Serving others on Buckeye Impact Day

Buckeye volunteers helped the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium prepare for spring.

On April 5, hundreds of Buckeye volunteers made a difference in communities across central Ohio during Buckeye Impact Day, a signature event of The Ohio State University’s Days of Service.

Whether fighting hunger, supporting vulnerable communities, protecting the environment or helping animals, volunteers gathered at sites all over Columbus and answered the call to generously give their time for the betterment of our communities. These Buckeyes paid forward by serving together.

At the Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Center inside the beautifully renovated Hamilton Hall, Ohio State’s Health Sciences colleges joined forces to create wellness bags for patients of the Total Health Care Center, a community-based, federally qualified health center that delivers primary care services to underserved populations.

Candy Rinehart, nurse practitioner and CEO of the Total Health Care Center, gave a brief overview of the center’s history and its important work before nearly 130 volunteers sporting scarlet and gray formed a line that snaked around the room. Filling their bags with various hygiene items at different tabletop stations, they made quick work of the task, completing 500 wellness bags in just 25 minutes.  

Volunteers ranged from elementary school students to retirees. “The things that I do in my retirement are service activities, which maybe is because I'm a Buckeye. And I like doing things with the Ohio State campus. It's our community. It's who we are,” said Sue Skorupski, a graduate of Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, who personalized notecards for patients at a table with Sarah Buckley, a Moritz College of Law graduate she met that morning. Buckley noted the volunteers’ “energy and enthusiasm.” 

Fellow volunteer Cindy McDonald finished her nursing career at Ohio State. “This is a community that cares about other people,” she said.

Misty Lamprecht, a clinical nurse specialist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, has worked for Ohio State for 35 years. “I know that our patients and families have so many needs, and it's just something little that I, who have been so blessed, can do to give back,” she said. “Volunteering has become something that is good for my heart.”

Several groups made Buckeye Impact Day a family affair, including Emily Del Monaco ’06, husband Matt Del Monaco and daughters Evie and Kenna. “We were very excited to combine two of our favorite things: volunteering and Ohio State,” Emily said.

“It’s also really fun,” Evie added. “I like knowing that I’m helping somebody and I’m going to make their day somehow.” 

At the Mid-Ohio Food Collective’s Gantz Market in Grove City, Buckeyes helped customers access fresh, healthy, no-cost food in a convenient, grocery store experience. To aid in this hunger relief effort, volunteers restocked shelves and produce bins, scanned groceries at checkout stands and delivered groceries to customer vehicles.  

Many customers were warmly greeted by Ohio State football fan Matt Easterday, who came with his wife and other couples from his church. He provided customers with grocery carts and a welcoming presence on Saturday morning.

In the produce section, Ohio State employees Tracy Stuck and Diane Kanney volunteered alongside friend and former employee Daren Lehman. “I feel very fortunate working at Ohio State. I feel very fortunate for what I have in life, and it warms my heart to give back,” said Kanney, who met Stuck through a different Ohio State service event.  

“Diane and I didn't know each other, but we met volunteering, picking up trash on campus. You can build community in volunteering,” Stuck said. “So, when this opportunity came up, she emailed and said, ‘Tracy, let's do this together.’”

Jim Walden, an employee of Ohio State’s Campus Area Bus Service for eight years, smiled often as he handed gallons of milk to customers. “I'm a giver, not a taker. And I want to help people that need help, because maybe they’ll pay forward and help someone else,” he said.

Throughout Time and Change: The Ohio State Campaign, our community has shown that the possibilities are endless when Buckeyes come together — Buckeye Impact Day is no exception.