My name is Kate and I’m honored to share my story, not just as an advocate, but as someone whose life has been radically changed by community support, compassion, and connection.
I grew up in Dayton, Kentucky in a great family. And at just 13 years old, I joined Brighton Center’s Youth Leadership Development program (YLD) where I first discovered the power of using my voice to make a difference. That was the spark.
With YLD, I learned how to petition local government to build a teen center, help paint murals in our neighborhood, and survey peers to create inclusive community spaces. We even landed a grant-funded diversity training trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That was the ultimate flex for a bunch of middle schoolers.
Beyond the cool experiences, Brighton is where my advocacy journey truly began. They walked me through every step when I petitioned the school board to defend a beloved mentor and when I led a student walkout. They didn’t just cheer me on, they stood beside me.
But here’s what you won’t see in my Brighton Center records:
When my mental health started to spiral as a teenager, it was my YLD facilitator who noticed. She pulled me aside into a stairwell, arranged a youth bed at a facility, drove me there herself, and helped me have the hardest conversation of my life with my parents. That moment may have saved my life.
Years later, I reconnected with Brighton Center—this time as a young mother. I had my daughter 10 weeks early at age 19. I was scared, overwhelmed, and completely alone. That’s when I was connected with my Home Visitor through the Every Child Succeeds program.
After a traumatic birth and medical complications, I was prescribed opioid painkillers for far too long. That over prescription spiraled into an addiction that lasted for years—from OxyContin to heroin.
But my Home Visitor didn’t judge me. She kept showing up. She built trust when I had none left in myself. Her support became one of the few constants in my life.
Eventually, I lost custody of my children. I fought hard to get them back, and the only thing I was missing was stable housing. So I went back to Brighton Center. I still remember that Friday—showing up with nothing but back-due utility bills, terrible rental history, and barely any savings.
The staff didn’t flinch. They moved mountains. They enrolled me in their Stable Families program, found me housing, furnished it, and stocked the pantry. By Monday that same week, I regained custody of my children.
I put in the work—but they made sure I never had to do it alone.
I always tell this story, because it shows how deeply Brighton Center cares. When my girls and I went to the food pantry, they’d often give us donated birthday cakes. My daughters didn’t know we were there out of necessity, so I told them these were “just because cakes.” We’d go home, pop some popcorn, pick out DVDs, and have movie night.
Those cakes weren’t just dessert. They were dignity. They were joy. They helped heal a fractured relationship with my daughters—and gave us moments of normalcy in chaos.
As I got back on my feet, Brighton Center was always there—through every holiday meal, every Christmas gift under the tree. And as I became more stable, my need for services decreased—but their support never did.
Years later, in 2020, when I had my son, I joined Every Child Succeeds again. This time, it was different. I was present, healthy, and ready. And my Home Visitor encouraged me to see the value of my story.
I was working in clinical research on the EMPOWER project, helping improve outcomes for moms with substance use disorder and their babies. My Home Visitor showed up every week, fascinated by the work I was doing. She told me: “Keep going. Your voice matters.”
She was right. Today, I’m a powerful advocate in my community. I’m the Outreach Success Manager at one of the largest treatment centers in Southwest Ohio, where I’ve helped thousands find their path to recovery.
I serve on the Hamilton County Peer Advisory Council, shaping policy and amplifying lived experience. I also work with On the Front Lines Community Alliance, hosting workforce development and educational programs for others in recovery and advocacy.
In 2023, I was named Support Person of the Year by Butler County’s National Alliance on Mental Illness. And in 2024, I received the Outstanding Individual for the Betterment of the Field award from the Ohio Deflection Association.
Through all of that, I was reunited with the very same staff who once found me housing. Now, I serve on the Northern Kentucky Parent Advisory Board as the Chair, working alongside staff with the Building Community Well-Being Program, a group of lived experts working in partnership with the Department of Community Based Services helping build better systems for families using our lived experience.
Look at what’s possible when someone is believed in. Look at the life I’ve been able to build—the healing, the thriving children, the husband I adore, all together in the home we now own in Northern Kentucky. I am so proud.
At every turning point, Brighton Center was there.
Because of donors, staff, and volunteers—like many of you, I’m not a statistic, but proof.
You never know what your support might spark.
It might just be the ripple that saves someone’s life—and lets them build a new one.
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