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.

Jennifer Holland

Eleven years ago, Building Heights® formally known as, Building Rox, began as a committee of the Roxboro Elementary School PTA. The mission was to raise funds to help fifth-grade students attend a local summer camp called the University Circle Sampler Camp. After supporting more than 20 students, our vision grew into creating accessible programming for students throughout the Heights, and we became Building Heights®. Read more>>

Kayla Holdgreve

I grew up in northwest Ohio (Lima). I was always interested in the arts and knew I wanted to pursue a creative field but wasn’t sure what that was or could look like. Read more>>

Kyra Jones

I’ve spent more than a decade working inside the financial systems that shape people’s everyday lives—seeing how one financial decision can create opportunity, deepen instability, or change the direction of a family’s future. That perspective shaped my evolution from finance professional to educator, instructional designer, and founder. My experience spans banking and insurance, with expertise in financial reporting, internal controls, operational risk, and financial systems. Read more>>

DASH (ShaDashRon)

I started off freestyling to instrumentals back in 2020. My friend’s Manny and Meen heard me and convinced me to start taking music seriously. I performed for the first time in 2021, and knew I’d found my purpose then. Read more>>

Jessica Noes

History Historic Clifton Mill is one of the largest water powered grist mills still in existence. The first mill at this site was built in 1802 by Owen Davis, a Revolutionary War soldier and frontiersman miller. The mill was built in this location to take advantage of the natural power of the concentrated water funneled into the gorge. Read more>>

Terrie Cook

My story is really a story of faith, purpose, perseverance, and believing that there is always more to become. I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and was blessed with parents who taught me the value of hard work, consistency, and giving back. Those lessons have followed me throughout my life. Read more>>

John Dante

I started playing music with my Dad when I was very young. I’ve always had a passion for performance and creating art. It just kind of evolved into what it is today. John Dante and the Inferno was formed after High School and during college as an outlet for rock and blues music. Read more>>

Jess Morini

I took a jewelry-making class through the Chicago Learning Annex and they let us keep our equipment. I hated the necklace I made in that class and thought I’d never use these skills ever again. But then one day I bought a necklace from Nordstrom and thought, ‘I can make this easily for way less money!’. Read more>>

Katelyn Falls

I’m a mom of four, and for a long time my main focus was simply being present for my family and figuring out what worked for us in each season of life. Over time, I started sharing more of our everyday life online, including motherhood, family routines, products we genuinely use, and the chaos and fun that comes with raising kids. Read more>>

Willis Brownlee

Basketball was an escape for me long before it ever became a career. My father passed away from prostate cancer just two weeks after my fifth birthday. Then, shortly after my seventh birthday, I lost my sister following an incident during Mardi Gras. After her passing, her only son—my nephew—came to live with my mother and me. Read more>>

Joshua Sias

Foodhisattva started as a series of pop-ups I hosted with a partner while I was in college. I was studying philosophy, with a focus on animal rights and Upanishadic ethics, while also working as a vegan advocate. Read more>>

‘Elementree’ Dave Danforth

I’m Elementree, a reggae artist born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where I still live today. Growing up, I was a football player and an avid sports kid, but by high school my focus began shifting toward playing guitar, singing, and writing songs. Read more>>

Colleen Houston

My story with 1001 Colors began long before I became its CEO and Artistic Director. In 1997, I joined what was only the second summer apprentice cohort in the organization’s history. As a young artist, it was my first experience working alongside a large group of peers on creative projects that would have a lasting impact on our city. Read more>>

Anthony Brown

I’ve always been drawn to music, performance, and the feeling of bringing people together. My journey into drag and entertainment started as a creative outlet—a way to express myself, build confidence, and share my love for performing with others. Read more>>

Steven Hankle

# Dr. Steven Hankle ## Personal and Professional Background for Interview ### From Chicago, Basketball, and Family to a Life in Music Dr. Steven Hankle grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Athletics, particularly basketball, played a central role in his childhood and young adult life. Read more>>

