PREVIOUS HONOREES

• 2024 Honorees

  Sherrell Johnson
  Sherrell was recognized for her contributions to our community as the founder of Treats 4 the Streets, an organization that provides hot meals, toiletries, and nonperishables to unhoused and financially insecure people in Franklin County.

  Elaine Damo
  After her husband passed away, she took over managing Mission Warmth, a non-profit organization which he founded, that provides warming items directly to the unhoused of Central Ohio. Their mission is to prevent the freezing and injury caused by extreme weather exposure of the unhoused and financially destitute Americans, with a special focus on Military Veterans. Nobody should freeze to death in this great country of ours!
  

  Danella Hicks
  Danella is the Founder and Executive Director of ALL THAT: Teens Hopeful About Tomorrow, an organization that focuses on the mentorship and empowerment of disconnected teens around Columbus through afterschool and summer programming focused on enhancing academic achievement, exploring career opportunities, and enriching life skills.

  Jatu Boikai
  Jatu is the Nurse Manager for Maternity Services at Mount Carmel Grove City Hospital and has been a nurse for over 12 years. Jatu has a passion and an unwavering commitment to advancing health equity to bring down the high maternal and infant mortality rates that disproportionately plague Black mothers and babies. Jatu is intentional about finding ways to help improve Black women’s birthing experiences through hiring diverse nursing staff and through her nonprofit that offers free, supportive services to vulnerable women.

  Terri Kernan
  Terri manages volunteers monthly who prepare and package meals for the daily lunch line at St. Lawrence Haven. They volunteer from 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. via the St. Vincent de Paul-run sack lunch program. The Haven sits behind Holy Family Church at the corner of Rich St and Main St in downtown Columbus, where approximately 300-500 meals are served each day.

  Kathy Jackson
  Kathy is the Columbus, Ohio Affiliate Director for I Support the Girls. Her service to the Columbus area has been recognized with the I Support the Girls Golden Tampon Award, Nexstar’s Remarkable Woman Award, and Fourth of July Dublin Grand Marshal amongst numerous others for her ongoing commitment to collecting and distributing bras, new underwear and menstrual hygiene products to folks experiencing homelessness, impoverishment and distress. 

  Sarah Sue Morbitzer
  After having open heart surgery at just four months old, Sarah Sue overcame her congenital heart defect by working towards her goal of playing volleyball for her dream school, The Ohio State University. Sarah Sue finished her senior season as a Buckeye last fall and now as she prepares for a career in cardiology, wrote a children’s book, Sarah Scarbuck’s Heart Zipper, to encourage and inspire children with congenital heart defects to be proud of their 8-inch heart surgery scars.

  Marie McConnell
  Marie is on the leadership team at Stonewall Sports Columbus, a community-based, nonprofit sports organization for LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies. Since its inaugural season in 2017, Stonewall Sports Columbus has welcomed nearly 3,000 players and supporters. With the mission of building a connected and inclusive community, the league organizes 7 annual sports seasons and dozens of community events a year. In July 2025, Columbus will host the 11th annual Stonewall Sports National tournament and is thrilled to bring more than 2,500 LGBTQIA+ athletes to our great city.

  Jennifer Miller
  Jennifer arrives daily with a servant's heart, bringing kindness and compassion to citizens of Columbus AND her Firefighter family. Formally, Jennifer is trained to fill many roles on the job: firefighter, medic transport, incident support, and fire dispatcher. Additionally, she is a member of the Peer Support Team and Honor Guard, assisting her fellow firefighters. Jennifer worked on many special projects including oral board assessments, recruiting, and organizing the women of Columbus Fire. Jennifer adds warmth and light in every room she enters, greets friends with hugs, checks in with division members when they are feeling down. In general, she is the surrogate mom and caretaker for her Division of Fire.

  Trish DeVictor
  Trish has dedicated her life to service, from working as a social worker and deputy sheriff to mentoring youth as a D.A.R.E. Officer and volleyball coach. She’s a community champion, volunteering with youth groups, leading cleanups, and supporting her church. A proud mom of three, including a special needs teenager, Trish embodies compassion, leadership, and resilience.

  Linda Gibson
  Dr. Gibson Fletcher is a distinguished educational leader with a rich background in fostering positive change within school systems. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University in 1980, demonstrating her dedication to a comprehensive understanding of the educational landscape.

