AMELIA, Ohio — An old school bus has been transformed into a mobile cafe, and it isn't just a hangout spot.
It's the home of a local nonprofit, Bluebird Bus of Hope. The organization brings together people struggling with community mentors, who assist them in finding resources to improve their lives. It can be financial, mental health or substance abuse, among others.
We first met with the nonprofit back in 2022 when it launched.
"This space is a space of transformation," said Autumn Fielden.
Fielden told us she has been involved with the organization for about five months. She reached out last year, after finding herself struggling with mental health and in need of a strong community.
Watch to see the way that Bluebird Bus of Hope's program impacted a local woman's life:
"My biggest need when I reached out was community," Fielden said. "I needed a church to go to, I was having some financial issues, I was having issues finding suitable employment."
After she connected with the nonprofit, Fielden told us she was partnered with her mentor, Helen Tucker.
"She needed community really, really bad," Tucker said.
We sat down with Polly Camery, the nonprofit's executive director and founder, to discuss how the program works.
"It's really the mentor's job to make sure that if their guests need something, a certain resource that's in the community, that they connect them to that," Camery said.
"Why the cafe setting?" we asked.
"It's a cafe because one, we wanted people to feel comfortable," Camery said.
Camery said her team works to fight back against the stigma of finding the help you need.
"Sometimes just making that phone call or filling out that form can be very overwhelming and that's why the mentor is there," Camery said.
You can read more about the organization's services on its website.
Tucker worked with Fielden through the phases that Bluebird maps out for their guests, and Tucker says she saw an incredible improvement.
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"(Fielden) posted pictures recently of when I first met her and now, and the difference. There was no light in her face in the first picture, but the second picture showed the light that shines through," Tucker said.
Camery told me both Tucker and Fielden are receiving awards at Bluebird's gala later this month.
"I feel better and better about asking for the help that I need," Fielden said.
