Earlier this summer we met Ann Brooks and Renee Hitchcock who are associates at the Walmart in Ashland, Kentucky. Like any Walmart associate, their days are spent making sure customers have a good experience while shopping in their store. But over the course of the last several months, they’ve also become social media influencers. To build awareness for seasonal merchandise or weekly specials, Renee gets behind the camera while Ann will share with the store’s 28,000 followers on it’s Facebook pa...
Sep 25, 2024•11 min•Season 4Ep. 5
The faculty and staff at Missouri Connections Academy, a statewide, tuition-free, online school recently welcomed new and returning students in grades K through 12 for the 2024-2025 academic year – it’s fifth since it opened in 2020. Virtual school is a great fit for a variety of students and each student is unique. Those who attend Missouri Connections Academy come from different backgrounds and choose full-time online school for various reasons. Some students prefer to take ownership of their ...
Sep 05, 2024•20 min•Season 4Ep. 5
The Immunization Advocacy Network of Ohio, a statewide network of Ohio immunization providers and supporters who advocate for the value of vaccines, recently partnered with the Ohio Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (Ohio AAP) to host an Immunization Summit in Columbus that focused on childhood vaccines. The Summit convened a small group of healthcare providers including pediatricians, pharmacists, and nurses as well as public health officials and vaccine advocates. While Ohio’s rates of i...
Aug 30, 2024•23 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Great River Connections Academy® (GRCA) is a unique, tuition-free, online public school that offers a high-quality educational experience that keeps students motivated and engaged in a safe, virtual learning environment. With the help of specially trained teachers and their parents/learning coaches, students gain the skills and confidence they need to direct their own educational journey, learning to thrive in the real world by first learning how to be resourceful and resilient. Great River Conn...
Aug 22, 2024•19 min•Season 4Ep. 3
It's back-to-school season once again, a time filled with excitement for students and parents as they gear up for the new academic year. However, the only people perhaps more eager than the students themselves are the teachers. In traditional classrooms, teachers are busy getting their spaces ready—arranging desks and chairs, decorating bulletin boards, organizing school supplies, and finalizing lesson plans. But what about online classrooms? How do teachers in a virtual environment prepare for ...
Aug 15, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Over the last few years, Walmart has been on what the company calls a transformational journey, where hundreds of stores across the country have been transformed and redesigned to amplify the physical, human and digital design elements in the stores to elevate the overall shopping experience. As Walmart considers itself a member of every community it serves, there is another element to these store transformations that celebrates those communities. During each remodel, Walmart will unveil a commu...
May 17, 2024•15 min•Season 4Ep. 1
When Ohio Connections Academy first opened, full-time online learning for grades K-12 was not as prevalent as it is today, and students were seen as trailblazers for this type of learning. Today, with 20 years of online learning expertise and a program built specifically for the virtual environment, the school serves more than 5,000 students in grades K-12 from every county in the state of Ohio. Ohio Connections Academy Superintendent Marie Hanna, and Dawnelle Criss, Ohio Connections Academy mat...
Nov 27, 2023•18 min•Season 3Ep. 7
As communities across Ohio and the rest of the country will host celebrations, parades, and ceremonies to honor Veterans of our United States Armed Forces, we are joined by Jason White, Operations Manager at Walmart's East Transportation Command Center in Grove City, OH. Jason served the U.S. Army from 2002 until 2018 when he transitioned to the Ohio Army National Guard and currently serves as Sergeant First Class. We asked Jason to share a little about his military experience and how he made th...
Nov 09, 2023•20 min•Season 3Ep. 6
The costs for rare disease therapies are often very expensive for the patients. While some get help to cover a portion of their high out-of-pocket costs, health insurers have a policy called copay accumulators that prevent the assistance from counting toward the patient's copay or deductible requirements for the year. There is a legislative effort underway in Ohio (House Bill 177) that would address the issue. Sam Cox, State Government Relations Manager with the National Psoriasis Foundation, di...
