Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
One Dublin’s New Director Shares How Local Generosity Keeps Families Afloat
What if Dublin's strongest asset isn’t our great neighborhoods, parks, pathways or schools, but the way neighbors show up for each other? Lindsay and Bruce sat down with Brian Carr, the new executive director of One Dublin. Together, they unpack how a hyperlocal safety net helps families and seniors weather sudden setbacks with dignity. From winter coat drives to emergency bill pay, Brian explains how focused programs reduce stress, restore stability, and remind people they belong.
We trace One Dublin’s journey from a small adopt-a-family effort to a community-powered hub serving thousands across the Dublin City Schools District. You’ll hear how backpacks and school supplies shape academic confidence, why the 'free shop' is about choice as much as clothing, and how a mattress program makes - “no one sleeps on the floor” - a real promise. Brian also shares the data that many miss about suburban needs: one in five students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and Dublin is home to one of Ohio’s largest immigrant communities. That diversity demands more than good intentions—it calls for smart, coordinated support.
Partnerships with the Dublin Food Pantry, libraries, and healthcare providers make it easier for families to navigate resources without hitting a wall of forms and websites. This conversation explores practical ways to help, whether it's a financial contribution or volunteering. Brian’s vision is simple and ambitious: to grow capacity so that more neighbors are reached, and to make “One Dublin” feel true for everyone who calls our City home.
If this conversation moves you, share it with a friend, bring a coat to the free shop, or set up a donation bin at work. Your voice ensures the right help reaches the right people!
Hello and welcome to Link Ahead, the City of Dublin podcast. It is that time of year when many of us reflect and count both the blessings and challenges of another year coming to a close.
SPEAKER_00:There are so many reasons to be grateful for our lives here in Dublin and so many ways that we can help each other. One way is connecting with the folks at One Dublin, which serves our neighbors in the Dublin City School District who are temporarily in need. One Dublin's brand new executive director, Brian Carr, is our guest today. Brian, welcome to Link Ahead.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for having me. I'm six weeks into the job, so this is great that I get an opportunity to practice how I share One Dublin to the community. This is excellent.
SPEAKER_00:Great, great testing ground right here, and what a perfect time of year to have you here. You have such an interesting background and personal story, which we'll get to in a bit. But for our listeners who may not know about One Dublin, let's fill in the blanks here. The organization started nearly two decades ago from a small group of people who connected with a guidance counselor and two nurses from the Dublin City School District. Take us from there.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think uh One Dublin's origins are really cool because they highlight how easy it can be to help people if you want to do something. That it started with a small group of people who saw a need in the community and decided to do something about that and meet the need. And so they worked with a couple people from the Dublin City School District, a couple of families. They did an adopt a family program. And then the next thing you know, they saw more needs based on that information that they gathered, and then they saw more needs, and then they kept meeting them, seeing and meeting, seeing and meeting, and it just grew into the organization that we now have today, which served over 6,000 people last year. So it grew quite a bit.
SPEAKER_01:So today, One Dublin served nearly 100,000 people and 40,000 households. Let's go through some of those services and tell us more about it. So adopt a family and adopt a senior. Tell us about that.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so that's our program. That's our big program currently going on right now, where we partner with Dublin City School District to identify families who need assistance during the holidays, regardless of their religion, of what uh holiday they're celebrating. They can sign up for the program. And then we match them with sponsors who purchase gifts for the children in the family, and then also a grocery gift card for the adults in the family so that they can have a holiday meal. And then we all also partner with um a retirement community to get seniors who might not have family or who feel alone during the holidays, that they also get matched with a sponsor can get some gifts and have some things that they can open up during the holidays as well. So I think we have 250 families that we're supporting and over 60 seniors that we're supporting with those programs. Wow, that's awesome.
SPEAKER_00:That's amazing. I want to get involved with this. Is it too late? I mean, how do you how do you get involved?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it is too late. Currently, we've shut down registration for both families and sponsors because we like to get it in as early as possible so that people have time to buy the gifts, to wrap them, and then we deliver them the first week of December. And so um, but next year just be on the lookout. We post it on our website and on our socials. Um, registration always opens at the end of October, early November. And uh, yeah, the more sponsors we have, the more families that we can support.
