When Kaytlin volunteered during United Way of Bartholomew County's Day of Caring, the work felt personal.

That morning, she helped clean out offices at the United Way Center. Later, she spent the afternoon landscaping at Columbus Youth Camp, an FFY property that gives young people a safe and supportive place to spend time during the summer and after school.

For the 35-year-old Toyota employee, the day was an opportunity to give back. Years earlier, support made possible through United Way's network of partners had helped her family navigate difficult circumstances and build a foundation for a brighter future.

"United Way is actually an organization that has been very, very special to my heart for many many reasons,” she said.

Years ago, she came to Columbus as a child in a rough situation. Through support connected to Turning Point Domestic Violence Services, her family was able to access housing, food, medical supplies, and other resources they needed.

“My Mom was able to get help with things she needed,” Kaytlin said.

Because of donors like you, United Way of Bartholomew County helps build and sustain a strong social service sector. By bringing organizations together around shared goals and leading collaborative efforts to address community challenges, United Way helps ensure families can quickly connect to food, housing, transportation, childcare, healthcare, and other essential resources. For families facing crisis, that coordinated system can mean the difference between continued hardship and a path toward stability.

Years later, as a young teen mom and 19-year-old college student, Kaytlin once again found herself needing support. Determined to continue her education while raising her daughter, she needed access to affordable childcare, reliable transportation, and other basic resources to keep moving forward.

"United Way helped me to connect with resources so I can get food, keep daycare and still work as a Mom,” Kaytlin said.

She was connected to organizations that helped furnish her home, provided food assistance, and offered support when every dollar mattered. United Way connected her with a church to get a van for reliable transportation and connected her with Orphan Grain Train to get things for her home and other resources.

Over time, Kaytlin found stability. She built a successful career at Toyota, and today her 16-year-old daughter is thriving. Her daughter has always been a strong student, something Kaytlin attributes in part to the quality childcare United Way helped her access, giving her daughter a strong foundation before she ever stepped into a kindergarten classroom.

"Being able to have that early childhood education helped secure her education,” she said.

As Kaytlin looks at the young woman her daughter has become, she sees the impact of that support every day.

"She is genuinely a really great person, and all of that is because I was able to get her a good start and I know I couldn’t have done that (without United Way,” she said.

What stayed with her most was not just the assistance itself, but what it revealed about the community around her.

"For me, it helped me to realize how much community can come together to help people out in a time of need,” Kaytlin said.

Since then, Kaytlin has been committed to giving back to the community that helped her family through some of life's most difficult moments.

Now established in her career and in a great place in life, she continues looking for ways to serve others.

"Now that I am older and in a great place in life, it felt great to give back."

For United Way of Bartholomew County, this is the power of community investment. Donor support does more than meet an immediate need. It helps create and sustain a system of care that supports families through multiple stages of life—from childhood crisis to young parenthood, and ultimately to a future filled with opportunity.

"It will be awesome to share my part, to say 'Hey look. I am here now, I am giving back now.'"

Years ago, when she needed help, resources were there.

Today, she is helping ensure they are there for the next family who needs them.