GIVING LGBTQ+ PEOPLE A PLACE TO THRIVE

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Reece Johnson. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

Reece Johnson didn’t see a space for the LGBTQ+ community in Pike County, so he decided to start his own. Growing up in the rural Ohio community, Reece knew what it was like for people in a small town who didn’t have a space where they felt seen, supported, and included. Instilled with a passion for helping people from a young age, Reece realized he would have to create his own safe haven to give other people that vital sense of community.  

Using the area code for Ohio’s Pike County, Reece established Haven 740, an organization focused on LGBTQ+ advocacy and community in southern Ohio. The organization is focused on bringing people together, sharing resources, creating events, and helping people understand that they’re not alone through meetups, open houses, support circles, and other fun events. Whether they’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community or just an ally looking to learn more, there’s a place for them at Haven 740. 

Wherever Reece goes, he’s telling people about Haven 740. His word-of-mouth campaign has been so successful that Haven 740 just completed their first Pride walk last month. Starting at a local park in the town of Waverly, a group of about 15 participants gathered in the park for music, snacks, and giveaways before walking a loop downtown. His grassroots efforts, which include about 20 to 25 hours of volunteer work a month on top of a college course load and a job as a Direct Support Professional, demonstrate his dedication to creating a thriving organization that benefits everyone.

Reece’s dedication to helping others with Haven 740 has also helped him establish his future career. Currently a college student working toward earning a degree in nursing, Reece has parlayed his work with Haven 740 into a lifelong mission of helping others. His willingness to lend a helping hand shows just how much someone can achieve when they’re dedicated to a cause. 

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?  

What inspired me was growing up in Pike County. I really felt that there wasn’t any space for the LGBTQ+ community. There wasn’t a space or anything dedicated, like a group, for the LGBTQ+ community in Pike County. I decided I wanted to make the place a little better than when I was there and build Haven 740. Our goal is to create safe and welcoming spaces for LGBTQ+ people and allies within the area of Pike County. Anyone within Pike County or surrounding counties is more than welcome. We focus on bringing people together, sharing resources, creating events, and helping people know that they’re not alone out there. Even though we’re in a rural space, we just want to let people know that there are other LGBTQ+ people out there, and that we’re all there to help and share these resources. 

Tell us about your volunteer role with Haven 740. 

With Haven 740, I’m the founder. I do a lot of overseeing the events that we are hosting, planning the events, and scheduling. I lead a lot of the meetings with other organizations around the area. I’m up in Kent, Ohio, right now for college, so I do a lot of traveling from Kent down to Pike County when there are things that need to be done. I just bounce around from role to role wherever I can help out the most.  

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

Right now, we are just a community organization. I really want Haven 740 to continue growing into a stronger resource for the Pike County area and the surrounding areas. I’d love to continue doing the events and building partnerships with local businesses or more nonprofits within the area. Eventually, I hope to get more people involved in Haven 740 and to keep it going.  

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work? 

The most rewarding part is probably knowing that I’m helping someone, whether it’s by them showing up or them just knowing that there is now an LGBTQ+ resource in Pike County. I think that’s probably the best thing for me. As I said, I just really like helping people, and just knowing that I’m helping someone is amazing.  

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

I feel like I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that I’m still not done growing. I still have a lot to learn myself. I still have a lot of growth to do. It’s made me realize there are a lot of challenges. You don’t think about all of the challenges that a nonprofit has to face to get an event set up, like talking to the city about whether or not they can do it. You don’t think about all that until you’re actually in that position and you’re doing it yourself. There’s a lot more to it. I definitely say that’s something else that I’ve realized along these paths.   

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

I think it is important for people to get involved because not only does it show that they have passion, but it also helps show other people that there are people out there doing these things, whether it’s with a nonprofit organization or they’re doing just an Earth Day cleanup on their own. It’s showing that there are people that do care, and it spreads awareness for what they’re doing. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

My advice would definitely be to hop on Google and look for nonprofits in your area, or maybe even go to your local library and check out their bulletin board. A lot of times they’ll put out postings for nonprofits, community organizations, or fundraisers and things that they have going on. There are definitely a lot of different ways that people can get out there. You have to have that drive in you to go do it.   

What do you want people to learn from your story? 

I would want them to learn that no matter where you come from, no matter what your challenges are or what the background you came from is, you can do it. If you want it done, you can accomplish your goals. You can build your path up to your goals.  

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Reece? Find local volunteer opportunities.