Executive Director Kendra Hovey was depending on the $50,000 grant Healing Broken Circles received as it covered a significant portion of the agency’s annual budget. Her Columbus-based non-profit provides those incarcerated with programming to enhance their education and improve their physical and mental health through activities like yoga, acting, creativity, and more. The group also helps educate the public and policy makers about the prison system and potential ways to improve it.

Unfortunately, when Hovey attempted to access this critical funding, she was unable to get the award management system to recognize her organization, blocking processing of the payment. When she reached out for help, she was referred to the Central Ohio office of the Ohio Apex Accelerator at Ohio University for assistance. Associate Director Karen Wivell looked into her case and determined that Hovey was being blocked by the system because she had moved Healing Broken Circles without filing a change of address form. Wivell tracked down the necessary form on the Secretary of State website, but even after completing and submitting it, access continued to be denied due to a clerical error. Wivell next assisted Hovey to log onto the Federal Service Desk online chat to explain the problem. The Federal Service Desk corrected the issue, and her registration was renewed, allowing receipt of funding. “Not only was the registration successful,” Hovey wrote in a subsequent thank you message, “you saved my sanity!” She continued: “The process and (lack of) communication from this very convoluted government system was baffling and frustrating. With so much on the line I felt powerless. You saved me from feeling utterly alone and abandoned by an indifferent system. And you solved the problem! Thank you, Karen!”