Pharrah Gennings

About Pharrah Gennings My name is Pharrah Gennings, and I’m from Amelia, Ohio, a small town just outside of Cincinnati. I began sewing at the end of 2023, but in 2024, I decided to take my craft more seriously and pursue sewing and fashion as a career. Read more>>

Caleb Goins Robinson

I started braiding my own hair my freshmen year of high school. My sister taught me because she said I wanted my hair braided to often. So I learned doing stuff to my own hair. And after high school and explore my life I started doing other hair styles on myself and a few of homegirls and ex high school girlfriend. Read more>>

Mikaela Hunt

When a natural-born extrovert and problem-solver goes into TV news and comes out the other side as an entrepreneur and public servant- that’s my story. I’ve been a leadership consultant and a chief communications officer and everything in between in my quest to tell stories and improve lives through information. Read more>>

Ian Dawson

My name is Ian Dawson, and my journey into art probably isn’t the way most people would expect an artist’s story to begin. I didn’t start out thinking I was going to become a glass artist or that someday I’d be traveling to Murano, Italy, working around some of the best glassmakers in the world. Read more>>

Seth Johnson

Music was always going to be a part of my life. My mother was and is a music educator, most frequently working with K-8th grade general music classes or accompanying ensembles on piano. Read more>>

Case Bargé

Chef Bargé is a Cleveland-born plant-based chef, author, and creative artist whose work is rooted in food, storytelling, community, and the belief that healthy living can be both nourishing and deeply personal. Cooking since the age of 12, Chef Bargé developed his culinary foundation through family, community, and years of professional experience. Read more>>

Elissa Jackson

Elise floral began as a therapeutic journey 5 years ago and has become a life long love of flower creation. After Covid, I experienced the loss of several family members. I found myself developing a deep passion for creating floral arrangements. I have always been a creative person. Being able to create unique arrangements for each clients celebration has been enriching in many ways. Read more>>

Anastasia Kakias

My name is Anastasia and you can find me under my socials by searching for Anastasia Bellydance Ohio . I have been Bellydancing since I was a child, alongside my family with my dad and his brothers playing Mediterranean music and my mother being a Professional Bellydancer. Read more>>

Robyn Matthews

Robyn Matthews is the founder of Rockin’ Robyn’s Takeout which started for her back in 2018 while she was in college working on her Bachelor’s of Science degree at the University of Toledo. She has always had an interest for culinary, as a child she use to watch her late grandmother cook meals for the family and even learned a few things. Read more>>

Talleja Hayes

My name is Talleja Hayes, and the one thing that I’ve always loved to do was travel. I love exploring new places and trying new things, like most people. What set me apart is how organized I have been with my travels. All of my friends and family use me as the go-to person when it comes to planning. Read more>>

Donna Metz

Caledonia Chic Designs & Comforts was born 16 years ago. As a stay at home mum, who not only wanted and needed to earn an income, but who also needed a creative outlet I began researching jewelry design and began my self taught journey. Read more>>

Dan Gillespie

My business partner, Jim Gall, and I met in fourth grade. We started making bmx and snowboarding videos when we were twelve. Our senior year of high school (2006) we came up with the idea of Purple Films with a goal of making short films and a long term dream of making movies. Read more>>

Madeline Beck

I became interested in interior design when I was a kid. My parents slowly renovated the home I grew up in, which sparked my interest in picking out finishes and space planning. My high school art teacher was the first person to tell me that interior design was a profession! After that, I quickly realized it was what I wanted to do for a living. Read more>>

Laura Lee Townsend, LMFT, LPCC

As an undergrad at Ohio University, I started out as a double major in Psychology and Journalism. When Psychology required more math than I was willing to do, journalism won. At least for a while. After graduation, I moved to San Clemente, California, to start my journalism career. Read more>>

