the places people shy away from. She is inspired to create a sanctuary for youth, women, and transgender individuals stuck in human trafficking in the red-light districts of Columbus. and minivans, trap houses becoming “affordable housing” while multi-billion-dollar condos are built elsewhere. Media outlets overlook the disturbing numbers of women who are missing, trafficked and killed. Esther shares from her knowledge/resource, that Ohio leads the nation in opiate overdoses and has one of the highest rates of human trafficking. People suffering from mental health and substance abuse disorders are imprisoned rather than rehabilitated, perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Compassionate settings such as drop-in centers, with caring volunteers and professionals, are lacking in poorer communities, Esther says, but healing broken people helps to heal communities. As a nurse, Esther has always felt compelled to help others, and today, she has embarked on a journey to assist communities in stopping generational hurts through the power of love. She attributes her triumphs to her faith in God and following the teachings of Jesus. It takes compassionate messengers to bring healing to the mind, body, and soul, she says, especially in In 2021, 1DivineLine2Health Drop-In Center was founded in the Hilltop. The organization behind it has been offering hospitable care to struggling people since 2015. Esther gives glory to God for the 6,000-plus women who have been helped by the Love Drop-in Center. It provides for more than just their basic needs, such as hygiene kits, clothes, Narcan, and food. It also offers human trafficking victims the chance to work with people who genuinely care for them. They all know Esther will put her life on the line for them, and her advocacy has helped the center procure funds from the city to build a multi-purpose room. In her time with 1DivineLine2Health, Esther has cleaned up and applied gauze and bandages to physical wounds, escorting as many visitors as possible to recover and medical sites. The Drop-In Center is open late at night when the population it serves needs it most and services are lacking elsewhere. Esther and her crew of committed supporters return to the trenches daily to reach people in need. “I try to love the hell out of them,” she says. Esther has devoted her life to serving women, choosing not to stay quiet and allow them to be enslaved, addicted, abused, misused, and disregarded as animals. She sees herself as a human advocate because she is fighting for the basic needs of the homeless and hurting in a country that is so rich. It galls her when legislators, law enforcement, and other political leaders downplay the need for her work or the seriousness of human trafficking and addiction. Esther believes in a vision of community engagement; community policing organizations and independent-thinking grassroots movements can work together to keep our communities safe. While law enforcement continues to recycle ineffective strategies for human and drug trafficking is on the rise, she is actively working with West Side community groups engaged in taking back the streets. 28 | ENVISION PROVEN SUCCESS MAGAZINE
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