SPEAKER_00:Okay, I'll to plan ahead better next year. Um let's jump to another program, back to school. Um, time, you have free backpacks and supplies?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so that's um also one of our larger programs that we do in which we support students within the school district. Um, we know that uh the less social and financial stress that students experience, the better their educational outcomes. And one of the ways that we assist in that is by providing them with backpacks and school supplies for the year so that they don't have to worry about where that stuff is coming from. They don't have to feel left out if they don't have a cool looking backpack like all of their friends do. And so it's it's one of the ways that we can really support students going into the year. Um, last year uh in August, we had 960 backpacks that we handed out to students within the district, and we're able to connect them with other resources in our community. So it's a really great event that um really sets the tone for the school year for a lot of these kids.
SPEAKER_01:That's awesome. Um, all right. So, what's the community free shop?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that's probably the one thing that most people know One Dublin for. Um it's uh a store that people can come shop at. They can get um clothing, uh, coats, shoes, personal care items, some household goods. It's all free, it's all donated, uh, mostly from people that live here in the Dublin community. And families can come and they have a limit on what they can get, but it's usually so much that a lot of families don't even take all of what they are allowed to take because it's a lot of clothing that they're allowed to pick up. And so we're always looking for more donations there so that we can again support more families to get the basic needs met so that they again don't have to worry about where their clothing is going to come from, how they're gonna afford a new pair of shoes. They just come to us and it's all free for them.
SPEAKER_00:It's a really great service to the community. So, what days, how do people know where to go and when to go?
SPEAKER_02:So we are open three days a month at the free shop just because we have constraints with number of volunteers and staff that we have available. But that information is always posted on our website, it's always on our social media. Um, so you can always go look at those uh two ways to find out when the shop is open. Um, it's usually one Tuesday night, one Thursday morning, and one Saturday morning each month. And we always post those ahead of time so that people know uh when they can come shop.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, great. And this might be a good time of the year to talk about this emergency household assistance. What's that program about?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, that is what I think is one of our most important programs that a lot of people that know about One Dublin don't know that we offer. But it's a program where we do direct bill pay for people that live within the Dublin City School District. So if they have a medical emergency, if they lose their job, if they wreck their car, that there's suddenly a large expense, it can really set them behind on their bills. And once you get behind on your bills, it's really hard to catch up. So we help families catch up on those bills, sort of um cover the gap that they experienced so they can get assistance through us where they can submit an application, give us the bills that they want us to pay, and then we just pay those directly for those families so that it's again one less thing that they have to worry about when it comes to supporting their families and themselves. Um, yeah, especially during winter when electric and gas burns really start to increase, it can be a huge burden on um families that are sort of um struggling financially and um their income doesn't go up just because their bills go up. So it's it's a way for us to support them through some of those difficult times.
SPEAKER_01:Wow. Okay, one more we want to talk about. Ensuring no one sleep on the floor, the mattress program.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, this is a way to make sure that everyone gets to sleep with dignity. We believe that no one ever should be sleeping on the floor or trying to cram onto a couch or something like that. And so we provide um new twin-size mattresses. Um families can request as many as they need, and then we work with a mattress supplier who gives us discount rates, and then we cover the costs and then get them delivered to the families. Um, we also provide bed frames so that the mattress doesn't have to be on the floor. And then we also provide them with a set of sheets for the bed as well. So it's just one way to let people know that they deserve to sleep comfortably regardless of what their situation is.
SPEAKER_00:So can you talk about how One Dublin works with other nonprofits in the area to meet, you know, expanding needs?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, absolutely. So we share a lot of the same client base as a lot of the other nonprofits. If they're coming to us for support, they typically need support in a couple of other ways. So the Dublin Food Pantry is one of our big partners. We cross-refer to each other all the time. We'll get um people that come to us from the food pantry, and then we send people to the food pantry if they are in need of food assistance, because that's one of the things that we don't do at One Dublin. Um, so we work with them primarily. Also at events like our back to school program, we have um organizations from all over the community come to set up tables to pass out information, um, like the library or um Ohio State Medical Center, nationwide children's programs like that that can come and show all of the resources that are available. Because typically, if families need help in one area, they often need help in others. And it can be really confusing to navigate all of the different organizations and programs and applications and services. And so we're trying to gather a lot of those in one place so that those people don't have to go to a hundred different websites, um, but we can kind of help them navigate that. And so we have a lot of great partnerships with a lot of organizations and businesses that can help support our families.
unknown:Wow.
