Bridging The Gap: How One Community Is Creating A Safe Place to Thrive
As the wife of a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, Kelsey W. Hurlburt knows first-hand the importance of a welcoming, inclusive community. Kelsey has never lived in one home for more than four years. Moving around, learning to understand people and culture, and building community have been constant elements of her life.
What Kelsey didn’t realize is how critical that experience would be to helping change the trajectory for so many people.
An unexpected assignment
Before her husband retired in 2021, one of their last stops was Germany, where Kelsey’s daughter was diagnosed as having special needs. This made her particularly adept at finding resources. She was able to identify gaps and find solutions for struggling military families while also creating resources for families who have children with special needs.
From Germany, Kelsey’s family made one last stop in Dayton, Ohio, before her husband retired and her family moved to Bellbrook, Ohio. She became a volunteer social worker at Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Community Support Center (BSCSC). This felt like a good use of her skills and experiences. What she didn’t expect was to be asked to take on the executive director role after just a few months of volunteering!
Due to the critical impacts of COVID-19 on the community and the Center, Kelsey accepted the role immediately. As is her style, she jumped right in. She loved the work but did not expect the huge variety of issues and needs faced by the people they were serving.
But Kelsey’s biggest asset is her ability to develop and execute great solutions and that’s what she did.
Finding purpose from your path
What began as a small resource center and a food pantry has blossomed, in just two years, into a comprehensive social service agency with a staff of 10. The team includes social workers, interns, an office manager, and over 30 regular volunteers.
Today, the BSCSC offers a wide variety of goods and services. In addition to the Food Pantry — which serves approximately 100 families per month — they provide emergency clothing, household items, school supplies, holiday baskets, and social service assistance for more than 200 families regularly.
Other programs include Tools & Toys to Thrive, life skills education classes, support groups, and Kelsey’s favorite: the Fellowship Program. Through this grant program, funded by St. Francis of Assisi, clients are paid while they work at the BSCSC to develop skills for more sustainable employment. Kelsey described their last Fellow, a single mom who had never worked outside of food service. After only six months as the Fellow, she was hired as the program and events coordinator for the Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association!
It takes a village — and everyone is equally important
At the BSCSC, Kelsey has the ability to do what she does best — cultivate a connected, resourced, safe place for clients and staff alike.
“We couldn’t do what we do without relying on our staff and volunteers,” Kelsey said. “I get to see the best in people every day. People volunteer here because they truly want to help.”
Kelsey’s passion for building relationships and community doesn’t just extend to her clients — it includes the entire staff and volunteer team. Kelsey’s goal is to always ensure they feel supported and valued.
“I would never have accepted a position if the culture of the workplace did not foster the belief that you and your family are more important than work,” Kelsey said.
She runs her agency with that same mindset. “If someone needs to bring their child to work, or take off early to care for a parent, that’s not a problem. I want people to know who they are outside of work is valued too.”
Kelsey’s perspective has not gone unnoticed. Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Community Support Center was listed in Ohio Business Magazine as one of the best places to work in Ohio for companies with under 50 employees — something of which she is super proud.
A triaged approach
While all BSCSC’s programs provide much-needed assistance, Kelsey explained that their primary emphasis is meeting clients’ immediate needs to clear the way for long-term goals.
For instance, she was recently approached by a distraught father with three kids under the age of five. His ex-wife dropped them off for the weekend, then left him a message that she wasn’t sure when she was coming back. He had just started a fast-food job and now faced the challenge of having to buy diapers, food, clothing, and countless other essentials for himself and his three children on a long-term basis. He had no idea what to do, but fortunately the BSCSC was able to help
Without first tackling these immediate needs Kelsey knows she can’t possibly address more long-term aspirations with her clients. So, if she doesn’t have the necessary resources at her disposal, she reaches out to those who can help — individual donors, organizations such as St. Vincent de Paul, United Way of Greater Dayton, and Community Action Partnership, as well as local churches who help with things like food, clothing, and shelter.
NeighborShare
But sometimes clients need immediate financial assistance that there are no resources to meet. For those clients, Kelsey relies on the flexible donations provided by NeighborShare.
“I’m always looking for ways to help clients create a more promising future for themselves,” Kelsey explained. “But first, in order to do that, we have to help them through the day-to-day hurdles. Thanks to organizations like NeighborShare, we can do that.”
Kelsey described one situation where a client needed a copy of his birth certificate to apply for asylum. But to complete the application, he needed to have documents translated from Arabic to English. No other resource provided funds for that purpose.
Another man who was living in his car and struggling with mental health issues, had accumulated so many parking violation fees he wasn’t able to afford a copy of his birth certificate — a requirement for obtaining stable housing.
In both of these scenarios, NeighborShare came to the rescue.
NeighborShare funds go directly to satisfying her clients’ immediate financial needs, so Kelsey can help set them up for more long-term success.
If you’d like to learn more about NeighborShare and help support more organizations like Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Community Support Center, visit nbshare.org.
