Impacting Community Discussion Series

Fourth Sundays – 4:30pm – First English Lutheran

Our Impacting Community Series invites our supporters, our community, and experts into discussion about topics that impact our community. As we learn and grow together, we also ask our speakers to share with us 3-5 ways that we can have a positive impact on our community right away. Join us on the 4th Sunday of every month (except December) at 4:30pm at First English Lutheran Church (1015 E. Main Street, Columbus, OH 43205). Coming up: 

August 24, 2025: Domestic Violence, with Lillian Howard, Director of Clinical and Supportive Services, Lutheran Social Services
September 28, 2025: Mental Health in our Community, with Susan L. Villilo, MSW, LISW-S, ADAMH Board of Franklin County
October 26, 2025: TBD
November 23, 2025: TBD
January 25, 2026: Human Trafficking, with Freedom Ala Cart’s Paula Haines

Past Events: 

July 2024: Community Organizing, with Ohio Organizing Coalition’s Molly Shack and Sam Gresham
August 2024: Poverty in Central Ohio, with the United Way of Central Ohio’s Michael Wilkos (slides)
September 2024: Ballot Initiatives and Voting Rights, with League of Women Voters of Central Ohio’s Elizabeth Grieser
October 2024: Central Ohio’s Housing Crisis, with Affordable Housing Alliance’s Carlie Boos (slides)
November 2024: Homelessness, with The Community Shelter Board’s Shannon Isom 
January 2025: Advocacy around Hunger in Ohio, with Hunger Network of Ohio’s Nick Bates (slides);
February 2025: Solutions to Hunger and Its Root Causes, with Mid-Ohio Food Collective’s Timothy White (slides)
March 2025: Education in Ohio, with former Ohio Board of Education member and OSU professor Dr. Antoinette Miranda
April 2025: Disparities in Youth Justice, with Brooke Jackson from the Ohio Office of Public Defense (slides)