SPEAKER_01:All right. So nonprofits have many things in common, but two commonalities are universal: the need for funding and for volunteers. Your website is super easy to navigate for volunteer opportunities as a date, and services needed are right there. So, for example, in the month of December, you have volunteer opportunities at the community free shop and also need drivers to drop off donations. So help us fully understand uh your volunteer mission.
SPEAKER_02:Our biggest thing is just getting people connected. I have a deep belief that the majority of people want to do good in their community. I I really believe that most people want to help. It's just a matter of they don't know where to help or when to help or how to help. So, what part of our mission is to connect with volunteers and help learn about what do you want to do to help your community? What are your skills and gifts that you're bringing to the table, and how can we utilize those to support our programs and to help our families? So it's really about getting people connected to their community, getting them connected to their neighbors and getting them connected to their passions so that they can feel good about what they're doing. Because I think that we should feel good when we volunteer, we should feel good when we donate, and that's part of the driving force behind doing good in our world is because it makes us feel good and we know that it's helping the people that live right next door to us. So our mission is all about connection for everybody.
SPEAKER_00:Wow, you are absolutely correct. Let's stick with this for a little bit because people in Dublin are very responsive to community needs. So, aside from maybe volunteering at the community free store, what are some other ways that people can support you?
SPEAKER_02:Two of the big ones would be awareness. Uh, not many people know about One Dublin, surprisingly, both the people who are in need and the people who could help support us. We we've noticed that there are people who don't, who haven't heard of us before. And so spreading awareness, sharing our name. Um, we encourage people to do their own donation drives, to set up donation bins in their businesses, sort of in the lobby, just as a way to uh reach more people, to introduce them to us and our programs. Um, and then the other big thing is we do rely on donations. We're a nonprofit that doesn't have any federal or state funding, so we are all about grants and individual donations. And so we believe strongly that Dublin is a community that's capable of taking care of itself. And so we're always looking for people who can donate to help support our programs like our emergency household assistance, which is financially supported. It's not a uh where someone can donate uh a piece of clothing for that. We actually need financial donations to support some of those programs and to buy some of the school supplies for our back to school program. So those are probably the two biggest ways. But we're also always open if if there, if someone has an idea or they have a gift that they can offer or a skill that we can use, we are always looking for people to reach out and suggest ideas to us about things that maybe we could be doing in the community more or better, because we don't always know what resources are available for us to hand out to our families and share with the community at large.
SPEAKER_01:So you know you've talked about a lot of needs. So on your website, you list the most needed items at the moment. So what is needed right now, Brian?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, the big thing right now would be winter coats. Uh obviously, as the weather starts to get colder, people come and take coats for all of the members of their family, which we want them to do. But we do run out of those fairly frequently. So coat drives are always such a big thing that we're encouraging people to do. Um, hats, gloves, anything that can keep people warm during the winter. And then two of the things that we need year-round, one is underwear, because that's one of the things that we don't take used for obvious reasons. And so that can be a one that's a little more difficult for us to collect because people have to go out and buy it and then donate it to us. So underwear is always something we need for every age. Um, and then personal care items, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo, deodorant. Um, families can only come to our shop once every three months. Um, and that means that if we don't have enough personal care items, they might only get one tube of toothpaste. And if they're a family of four, every three months, one tube of toothpaste is not going to be enough. So we're always looking for more personal care items so that when our families come into the store, we can really stock them up with those so that they don't run out until the next time that they're able to visit us.
SPEAKER_00:All right, Brian. Now let's talk about you. What an educational and career journey you've had. You have a bachelor's degree in education, a master of divinity from Methodist Theological School here in Ohio, and a clinical pastoral education certificate. You have served as a senior church minister and worked for other nonprofits. So, to us at least, aligning your ministerial passions with nonprofit acumen seems like a perfect fit.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, and it has been a really great fit so far. And I definitely um knew that this would be an organization and a position that I believed that I could thrive in and really bring a lot of energy and vision and passion into, especially with my experiences in ministry and working as a chaplain at a few different children's hospitals has really allowed me to um figure out how to meet people's needs, how to hear what their needs are, and then how to work to meet them, to work with people. So there are a lot of things that are very similar. Um, and I feel, yeah, very excited to be in this position and to have the opportunity to continue to help people and invest in the communities that we are a part of.