Oct 10, 2023•15 min•Season 3Ep. 5
For this episode we are pleased to be joined by Greene County Health Commissioner Melissa Howell and Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director of the Ohio Department of Health who share their perspectives and deep knowledge of immunizations and the importance of utilizing public health data. As school children are all heading back to the classroom we talk about what resources are available for parents and caretakers to make sure their children are ready with the proper immunizations. We also discus why vac...
Aug 29, 2023•22 min•Season 3Ep. 4
IFF is a nonprofit lender, developer, and real estate consultant with offices in Columbus and Cleveland and is Ohio’s first and only nonprofit real estate consultant focusing exclusively on boosting under-resourced nonprofits. IFF has provided nearly $70 million in more than 90 loans to Ohio nonprofits helping local changemakers achieve their dreams for their communities. Omar Elhagmusa, senior lender for IFF in Columbus, and Meg Slifcak, Director of Real Estate Solutions based in IFF’s new Clev...
Aug 10, 2023•21 min•Season 3Ep. 3
On this episode of Talking Points, Angela Snyder of Lesic and Camper Communications has a conversation with Columbus Public Health Assistant Health Commissioner Edward Johnson about the importance of vaccinations in the community and the city's recent measles outbreak. Edward also offers some historic perspective regarding vaccine policies dating back to the Revolutionary War.
Aug 07, 2023•25 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Last week Walmart announced that through August 18, it will be accepting applications for its tenth annual Open Call event, inviting small business owners and entrepreneurs across the country to apply for the opportunity to pitch their products to be sold on Walmart or Sam's Club shelves or on Walmart.com. Open Call is at the heart of Walmart's 10-year, $350 billion commitment to strengthen U.S. manufacturing by sourcing products that are made, grown or assembled in the U.S. In 2017, Marisa Serg...
Jul 26, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Angela Snyder of Lesic and Camper Communications has a conversation with Milu Nguyen, BSN, RN – Franklin County Public Health, Prevention & Wellness, about the Immunization Advocacy Network of Ohio and importance of being an advocate for strong vaccine policies.
Jun 30, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Typically, this podcast is dedicated to sharing information on issues such as education, business, health care, public safety and how they might impact public policy. On this episode we’re going to change things up a bit and speak with Chris Heiberger to come on and share a little about his hobby - comedy and improvisation. Chris is with The Hashtag Comedy Co., a local improv group that has been performing on stages across central Ohio and has developed a significant following. Chris tells us ab...
Apr 24, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Kaitlin Finan, an Honors and AP Government teacher at Ohio Connections Academy describes her volunteer work for the Pickles Group, a national cancer support organization that works to provide peer-to-peer support and other services to children and teens with a parent or caretaker who is battling cancer. Kaitlin is currently putting her expertise as a teacher in the virtual classroom to work in translating the Pickles Group program for a digital environment. Kaitlin and Pickles Group Executive Di...
Apr 11, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 12
For older Ohioans, and children and adults with disabilities, receiving health care at home is less costly and more effective than institutional care. But Ohio’s Medicaid reimbursement rates fall significantly short of covering the costs of home care. The rates today are essentially the same as they were in the year 2000. As a result, home health agencies can’t afford to remain open, hire workers or accept Medicaid patients, and new Medicaid providers aren’t in the wings. Thousands of Ohioans ar...
Mar 17, 2023•22 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Last week was National School Counseling Week to focus on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems. School counselors lead, advocate and collaborate on efforts that promote equity for all students and create a culture of success for all. Schools, especially through the pandemic, have focused a significant amount of attention on the social/emotional well-being of students and how it impacts their overall academic success. Great River Connections Academy Manager of C...
Feb 13, 2023•14 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Parents, students, educators, and education stakeholders across the country recently celebrated National School Choice Week. While the term is self-explanatory, School Choice is the process of affording parents and caregivers the opportunity to choose the K-12 academic environment that best meets their child’s needs. At Lesic and Camper, we have the privilege to work with five Connections Academy schools in Ohio, Minnesota, and Missouri. Connections Academy is a tuition-free, online public schoo...
Feb 06, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Jeff Stone, Walmart Senior Manager of Corporate Affairs and Community Relations talks about how the retailer has intensified its efforts to "Spark Good" in the communities it serves through store transformations and the relationships with local charitable organizations.
