South & Canal Winchester Messenger - February 12th, 2023

PAGE 10 - SOUTH & CANAL WINCHESTER MESSENGER - February 12, 2023
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Sisko Kidz helps area families
Dave Dobos
STATE REPRESENTATIVE
Committee
Assignments
Announced
The Ohio House of Representatives legislative
committees for the 135th General Assembly
were named this past week. I am excited to
share that I have been named Vice Chair of the
Higher Education Committee. Additionally, I will
serve on the following committees: Finance
Subcommittee for Primary & Secondary Education,
Economic & Workforce Development, Technology
& Innovation, and Insurance. Eagerly
stepping into these roles, these committees will
enable me to both contribute in areas I have
experience and some expertise and position me
well to advocate for our district’s communities
as we work to bring more and better jobs to the
area. As Vice Chair of the Higher Education
Committee and member of the Finance Subcommittee
for Primary and Secondary Education,
I am determined to improve access to
quality education at all levels for our young
people here in District 10, as well as throughout
Ohio.
Beyond committee appointments, I also have
been busy meeting with constituents from
District 10 as well as recognizing some of them
for their accomplishments. In late January, I had
the opportunity to attend Congressman Mike
Carey’s official Military Academy Nomination
Reception at the Grove City City Hall, where five
of our finest students from Ohio’s 10th District
received nominations to prestigious military
academies. The students, their nominations,
and current high schools are as follows: Isaac
Carter, Naval Academy, Grove City High School;
Brian Fitzsimmons, Naval Academy, Bishop
Ready High School; Luke McCoy, Air Force Academy
and Naval Academy, Grove City Christian
School; Samantha Paduchik, Air Force Academy,
Grove City High School; Zachary Swierz, West
Point, Bishop Ready High School.
Pictured below is a photo of West Point
appointee Zachary Swierz. To the left is Grove
City Mayor Ike Stage; I am on the right. Mr.
Swierz is a senior at Bishop Ready High School
and will head to West Point in late June to begin
summer orientation and preparation for his
plebe (freshman) year.
By Sarah Slayman
Staff Writer
Steve and Christine Sisko saw
many families in need in their
community, so they stepped up to
help.
Founded in 2015, the Siskos
run Sisko Kidz, a non-profit foundation
in Columbus that aims to
aid under-resourced families
through material donations, education,
and community involvement
opportunities.
Children are particularly vulnerable
during tough transitions,
like divorce or being removed
from domestic violence situations,
and the challenges can
often leave certain needs unmet.
The compassion for struggling
families began when the Siskos
had different experiences growing
up watching family members
struggle to provide specifically for
disabled loved ones. This compassion
carried on to when three of their daughters’ cheer teammates
had a hard time obtaining what was needed to compete, such as
shoes or transportation to out of town competitions. They were
three girls with a troubled home life and the Siskos brought them
under their wing by helping meet those needs. The girls came back
later in life as well-to-do young adults and thanked them for being
a consistent helping hand that they now attribute their current
success to.
“This was the first example we saw of what kids can do with
themselves if you give them the resources and a bit of a structured
environment.” Christine said.
This experience drove Christine to begin what is now Sisko
Kidz from her kitchen. She would see someone in need through
Facebook, find whatever they were lacking and then Steve, after
work, would spend his time doing local pick-ups and drop offs. The
couple eventually collected a surplus of resources through donations
and personal purchases which they stored in their backyard
shed to distribute.
The initial desire was to help families of children with disabilities,
but the spectrum soon broadened to anyone with a kid that
could use some help.
The Siskos are involved in their community through coaching
and the local school systems and began to catch on to who was
struggling within their circles. This connectivity provided them
with many people excited to donate what they could. That backyard
shed has since grown to a 2,800 square foot storage unit next
to B33, the local bingo hall on Refugee Road, that the Siskos took
Messenger photo by Sarah Slayman
Steve and Christine Sisko in their 2,800 square foot building that houses
their charitable contributions for the local community.
over in 2018 to help sustain
their non-profit. A
large portion of the
earnings go towards
maintaining Sisko Kidz.
Christine has since
ended her 16-year
career at Nationwide to
give herself to the foundation
full time.
Since 2015, Sisko
Kidz has helped more
than 500 families and
donated more than
$70,000 of resources.
They’ve gifted items
such as washers, dryers,
sectional couches, and
even cars.
With the surplus of
connections and willing
hands, Christine said,
“We’re getting donations
now from just
about any angle you can
think of.”
They’ve additionally provided a child with a service dog, donated
150 full backpacks to students, paid off students’ lunch debt, fed
several families during the pandemic, and enrolled kids in sports
to keep them connected and busy.
The most rewarding story for Steve was providing a customized
tricycle for a little girl with Down Syndrome who had always
wanted to join her parents as they rode their bikes. Considering
the price of the specialized tricycles, her parents could not provide
her with a means to join them. Just in time for her birthday, the
Siskos gift arrived and she received it with much joy.
The Siskos also cared for a single father of three who recently
moved into his first home by providing the family with beds, lights,
an oven, a fridge, a couch, and first batch of groceries through
their organization. Sisko Kidz will be gifting him a car, turning an
hour long bus ride for his disabled daughter’s appointments into a
15 minute car ride. The family gets excited to see Steve’s truck pull
up and the father remarked, “It’s been Christmas ever since we
met you.” Remembering this impact helps the Siskos to continue.
“It’s rewarding,” said Steve.
Generosity often reproduces itself. Many families helped by
Sisko Kidz return to offer their own help through volunteer work
or donations. There are many volunteers who make Sisko Kidz
happen, but the organization could always use another hand.
For information on Sisko Kidz, email
siskokidzfoundation@gmail.com.
(Dave Dobos represents the 10th District in the
Ohio House of Representatives, which consists
of parts of West, Southwest, and South Columbus,
Grove City, and Urbancrest. He reports regularly
on his activities in this position and his
campaign has paid for this communication with
you.)
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Messenger photo by Sarah Slayman
Celebrating a veteran of WWII
World War II veteran Eddie Liebbrand was recently celebrated on his 99th birthday. He
and his fellow troops departed for Europe in August 1944. During the war he bravely
fought in 1944’s Battle of the Bulge and later became a prisoner of war under Nazi
Germany rule by December of that year. He and hundreds of other men were held for
nearly four months in a camp where they were denied basic needs and suffered watching
many of their fellow soldiers die of malnutrition, extreme temperatures, or violence
by their captors. He lost 62 pounds and was on the brink of death himself at the prisoners’
liberation on April 2, 1945. He returned home to Columbus and was honorably
discharged and began building a life as a husband, father, and machinist. In his later
years he volunteered at Groveport’s Motts Military Museum where he shared his experiences.
“It changes a lot for young people to know about what happened then,” said
Liebbrand. He views his service as something that needed to be done and is proud to
have served his country. PFC Edwin T. Leibbrand served in the 110th Reg., 28th
Infantry Div., U.S. Army, Battle of the Bulge POW Nazi Stalag 9B.