From: Kristen Orben
Columbus
When we were growing up my parents always encouraged us to give our time and talents to others. It was our choice, but it was instilled in us at an early age. In high school I reluctantly joined one of the Dance Marathon teams because my mother had been a mentor for several years and encouraged my sister and I to participate.
I met Whittney Loyd at our first student meeting. For this 15-year-old who was never easily impressed, I was! She was kind, welcoming, funny, and most importantly willing to listen. She made me feel welcomed. We laughed too. Rather than dreading the weekly meetings, I wanted to be there. I wanted to help. I could feel Whittney’s passion for Turning Point as she shared stories of the clients and the impact the agency was making in our community.
Her passion for Turning Point and its clients was contagious and she was equally passionate about helping each of us grow and develop. She expected a lot, but she expected a lot of herself most of all. She was a role model for compassion, integrity, and collaboration which became my guiding light in high school and still is.
Fast forward to 2024. I had the opportunity to return to Columbus and join Turning Point as a legal intern. I got to see Whittney in action as Turning Point President. I watched her lead by example every day. In the not-for-profit world, you are always pitching in to keep the ship afloat – from cleaning up after toilets overflow, making a major donor presentation, reviewing important grant applications or wiping tears from a scared child’s eyes.
These are the same children that enter our school doors daily. She understands the challenges they and countless other children encounter every day within our community and the hurdles they need to overcome. Coming from a family of teachers, she intimately understands the classroom demands our amazing teachers face. She knows they are required to be more than teachers. Each student brings unique issues.
I have been gone from BCSC for six years, but I still feel and value the amazing impact Whittney made on me. She is integrally involved in the overall improvement of our community through her work as well as personal commitments to a variety of community-based organizations. As a mother of two students in the BCSC school system, she wants every child to receive the best education – one that enables each student to be a successful, thriving, contributing adult.
Without Whittney I wouldn’t be as confident, understanding, and compassionate individual. She believed in me when I doubted myself. She cheered me on to law school and my dream to become a lawyer.
She is an amazing individual, and I am so proud that she is willing to serve on our school board. That’s a win for students, teachers and Bartholomew County.
Join me in casting your ballot for Whittney Loyd for School Board District 3.
Editor’s note: This letter is paid political content. Political endorsement letters are published with a $25 fee. They may be submitted to [email protected].