  Yahaira Rose
  Yahaira is the founder of Proyecto Mariposas providing enrichment opportunities for Latina mothers and daughters in Central Ohio for the past 13 years. Their vision is to cultivate culturally enriched spaces of belonging where Latina voices thrive. Yahaira is from Puerto Rico (Yauco). Proyecto Mariposas programs include Summer Camps, In- Schools sessions and their favorite event, Quinceañera! Yahaira is also the Director of the Martin de Porres Center (Dominican Sisters of Peace), serving the community through programming for youth and families. She is the commissioner for the Ohio Commission of Hispanic and Latinos Affairs (OCHLA). Yahaira has over 20 years of experience in Leadership Development Programs. Yahaira’s passion is to work closely with the Latin population to provide resources, tools and skills that can build resiliency and strong communities.

• 2025 Honorees
  Sarah Haley
  Sarah tragically lost her son, Chase, to suicide, which prompted Sarah to found The Chase Haley Project with Chase’s father, JR. They work to turn heartbreak into hope and inspire change in the community. Starting this year, The Chase Haley Project will provide free mental health services to Lancaster city employees and their families, with plans to expand nationwide.

  Sarah is also working towards opening a wellness center for Fairfield County’s first responders and offering support to families through a parent-led grief group for those who have lost children to suicide.

  Elizabeth Scott
  Elizabeth is known for embracing the meaning of “a day off is a day on.” Elizabeth’s service mindset is inspired by her late Grandpa George, a U.S. Army Korean War Veteran. She served in the Ohio Military Reserve, a component of the Ohio State Defense Force, before recently enlisting as an Aviation Operations Specialist in the Ohio Army National Guard. Elizabeth volunteers for a variety of organizations but is most passionate about supporting military and veteran causes. She is a museum ambassador with the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, an organization dedicated to sharing stories of the United States Armed Forces experience to inspire guests to serve their country and their community. She also volunteers with Honor Flight Columbus, which honors eligible senior veterans with a free one-day trip to D.C. to visit their memorials, encourages veterans to share their stories, and celebrates their homecoming. Elizabeth challenges you to ask the senior veterans in your life if they have taken their Honor Flight. If they have, listen to the story of their flight day. If they haven’t been on their Honor Flight yet, please go to honorflightcmh.org to download the veteran application and help them fill it out, because veterans, it’s your turn!

  Deana Bennett
  Deana Bennett is an Intervention Specialist at Licking Valley HS with more than 20 years of service. She is married to Jesse Bennett, her best friend, and is mom to Makala and Makena. Deana is passionate about providing young people with an opportunity to serve their community. This year, with the help of middle school and high school volleyball families, Deana organized 2 charity events that raised funds for those stricken by cancer. In September, Licking Valley and Northridge middle school teams raised over $2500 for Karis’ Cause, a nonprofit organization that provides support to children and families at Children’s Hospital battling cancer. In October, with support from Licking Valley HS volleyball families, she hosted “Valley 4 a Cause”, where more than $4500 was raised to support 2 local families fighting cancer and a donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. In addition to her teaching role, Deana is also the Licking Valley High School Students Against Destructive Decisions Advisor. SADD is an organization that empowers young people to make healthy choices and avoid destructive behaviors. This year, her student members have hosted 2 successful blood drives in a partnership with the Red Cross and plans to host 2 others before the end of the school year. Deana values faith, family, and community and believes that it takes a village. She wants to say a huge thank you to her village for always showing up to support charity events and those that support ALL of her kids.

  Katie Hanson
  

  Katie has been a volunteer with the HOBY Ohio South leadership seminar since she attended as a high school sophomore in 2007. The HOBY Ohio South seminar provides a 4-day leadership and development program to high school sophomores from central and southern Ohio, building self-confidence, promoting values of servant leadership, and empowering young people to make a difference. In her 18 years of service, Katie has held many roles, including eight years of directing recruitment for the seminar, and serving as co-chair to organize the seminar since 2022. In these roles, Katie has worked tirelessly to reach high school students in central Ohio and ensure that they have access to this wonderful program. She has helped to make scholarships available to qualifying students and helped provide free round-trip transportation to eliminate as many barriers as possible for students who want to attend the seminar. More than 150 students each year are able to have this transformative experience thanks to Katie’s dedication. Now a mother of three children under age 5, Katie remains committed to HOBY and to the students who she serves.