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. So, what is it that about Dublin and about this job that attracted you?
SPEAKER_02:I think the biggest thing for me was the focus on community. I mean, there are lots of nonprofits that do lots of wonderful things, but a lot of them are more spread out and they they bring in people and funding and and opportunities from all over the place. And one of the things that's really cool about One Dublin is it's Dublin. It is right there in the name, trying to create this vision of One Dublin and what community looks like. And so it's very local, it's very grassroots, it's very invested in the people that live across the street, that go to school with you, that work with you, that serve you when you go to a restaurant, that drive your bus, sort of all of these people that live in our community, that's who we're invested in helping. And I love the idea of that local community nonprofit sense that One Dublin brings.
SPEAKER_01:As you're getting out and about in your new role, let's pose a question this way. Our city has deeply earned the reputation for having healthy and outstanding quality of life, world-class services, and some of the best schools in the country. And we really work hard at all of those things. But that doesn't mean some people that live in Dublin don't have challenges, right? So uh people sometimes have a hard time understanding that people in suburban communities like Dublin sometimes have challenges, financial and otherwise, uh, from time to time.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. And when I first took this job, um, I kind of explained it to some of my friends that live here in Columbus, and their genuine reaction was, oh, I didn't know there were people in need in Dublin. There is this belief that the suburbs are where the wealthy people go and that it's very stable and everyone's sort of in the same economic class. And what people don't realize is that even in a community like Dublin, there is immense amounts of diversity. Um, and that even if you are middle class or upper middle class, there are going to be times where you might be in financial need yourself, that you could lose a job, you could have a medical emergency, and you just need a little bit of extra support for a month or two, and that's what we're here to do. So that's part of our mission is to raise that awareness and to say that we have so much more in common because we're all one step away from needing help in one way or another, and that it takes a community to support a community.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and as you're talking about that, you're learning more about this community. Talk about any surprises that you've had or things that you've learned that you know might surprise our listeners.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think the biggest thing is for us, we support the Dublin City School District. So if you live within the footprint of the school district, you are eligible for our assistance. And 40% of the students in Dublin City School District live outside of Dublin proper. And then one in five students that attend a Dublin City school needs free or reduced lunch. And so it's a larger population than people realize of families that might be struggling, that might be living paycheck to paycheck. And so trying to raise that awareness and get people to realize that the child that's sitting next to their student in school might be someone that we're supporting and who needs our help. Um and then I think the other thing is that we have the third highest immigrant population in Ohio here in Dublin. And I think that speaks to the quality of Dublin, that people who are moving to Ohio, they're seeking out Dublin because this is a school district that's one of the best in Ohio. It's a community that is safe, that is supportive. And so one of the goals, I think, of Dublin should be to prove that it deserves that reputation, that these families who are coming, that are refugees and immigrants, that they made the right choice by coming to Dublin to improve their quality of life, to give their kids a better future, that we can lift those people up and say, you made the right choice. You are in a safe community that wants you to thrive and that we're going to support you. And I think that's a big part of our mission and our messaging moving forward is that a rising tide lifts all boats, that if everyone in Dublin is better off, then it means that everyone in Dublin is better off. And so there's this connection between how well everyone is doing and how well the community is doing overall. So that if there are people who are struggling, then that means the community might be struggling a little bit more. So we should want to lift up and support every single person that is in our community, that's in the school district, because it makes Dublin a better place for everyone to live.
SPEAKER_00:Wow. Just wow. Absolutely. Bruce and I are sitting here with our jaws on the table because you are absolutely nailing it. And um, you know, we're so lucky to have you in the community. So kind of a big lofty question here, but what are your goals as executive director?
SPEAKER_02:My goals are to grow our organization, not just for growth's sake, but because the more resources that we have, the more people that we can help. And we help a lot of people and we meet a lot of needs, but I know for a fact that we're not meeting every need that's out there, that we're not helping everyone who needs and deserves help in our community. So it would be great if we could continue to sort of grow as an organization to do more in our community. Um, and also one of the one of my personal goals is to make One Dublin a reality in the sense of having everyone that lives in Dublin feel like they're full members of this community, that regardless of which neighborhood you live in, of how much money you make, of where you came from, of how you ended up here, that you know for a fact that you are a part of Dublin and that you are welcomed, loved, and supported. And so, how do we message that? How do we connect people on opposite ends of each spectrum and to bridge those gaps together so that we can truly look at our community and say, yes, we are one Dublin?
