By Asia Nail
The Truth Reporter
Life in Ohio right now feels like an old house during a hard winter.
The heat still works, but it clicks on slower. The lights flicker sometimes. A door that used to shut easily now sticks. You can feel something shifting, even if you can’t name it yet.
State Representative Elgin Rogers, Jr. (District 31) says families are not imagining it.
“The system is cracking,” he states. “And when it cracks, it always cracks at the bottom first.”
Federal budget cuts are quietly changing day-to-day life in Ohio in many ways. They are not loud. They do not come with sirens. They show up as a longer waitlist for daycare services. A food pantry with fewer boxes. A library that shortens its hours. A parent working late again because there is no one else to cover the next shift.
Childcare is one of the first places Rogers sees the damage.
“Childcare is a ‘bridge’ between home and work,” he shares. “When that bridge deteriorates, everything above it collapses.”
Many working families depend upon childcare subsidy programs to remain afloat, and when these programs run out of money, the daycare providers lose employees. Workers leave because the pay is no longer livable. Classrooms get crowded. Some centers close completely. Parents then face an impossible choice: miss work or leave their child with fewer options.
But that’s not all.
Housing assistance shrinks. Food programs lose funding. Healthcare becomes harder to reach. Rogers compares it to pulling bricks from the base of a building and being shocked when the walls begin to lean.
“These are not efficiency cuts,” he says. “These are life cuts.”
Rogers also warns about how division gets used like smoke in a room. While people argue over labels and blame one another, the real damage happens quietly.
“Fraud is not limited to any particular color,” he explains. “Crime is not limited to any particular culture.”
When leaders point fingers at entire communities, it distracts people from where the money is really going. Funds that once helped stabilize families get redirected into tax breaks to those who already have sufficient financial resources.
Despite this, Rogers believes in providing tools to those who need them. His office operates much like a community map. Every month, he publishes a resource directory within his newsletter that includes food pantries, assistance programs and other forms of community support throughout the district.
When food banks such as Martin Luther King Kitchen for the Poor, Connecting Kids to Meals, and local Toledo-area pantries were impacted by budget cuts, Rogers and his legislative colleagues pushed back. They successfully lobbied to restore funding because hunger does not wait for politics to settle.
Libraries are another resource they will not allow to disappear.
“Public libraries are not quiet,” Rogers insists. “They’re loud with possibility.”
Libraries provide free printing, job searching opportunities, internet access and a learning environment without the pressures of traditional school.
When libraries close or are scaled back, residents lose more than just books, they lose connections.
For Rogers, all of this comes back to one idea: life should be affordable without losing dignity.
“We want people to have the opportunity to be well-educated, gainfully employed and happy,” he shares. “That should not be radical.”
Rogers speaks plainly about labor because he has lived it. He remembers jobs where the boss made the rules without warning. Where you planned to go home and suddenly had to stay four more hours.
“That’s called forced overtime,” he explains. “It eats away at your life in little pieces.”
As companies continue to grow in size and strength, it is common for employees to experience more pressure. More working hours. Less notice. Fewer benefits. Rogers describes labor unions as the “guard rails” on a “narrow road.”
Unions protect people who do not yet know their rights. They assist in obtaining reasonable compensation, safe working conditions, paid time-off, and family medical leave. These are not luxuries, these are the differences between surviving and living.
“When workers are denied the benefits of their labor,” Rogers warns, “families pay the cost.”
He worries that attacks on labor unions weaken everyone, not just union members. Without protections, workers lose balance. Schedules become unpredictable. Family time disappears.
“You can’t build a strong state on tired people,” he adds.
Still, Rogers believes knowledge is power. Voting matters. Who people vote for shapes paychecks, schedules, and safety. Policy shows up at the dinner table whether people follow politics or not.
Yet even with all the heavy topics, Rogers is intentional about hope.
That is why he created the Difference Makers recognition.
“In difficult times, we tend to bury good stories,” he says. “I wanted to dig them back up.”
Difference Makers are the people who quietly hold the house together. They fix cracks in the walls before anyone even recognizes they exist. They appear without cameras to record their efforts. They perform their duties regardless of applause.
“It only takes an ounce of effort to change someone’s life,” Rogers reminds us.
This year’s theme for the Difference Makers’ recognition is Unity in Our Community. This year’s event will be held during Black History Month and will provide opportunities for community members to interact through music, storytelling, and youth performances. The goal is to create an atmosphere that feels less like a ceremony and more like a family reunion.
The honorees come from every corner of community life—education, healthcare, nonprofits, government, entrepreneurship, faith, and service. Some are business owners. Some are educators. Some are volunteers. Some are mentors.
Many did not even know they were nominated.
“That is typically the sign that you selected the correct people,” Rogers shares.
State Representative Elgin Rogers, Jr. cordially invites the community to join him in celebrating “Unity in Our Community,” a Black History Month celebration taking place on Saturday, February 15, at 4 p.m. at 2340 N. Holland Sylvania Road. The event will bring neighbors together to reflect on our shared history while looking ahead toward a stronger, more united future. Guests can expect an uplifting afternoon highlighting the importance of compassion, service, understanding, and community unity. There is no cost to attend, and all are welcome, though seating is limited.
During the celebration, Rep. Rogers will recognize local Difference Makers—individuals and organizations whose everyday actions positively impact the community. Honorees include Taria Blanchard (Toledo Public Schools), Melissa A. Stephens (City of Toledo Police Department), Coach Mose Hairson (Jesup W. Scott High School), Dr. Antwan Atia (The Toledo Clinic), Mick Murnen (Ottawa Jermain Park Advisory Board), Jack’s Mens Wear, Pete Coates (Pete’s Body Shop), Coach Alto King Jr. (Bethlehem Baptist Church), Maria White (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio), Trevor Black (retired educator, Toledo Public Schools), Susan Mulligan (Community Advocate), Pastor Brandon Foster (Indiana Missionary Baptist Church), and Kim Highsmith (educator, Woodward High School).
Community members are encouraged to RSVP by February 6, 2025, by emailing rep42@ohiohouse.gov or calling Johnny Hutton at 419-215-7606.
Representative Rogers believes recognition does something simple but powerful. It tells people they are seen. It reminds them that their work matters. It helps refill the tank for people who pour themselves out every day.
He also hopes young people are watching.
Rogers wants youth to understand that difference making does not require a title. It does not require money. Sometimes it just requires being present.
“Sometimes the difference is being yourself,” he reflects.
State Representative Rogers believes that unity is not about agreement. It is about deciding to proceed forward together despite disagreement. In a time when division feels loud and constant, he believes community remains the strongest safety net.
His message for Ohio families this year centers on resilience.
“I am your advocate at the Statehouse,” he says. “But this work belongs to all of us.”
Rogers continues to focus his efforts on increasing access to health care, strengthening education and job training programs, expanding affordable housing, protecting seniors, advocating for workers, and establishing stronger consumer protection policies to prevent families from experiencing unfair billing practices.
To Rep Elgin Rogers Jr., this is what the real American way looks like, not wealth without accountability, but community with care.
The house may be old. The weather may be rough. But as long as people keep fixing, supporting, and standing together, it can still be warm.
And standing in the middle of it all, Rogers keeps doing what he says difference makers do best: listening, fighting, and reminding people they are not alone.
Learn more about State Representative Elgin Rogers Jr.’s work and service to Ohio families by visiting his official profile