneurs meet their growth goals through hand-paired mentor matches.

Much like the gender pay gap, there is a revenue gap between women and men business owners: There is $3 trillion left on the table – and we want to help women in Central Ohio get their share. Women business owners can then hire and pay their staff living wages, support their own families, and become a positive role-model in the community.

We are excited to take the month of February to highlight women making an impact in our community through the work they do in non-profit organizations. We asked these women to share one thing…why they are passionate about their work. We are inspired by their responses, and we know you will be, too! Today are thrilled to highlight our friend Michelle Moskowitz Brown who is dedicated to making a difference through the amazing work she does at Local Matters!

We all make assumptions about how other people eat and why, and I am passionate about dispelling myths and upending judgment on this topic. I am passionate about my work at Local Matters, working toward a reality where everyone has the resources they need to eat well and feed their families.

Perhaps my passion comes from having grown up food insecure and losing my brother to a diet-related disease. These experiences do fuel me, but my passion is broader. I care about affecting change. I believe that it is not the job of experts, but rather of the curious, committed, and compassionate people who apply their values to their lives to do so. Don’t get me wrong, we need to move mountains and we need leadership to get there, but it’s not the only thing that matters.

At this point, diet-related chronic diseases hardly discriminate based on socioeconomic status. The top ten purchases in the grocery carts of SNAP (food stamps) vs. non-SNAP households are the same. I am passionate about making sure everyone has access to the food of their choice and that it’s easier for everyone to get food on the table. I do not romanticize this process, I do not have a problem with convenient food, and I do understand why people use the drive-thru. But I also know that people with limited income do cook more meals at home than others, and that most people need support in building their cooking skills and cutting through food marketing nonsense.

I have always loved the phrase, “If not now, then when.” More recently, I realized this was a Hillel quote, in full, “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If I am not for others, then what am I? And if not now, then when?” Here’s to living our passions every day!

We are excited to take the month of February to highlight women making an impact in our community through the work they do in non-profit organizations. We asked these women to share one thing…why they are passionate about their work. We are inspired by their responses, and we know you will be, too! Today are thrilled to highlight our friend Ginger Young who is dedicated to making a difference through the amazing work she does at The Childhood League!

For as long as I can remember, I have identified with and felt a strong desire to work with those who are marginalized in our community. Whether it was working in mental health for over 15 years or volunteering for the Deaf Olympics, the drive to make an impact has been motivating in my life. This passion is what brought me to The Childhood League Center. Seventy-three years ago a group of forward thinking, innovative women started The Childhood League Center with the core belief that very young children, with the most challenging starts, deserve the best our community can offer. I love the work that I do, I love the difference I am able to make, and I love being surrounded by passionate, talented, and dedicated people. I say this often and I will say it again…I have the best job in the world!