SPEAKER_01:Absolutely. Now, we've talked a lot here today about your mission, your personal passions, and the time, treasure, and talent all nonprofits need. So as we're wrapping it up, what's your elevator pitch to a listener who's never heard of One Dublin, but may want to join your cause?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, my pitch is really just do you want to be connected to your community? Do you want your neighbors to be welcomed in this community and this city? And if the answer is yes, then One Dublin is one of the places where we can do that more completely, where we can really connect everyone together and we can really shift the focus from all of these little ways that we are really good at dividing ourselves and instead reframe what it means to live as neighbors and be in community. And I think One Dublin is a wonderful space that can really connect people to all of the neighbors that they've never met or maybe even knew lived here, and to see sort of how we can grow together.
SPEAKER_00:Well, we wrap up every episode with rapid fire questions. What book are you reading right now?
SPEAKER_02:I'm a huge fantasy nerd. So I'm reading a book called The Lies of Locke Lamora, which is a fantasy book that came out a couple of years ago. And um, it's book one of a trilogy, and so that'll probably be where I end up next. Are books two and three.
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. All right, book you'd recommend to help us all slow down and be more appreciative and grateful.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there's a novel called The Folded Earth by Anurada Roy, and it's a film about a woman who is dealing with the loss of her husband as she tries to reframe what it means to be in community with her neighbors and with the earth and with herself. Um, and I think it's a really great book that helps you slow down and realize what you have and what you can be grateful for.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. If you had to choose, would you go to the beach, mountains, or a lakeside cabin to get away?
SPEAKER_02:Always mountains. I lived in Seattle for a few years, and as often as I could, I tried to get out into the mountains. I love hiking, climbing, backpacking, so it's always going to be mountains for me. Awesome.
SPEAKER_01:A travel destination or ministerial mission on your bucket list?
SPEAKER_02:New Zealand. Uh, like I said, I'm a huge fantasy nerd. I love Lord of the Rings. I was waiting for the Lord of the Rings reference here. We're all filmed in New Zealand, so I would love to go there and just visit all the sites that they filmed that movie in.
SPEAKER_00:Favorite park or restful, reflective spot in Dublin?
SPEAKER_02:I love the river. So anywhere I can be that I can see the river. Um, and I work out of the Kohatch, and so a lot of times I like to walk across the bridge and just sometimes I'll just pause and stand there and look over the edge, and I just love running water. So it's a really peaceful, beautiful, serene place for me.
SPEAKER_00:Have you been to Indian Run Falls Park yet?
SPEAKER_02:I have not.
SPEAKER_00:It's so close to Kohatch. You have to go check it out. There's running water, and it was just named Visit Dublin's best of park in Dublin. So check it out.
SPEAKER_01:I will add it to my list. All right. No matter the cause, what's the best part of giving back?
SPEAKER_02:I think it's knowing that you are helping someone in need. I just think that's the core of the human experience should be us helping one another, that uh we were not meant to live alone. And so um, when we help one another and we're in community with one another, that is the best part because you are feeding into what it means to be in community.
SPEAKER_01:All right, Brian, thank you so much for joining us. Uh I I'm not even joking when I say this is probably one of the best podcasts we've done. I feel like a million dollars after this. So thank you. Thank you for being on uh Link Ahead with us.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, you're so welcome, and thank you for having me and giving me an opportunity to speak about One Dublin and our mission and all of the ways that we hope our listeners and our community partner with us moving forward.
SPEAKER_00:Absolutely. Uh, you've inspired me. I'm gonna go clean out my closet, bring in a few winter coats that I don't need anymore, and uh and then pick up some personal items and bring them over.
SPEAKER_02:Perfect, always welcome.
SPEAKER_00:And to our listeners, thank you as well for taking the time to connect with your city. Tune in next time as we continue to explore the many personalities and experiences that make Dublin a thriving place to live, work, and grow.