Rob Run Corleone

Rapper Rob Run Corleone real name Robert Boyd files civil suit against Kentucky Farm Bureau insurance company over discrimination of black motorist for failing to pay his uninsured motorist claim and Bad faith. Case no. 26-005615 Robert boyd v Kentucky farm.bureau Case.no. 26-005615 handled by attorney Kristopher Bates. Read more>>

Jaclyn Willman

I started to really learn how to use a camera during the pandemic. I had a lot of spare time on my hands, so I took some online courses and learned everything that I could about photography. One of my good friends asked me to photograph her wedding, so I locked into learning wedding photography specifically. Read more>>

Traci Christo

Hi, I’m Traci, owner of Hair by Trac LLC and, as of October 1, the owner of Oréa Salon. My journey in the beauty industry began nearly seven years ago, when I was given the opportunity to attend Diamond Oaks Career Campus during my junior and senior years of high school. Read more>>

Ramey Summerlin

Six years ago, I started Ravishing Bath & Body Soap with a passion for creating handmade soaps and body scrubs that encouraged people to take a little time for themselves. What started as a small passion quickly grew into something much bigger. As my business evolved, so did my services. Read more>>

Connie DeJong

I started in Fair Trade operating Global Gallery after traveling to several countries for study and service. After 15 years of leading the non-profit organization, I started World Peaces as a social enterprise to directly source goods and support community development focused in Bolivia, Ghana and Lesotho. Read more>>

Sara Syed

Sara’s journey into yoga began in high school in 2008, during a time when she was navigating the depths of addiction, anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. At the edge of a personal crisis, she reached a turning point. Fortunately, she found healing through the ancient wisdom of yoga and meditation—tools that offered her a way back to herself. Read more>>

Rylee Speese

My connection to photography is deeply personal. I spent the first four years of my life in an orphanage in China, and because of that, I have very few photographs from those early years. Read more>>

Fionna Fanning

I started my apprenticeship in 2019 at a shop in Medina. I began tattooing shortly after, mainly working on my friends and coworkers. The next year, we entered lockdown during the pandemic, so I had a large pause in my progress. Once we came back to the shop, it was all about being able to eventually make tattooing my full time career. Read more>>

Naliyah Hall

I appreciate this question or questions alike because starting out in graphic design within the music industry in 2023 was interesting. I was asked to design a project for an artist I was a Wardrobe Assistant / Storyboard Artist on. Read more>>

Christopher Hudson

I’d describe myself as a professional visual artist, but I’m more than someone who paints. I’m a storyteller, a visionary, and a builder of worlds through color, texture, and emotion. My work is rooted in expression, perspective, culture, and the belief that reality isn’t simply something we experience—it’s something we help create. At this stage, I’m not chasing the title of being an artist. Read more>>

Boss Illustrations

Since we have last been in communication, I would say a lot has changed and looking back at everything really sets that shift into perspective. Over the last two years I’ve dialed in my career as a full time, freelance Illustrator which was a leap of faith I had always wanted to take but was too caught up on the ‘what-ifs’ of everything. Read more>>

Linda Haley

Having worked in the traditional Western medical field for many years, I only relied on pharmaceuticals and surgery when I was faced with a challenging diagnosis. When those options failed me and I became sicker, the natural therapies I later discovered created a successful path to wellness. It was then that I realized that too few people are aware of the benefits of non-medical care. Read more>>

Lester Parker

I was born and raised in a small, historic Black village, known as the first self-governing Black community north of the Mason-Dixon Line. From a young age, I have always been the outspoken child. Being the only boy made me even more outspoken and willing to challenge things I believed were wrong, regardless of my age. Read more>>

Kristin Bodendorfer

DIVA Donations began with me the founder Kristin Bodendorfer and my daughter, Amelia. Before DIVA became a nonprofit, We had already been helping my daughter’s friends—girls whose families couldn’t afford formal dresses—find beautiful dresses at thrift stores so they could attend dances and special events. When Amelia was getting ready to move out, I looked at my daughter’s closet and saw about 15 formal dresses. Read more>>