Life Center Newsletter

 From Waitress to Hero: Celebrating Shakira Every hero has an origin story. Some start in faraway galaxies, others in small towns—and some wear aprons instead of capes. Meet Shakira, our most recent graduate of the Hero on a Mission program at the Life Center. Shakira has spent years working in the restaurant industry, serving tables. She works about 30 hours a week, and the team there is very accommodating with her busy schedule. Why does she love waitressing? Simple: she loves people . For Shakira, every customer is more than an order number—they’re someone she gets to connect with. But her biggest mission is at home, where she’s raising two sons . Her youngest, Jonah, has autism, and like most superheroes, Shakira juggles more challenges than most people ever see . She often puts her boys’ needs before her own—whether that’s prioritizing their health appointments or navigating Jonah’s very particular food preferences. (Any parent who’s tried to convince a kid to eat broccoli wi...

The Unexpected Gift of Volunteering: Healing Your Own Heart While Helping Others Volunteering at the Life Center isn’t just about giving—it’s about receiving hope and healing for your own life . As Diane, one of our volunteers, puts it: “Every time I serve at the LC, I walk away feeling better than when I arrived. Showing up makes a difference. Building relationships makes a difference. Being part of a community makes a difference.” That’s the gift of volunteering—you step in thinking you’re helping someone else, and you leave with your own heart a little more healed, too . If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get involved, consider this your invitation. Stand alongside us, listen to stories, share hope, and discover the joy of serving.  I get the wonderful opportunity to attend Life Center events—it’s my job to sit back and observe. I spend much of my time at the LC trying to understand the full scope of what happens in our programs and how to communicate these wonderf...

From Borrowed Rides to Bold Steps: Angi’s Hero Graduation If you’d met Angi a few months ago, you might have found her behind the wheel of a borrowed truck—or maybe not behind the wheel at all, because her own pickup had died an untimely (and expensive) death. She came to the Life Center with a practical need: transportation through our partnership with the Wheels ministry. What she didn’t realize at the time was that she’d also signed up for something much bigger—a hero’s journey. That’s what Hero on a Mission does best. It turns “I just need help with this one thing” into “I’m ready to rewrite my story.” When Angi first stepped into the program, she carried more than just car troubles. She was navigating deep grief after losing her adult son to addiction, balancing the demands of single-parenting her 16-year-old daughter, and trying to keep her painting business afloat. Add in running Pavement—a nonprofit she founded in her son’s honor to help addicts and their families—and you’ve go...

Lifting Lives Together: A Deeper Partnership with Project Lift At the Life Center, our vision is “A transformed community where people who desire change find hope, build healthy relationships, and are empowered to grow into the life that God intended.” Every day, we see this vision come to life as we walk alongside our guests—people who are seeking financial stability, meaningful friendships, and a clear plan to move forward. It is our joy to provide support, encouragement , and resources to help them take those next steps. We know transformation happens best in community , which is why we choose to partner with organizations that share our heart for impact. One of those incredible partners is United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s Project Lift. This fall, we are stepping into a deeper partnership with Project Lift that will allow us to serve even more families in our community. Through Project Lift, families will be equipped and encouraged to create SMART goals —Specific, Measurable, Ach...