Jan 13, 2023•23 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann shares with us the mission behind LifeTown Columbus and Kitchen of Life that provides the youth of central Ohio opportunities to overcome developmental and mental health challenges. LifeTown is NOT simply a “field trip” – it’s where students with developmental challenges apply the lesson plans they’ve worked on in advance in the classroom… and where they develop life skills they’ll be able to transfer to their natural community environments. Kitchen of Life offers flexibili...
Oct 11, 2022•31 min•Season 2Ep. 7
You probably know someone who suffers from mental illness or addiction – a family member, a friend, a coworker. Ohioans are suffering from addiction and mental illness in unprecedented numbers. Approximately 2.3 million Ohioans suffer from mental illness. Substance abuse disorders have hit Ohio very hard, especially its rural areas. These issues are affecting residents of all ages and ethnicities. Thrive Peer Recover Services is helping to address these issues. Learn about Thrive’s services and ...
May 02, 2022•17 min•Season 2Ep. 6
More than ever before, it’s critical to ensure that families stay on track for children’s routine checkups and recommended vaccinations following disruptions from COVID-19. A CDC report released in May 2020 found a troubling drop in routine childhood vaccinations because of families staying at home during the pandemic and not maintaining their vaccine schedule. The CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that children stay on track with their well-child appointments and routin...
Apr 21, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 5
It started in 2006 with a golf outing to raise money for cancer research. Sixteen years later, Families for a Cure has raised more than $1.5 million to help local cancer support organizations that help make things better for families and individuals coping with a cancer diagnosis. Throughout the year Families for a Cure host events and activities that bring together friends, families and supporters to celebrate the lives of the people who are battling, have battled and won and those who have los...
Feb 08, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 4
More than a year ago, the City of Columbus announced plans to establish bike lanes along Indianola Avenue between Weber and Midgard Roads on Columbus’ north side. For the city to move forward with the plan it would require a reduction of the street parking. The question is how much. Those familiar with this unique, three-block area knows that the businesses there draw customers from all over central Ohio and they rely on the street parking that is available. A number of the businesses came to th...
Feb 01, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 3
This week is National School Choice Week. In our last podcast we spoke with Great River Connections Academy Principal and School Leader Jason Swinehart about school choice and what that means from the school’s point of view. This week we wanted to get a parent’s point of view. In this week's episode we’re joined by Rose Lynn of Salem Ohio. In 2018 the Lynn family was among the first families to enroll their children in Great River Connections Academy when the school first started serving student...
Jan 24, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Great River Connections Academy is a tuition-free, full-time virtual public charter school that serves students in grades K-12 from all over Ohio. In this episode of Talking Points, we discuss with GRCA Principal and School Leader, Jason Swinehart how students are engaged in the virtual classroom and what kind of student might benefit from this approach to learning. As National School Choice Week is the week of January 23rd, we also discuss the importance for parents to have the option to choose...
Jan 18, 2022•15 min
In March 2021, Pearson and Connections Academy released the results of a new opinion poll of US parents to gain insights into family living and learning during the pandemic. The survey revealed that 84% of dads said they became more involved in their child's education, and it was an experience they found "gratifying." With Father’s Day this weekend, we spoke with a local dad who is very involved in his daughter’s education. Kevin Patillo is the father a Jaiya Patillo, who just completed the sixt...
Jun 10, 2021•18 min
Maria Gilmour is a 7th grade Social Studies and Language Arts teacher at Great River Connections Academy. She joined the faculty at GRCA this year after teaching for 14 years in a traditional classroom. Maria shares a little about her transition from a traditional classroom to the virtual classroom, how students are engaged in an online environment and what are some of the factors that are critical to their success.
May 10, 2021•16 min
RALI Ohio supports and promotes Ohio organizations that offer addiction prevention and education programs, as well as recovery services. RALI Ohio recently released a new podcast, moderated by Candace DeMatteis, focusing on the complex and interconnected issues of substance misuse and addiction, mental health disorders, and public children services in Ohio, all of which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining in the conversation in Ohio State Representative Susan Manchester, who spo...
Apr 08, 2021•41 min
