The Change-Makers: stories that inspire

The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.

Michael AKA Melchizedek Mason

I had a Epiphany on November 1 1975 at Midnight. For the last 50 years ,I have been in training as a Prophet. The office of Melchizedek is my main thing. I also have been trained in following Spirits as they go through history. I have the main line of my Adventure, Most important is as I have been trained ,with each Revelation at the end of the Revelation, I’m given a paper trail to go with the Revelation. I have the story of “Holy Toledo”. That’s the gist of my story. Read more>>

Joanna Scholle

I first picked up a camera when I was twelve, growing up in a small town in Poland, and I’ve been telling stories through photographs ever since. What started as curiosity quickly became a way of seeing the world—paying attention to quiet moments, emotions, and the beauty in everyday life. I went on to attend photography school and officially completed my education in 2015. Read more>>

Amy Niemi

The Reading For Change dream started with our founder Ali Martin and a few others in a coffee shop in Troy, OH and I am humbled to say that we are still making a difference in the lives of students in our community to this day. We are located in the heart of downtown Troy and have served hundreds of students in our 8,000 Sq. Read more>>

Tom Patterson

I would say my passion began around 10 years old, when I began taking apart electronics such as radios, remotes, toys, and home audio amplifiers to see how they worked and to try to rewire them to operate differently. I had saved up my allowance to buy a utility knife that I still have to this day, which I literally used as my all-in-one tool. Read more>>

Jason Ribby

Grave Expectations began in a very personal way—by caring for my own family. I started by cleaning and restoring my family’s headstones that had become weathered, dirty, overgrown, and, in many ways, forgotten with time. What began as a simple act of respect quickly turned into something deeply moving. Read more>>

RACHEL CROOKS

I’ve wanted to have my own business for many years, and in the summer of 2025, I finally made the leap and launched The Creative AF. It felt like the natural next step after a career that spanned multiple industries and allowed me to live, work, and travel well beyond my hometown, while ultimately bringing me back to Tiffin. Read more>>

Terese McGroarty

My husband and I were just 21 when we bought our first franchise, a Shell Automotive Repair Center. What started as one location quickly grew to three, and we spent about 15 years building and operating those businesses while raising a family. After selling the Shell locations, we purchased a Goodyear Automotive Repair facility and built it from the ground up. Read more>>

hau nguyen

Hi my name is Hau and my English name is Helen and i glad to share my story to everyone. I’m a nail tech work at Angle Nails & spa a few years then one day the owner wanted to sell his business. I grabbed the opportunity so I can become the nail salon owner. Read more>>

Adam Skoda

I didn’t start out confident, disciplined, or “put together.” I grew up dealing with heavy depression, anxiety, and OCD, and there was a stretch where my internal world was chaotic enough that I ended up hospitalized. On the outside I looked functional; internally I was fighting myself every day. The turning point wasn’t a single breakthrough moment—it was movement. I started running. Read more>>

Crystal Burgel

My husband and I were foster parents for several years. In April 2021, we felt God directing us to begin collecting clothes and toys in our garage to share with other foster families. I made a Facebook post asking for donations. Read more>>

Aaron Roush

I started with an interest in the stock market at age 14. My mom helped me set up an online investment account and I was hooked. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but it got me interested enough that I decided to study financial planning in college. Read more>>

Ty Bonawitz

I grew up around the trades. My dad has owned his own construction and remodeling business for as long as I can remember, so from a young age I spent my summers and winter breaks working alongside him. That experience gave me an early appreciation for craftsmanship, work ethic, and what it really means to stand behind your work. Read more>>

22 Visions Media

22 Visions Media officially launched on November 7, 2025, and is based out of Cleveland, Ohio. Founded by Wisdom Clark, the platform was created with a clear mission: to document culture and creatives through intentional, high-quality storytelling rooted in community. From the beginning, 22 Visions Media was built hands-on. Read more>>

Jennifer Saxon

With over a decade of experience in the foot care industry, my mission has always been to provide more than just an aesthetic service. Since becoming a licensed nail technician in 2012, I have dedicated my career to the science of the foot. Read more>>

RESERVED STAR MARKETING GROUP

By connecting those dots and putting the right pieces of the puzzle together, the vision for Reserved Star Marketing was formed. RSM was created to be that bridge — a strategic sports marketing and athlete representation company focused on building meaningful partnerships, not just deals. Read more>>

Michael Wilkinson

I grew up in a lower-income household, where hard work and perseverance were a way of life. Through the dedication and sacrifices of my parents, I was given the opportunity to attend a private high school, Archbishop Moeller, which helped shape my discipline and drive. After graduating, I went on to study business at Wright State University. Read more>>

