“At first I was almost irritated by that, I didn’t see the connection,” Nally said. “But once I started serving there, I saw how policy systems and environmental changes connect to really impact our health outcomes. It was truly a transformative experience.”

During her time with COMCorps, Nally had the opportunity to work as the lead facilitator of the health department’s partnership with the Athens Regional Food Policy Council. In this role, she assisted in formulating policy to increase sustainable access to food, while connecting with other nonprofit leaders in the community.

This opportunity eventually led to her becoming executive director of Community Food Initiatives after completing her second service term with COMCorps.

“I was told afterward by the president of the board of directors that it was because of their experience and knowledge of me at the Athens Food Policy Council that really helped convince them that I was the right person for the role,” Nally said. “So, COMCorps changed the trajectory of my career in a real way.”

While working for Community Food Initiatives, Nally facilitated programs educating children and adults about the power of diet and exercise–witnessing firsthand community members’ lives change as they developed habits which lead to healthier lives. She also worked directly with COMCorps members, instilling her passion for food justice into future community leaders, as their host site supervisor.

Today, Nally is the director of Ohio University’s Center for Community Engagement where she connects students, faculty, staff and communities–local and global–to mutually beneficial academic, research, and service partnerships. While she promotes a variety of programs in this role, she continues to recognize the significant impact of COMCorps on the Athens region.

“COMCorps has been an established program for so long and it’s so woven into the fabric of our community and the organizations it partners with that it’s hard for me to imagine what the community might look like without it,” Nally said. “And there’s a ripple effect of positive impacts because of programs like COMCorps educating community members, creating healthier outcomes and developing leaders who stay here and continue to contribute to the region.”

One of these future community leaders is Katie Remley–an incoming first-year medical student at Heritage College who just completed her first year of service with COMCorps.

Remley, a Chillicothe native, grew up witnessing the effects of the opioid epidemic on Appalachian communities and knew she wanted to make a difference. She attended Ohio University and received an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, with plans to continue her studies at Heritage College and become a psychologist. Before entering medical school, however, she wanted to dedicate a year to serving to better understand the community’s needs, the services working to address those needs and the role she may one day play as a physician in the region.

In her service position as a wellness coordinator at Serenity Grove, a recovery house for women struggling with substance use disorders, she was able to do just that.

“I don’t know if I necessarily anticipated how impactful it would be,” Remley said. “I’ve grown so much, and just being here one year–getting hands-on experience, directly serving the community–I feel like I learned more than I have in any classroom…I expected to learn, and I expected to grow, but it was exponential.”

Through COMCorps, the future physician was able to connect with patients, cultivate relationships with community partners and develop a uniquely grounded perspective of the public health issues immediately impacting patients in rural Appalachia. As she begins her medical training at Heritage College, these are experiences she won’t soon forget.

“I’m open to going wherever I’m needed, but I’m passionate about serving this region,” Remley said. “I feel like I know so much more about all the good work that people in Athens are doing and it’s really given me a lot of inspiration knowing that there are things I can do outside of my practice to help people in a world that is very harmful sometimes.”

Serving alongside Remley was fellow corps member Taylor Burnette, also an Ohio University alumni seeking a post-graduate service experience after receiving a bachelor of science in journalism. As she wraps up her first year of service, some of her proudest accomplishments include collaborating with Rural Action to rebuild garden space at the Big Brothers Big Sisters-owned Camp Oty’Okwa, serving at the Chesterhill Produce Auction and, of course, teaching every second grader in the county how to use a knife as part of Live Healthy Kids.

“I should emphasize they were supervised–and learning to prepare fresh foods,” she clarifies with a smile. “And the rule is everyone has to try just one bite, so they can have a positive experience trying new veggies.”

In addition to these experiences, Burnette served as an outreach specialist at the Ohio Valley Museum of Discovery, a hands-on museum dedicated to educating visitors of all ages about science, technology, engineering, arts and math. As she ventures into the next chapter of her life–pursuing a master’s in library science at Indiana University–the experiences she’s had collaborating with fellow corps members, navigating resources and conducting community outreach are what she feels will stick with her in her career endeavors.

Reflecting on her year in COMCorps, she also notes how the program redefined what service means to her.

“I’ve met people who have served through their lives generously; it’s just inherent, it’s a mindset as opposed to something you just do for a year after college,” Burnette said. “I aspire to be like those models and mentors–some of which I’ve had the pleasure of calling my co-members–and just go out every day trying to make the world just a little bit of a better place.”

Throughout COMCorps’ 25 years of serving the community, this mindset of service has remained central to the program’s work and to its many members–past and present. Current program manager Boyle says she plans to continue fostering this attitude moving forward, carrying on the vision and legacy of the corps’ founder.

“I always felt like serving in COMCorps, there was a lot of joy,” Schell said. “It was difficult, but there was a lot of joy.”