Rotary Club of Westerville, The Big Bus returning to Night of Hope

The Rotary Club of Westerville and The Big Bus will return to WEC’s Night of Hope Aug. 23 for the second annual Fill The Big Bus Middle School Food Drive, which will culminate at the event at Westerville North High School.

Kristan Robertson

2025 WEC President Kristan Robertson will be the featured speaker at the Rotary Club of Westerville’s July 24 luncheon meeting at The Medallion Club, to share information about WEC and the Night of Hope to members of the service club.

The Fill the Big Bus Food Drive is an effort to stock the pantries at all five Westerville middle schools, to provide supplies as needed for local students from families struggling with food insecurity. The Big Bus will be present at the Night of Hope – hopefully filled to the ceiling with donations!

This year, WEC’s 4td annual Night of Hope 5K, 1 Miler and Family Fun Run on Aug. 23 will honor those lives lost to suicide, and work to raise mental health awareness in the community.

On the night of the event, registration opens at 5:30 p.m., and the 5K begins at 6:45 p.m.

About our continuing partnership

Founded in 1959, the Rotary Club of Westerville is a service club of Westerville business and community leaders working to improve the community and larger world. Part of Rotary International, the club has awarded more than $600,000 in college scholarships to Westerville graduates since 1964.

It also stages Westerville’s Independence Day celebration, and participates in several programs benefiting the Westerville City School District.

The Big Bus, a local nonprofit founded in 2022, is a mobile tutoring organization that works to create multigenerational impact, empower families and bring educational equity to under-resourced areas of the school district.

“Let’s help the Rotary achieve their goal and fill ALL the middle school pantries by filling the Big Bus! They are seeking food items such as ramen, granola bars, fruit snacks, pasta, rice, mac & cheese, mini marshmallows, and instant oatmeal,” Hammer said.

Rotary Club Past President Brandy Deichert also announced the plan to join in the effort with the Westerville Education Challenge and The Big Bus, in a blog post July 18.

“Food insecurity remains a challenge in our schools,” Deichert said. “This food drive is our way of responding with compassion and purpose, because no student should have to worry about hunger while trying to learn.”

Requested Food Items include:

• Rice
• Pasta
• Ramen
• Fruit Snacks
• Granola Bars
• Mac & Cheese
• Instant Oatmeal
• Mini Marshmallows

All food collected will be delivered to Neighborhood Bridges pantries at each of Westerville’s five middle schools, ensuring students have access to food when they need it most.

“Whether you’re joining us for the event or just stopping by, your donation helps students focus on learning, not hunger,” Deichert said.

More about our Night of Hope

Since its founding in 2009, the Westerville Education Challenge has supported more than 10,000 students through scholarships, mentoring clubs, grants for teachers, programs such as Challenge Day and mental health and wellness initiatives.

More than 1,500 community volunteers and 40 corporate and community sponsors partner with WEC and their contributions include thousands of volunteer hours and more than $400,000 in donations.

WEC’s Night of Hope raises funds for a variety of initiatives and programs that support student wellness and mental health in Westerville City Schools, including:

• The Hope Squad suicide prevention program
• Parent Prep workshops
• Where Everybody Belongs (WEB) program at the district’s five middle schools
• The LINK Crew program, launching at all three high schools this fall
• Care for Twinkle, a district Canine Companions facility dog based at Westerville South High School
• Annual WEC-sponsored scholarships for high school graduates

More information on the Fill The Big Bus Middle School Food Drive is available here.

Pizza, anyone?

Night of Hope sponsor Jet’s Pizza will set up during the event and serve free pizza to participants! THANK YOU to Jet’s, also a sponsor of our Hope Squad programs at all three Westerville high schools!

Additional sponsors are being sought for the Night of Hope 5K, 1 Miler and Family Fun Run. Local businesses are asked to consider the very reasonable $500 sponsorships, to get their logo on the back of our race T-shirts and affiliate with this wonderful event to help shine a light on mental health for all in our community!

Find more information on 2025 Night of Hope sponsorship here.