Whitney Wicks

Hello, I’m Whitney, artist, gardener, & nature enthusiast. For many years, I have enjoyed collecting tropical plants, creating a unique landscape of living decor in my home. I love sharing the gift of plants with my community & started selling small plants after being laid off from my long time job in the mortgage industry while planning a wedding & honeymoon. Read more>>

Luanda Daniels Taylor

My story begins in the gutter — not as a metaphor, but as a lived reality. I came from the streets, shaped by environments that didn’t nurture identity or affirm worth. For a long time, I didn’t know who I was or what I carried, and I became a product of what I was surrounded by rather than what God had placed within me. Read more>>

Jenn Rathweg

I started my magazine collage journey back in 2019. I previously dabbled in many art forms, but the challenge of creating portraits from tiny bits of colorful scrap paper was exactly what I was looking for. I started with pets and landscapes, eventually branching off into portraits of people. Read more>>

Katie Mosher

I started cooking with my mom and gran from a young age, but didn’t find my place cooking professionally until my late twenties. Throughout middle and high school I thought of cooking more as a hobby, and focused on other talents, participating in choir and drama club. Read more>>

Courtney Morris

My passion and love for balloon decor started over 6 years ago when my son was born. I remember looking at first birthday themes and party decor ideas scrolling Pinterest, and he was only a couple of months at that time haha! We did a “spooky one” themed first birthday party complete with balloons and I was hooked. Read more>>

Jamie Fahey

I’ve been in the electrical trades for about 13 years. It all started in Cincinnati when I decided to take the electrical course at Kaplan College. The first day of school they taught us how to hook up a single pole switch to a light. When I had finished and the light came on, it made me fall in love with electric. Read more>>

Maria Grissom

In February 2023, I was preparing to welcome my third baby in three years. I had just moved to a new city, away from family and friends, and felt lonely. I deeply longed for a group of moms to pray with—a community where we could lift up our children in prayer together. Read more>>

Alan Cupp

I started writing fiction approximately thirty years ago, right around the time my first son was born. I would get home from working second shift and need to kill some time until he would wake up for a bottle, so I would sit down at the computer and start creating stories. Read more>>

Kara Groff

I was born into entrepreneurship on both sides of my family. My mom’s family ran Strickfaden’s Nursery and a year-round Christmas store, while my dad’s side was rooted in the funeral business. My grandfather, F. Leo Groff, started in funeral service, and my father, Leon J. Groff, expanded the business and all of its brands. Read more>>

Mya Riggins

I’ve always been academically ambitious. I’ve wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. For most of my teen years, social media was just something fun, nothing deeper than casual posts. After I graduated high school, I finally leaned into storytelling and started documenting my life in a more intentional way. A big part of that became Columbus. Read more>>

Adrienne Nemetz & Maria Tsirigotakis

Believe it or not, we met in cosmetology school. We paired together for a project, which is where our friendship began. Even back then, we both shared the same dream of one day owning a business in the beauty industry. Read more>>

Andrew Burns

I’ve always been drawn to how things work, especially the human body and our relationship with the world around us. My path into chiropractic started with a simple curiosity about pain, disease, and resilience. I didn’t want to practice in a system that rushed people through or treated symptoms in isolation. Read more>>

The Betlejewski Family Betlejewski

Beetle’s Plumbing Solutions was founded on March 17, 2023, with one man, one truck, and a mobile phone—but the decision to start the business had been building for years. Both owners had reached a turning point in their careers. Read more>>

Rev. Dr. Stephen Swisher

I gave my first sermon when I was nine years old. I travelled with my parents, Dr. Lowell and Barbara Swisher, and lived around the world in Japan, the Philippines, Korea, the Panama Canal. We returned home to the United States when I was 16. I then went on through High School, College, Seminary and Graduate School. Read more>>

(Anthony) ‘Kevin’ Corvo

Tim Hoffman, a business owner and member of Franklin Street Creative, and Jordan Smith, also a business owner and with Franklin Street, approached me about starting a local news outlet- only for Hilliard- that became the Hilliard Beacon. I was previously acquainted with both men having been a reporter for the Hilliard Northwest News and Hilliard ThisWeek, since 1999. Read more>>

Cyndi Molina

On March 4th, 2019, I moved back to Ohio from Florida, I decided to leave my husband and restart my life in Ohio. I landed a temporary cleaning position at a nightclub in the Cleveland, Ohio area. I was seeking to return to my sales career, which spanned over 18 years. It was difficult to find my way back to what I always knew. Read more>>