Andrew Levitt has a booming voice and a big heart to match. From volunteer opportunities and service projects in high school and college, to becoming involved in the community during his adult life, helping others was, and is, an important part of what makes him who he is today.

There’s a saying that hangs on the wall of Dwight Smith’s home office. Our children’s lives are in our hands. Our future is in their hands. Not far from that is a map of the world with pins where Dwight’s program, My Special Word, is changing children’s lives. The pins stretch from North America and Europe to Africa and Asia.

Columbus Humane is passionate about its mission to “fight animal cruelty, help animals in need, and advocate for their well-being.” In addition to serving as a shelter and providing veterinary care at its state-of-the-art onsite hospital, the organization, founded in 1883, handles thousands of animal cruelty investigations each year. Recent renovations to Columbus Humane’s site in Hilliard puts animals in the spotlight.

Jim and Francie Henry both grew up in modest, middle class families where helping others was not the exception, but the norm. With strong, diverse cultures (Jim is Scottish/Irish and Francie is Greek) they gravitate toward supporting nonprofit organizations that appreciate gender, cultural, and ethnic differences.