Julie Erwin-Rinaldi came to appreciate differences in others and the beauty of the American melting pot early in life, growing up near the diverse city of Washington, D.C.
Her rejection of stigmas has carried her through her personal and career journey, ultimately leading to her taking over as Executive Director of the Dublin Food Pantry this past August.
Giver by nature
Erwin-Rinaldi was raised to serve others. Her parents and grandparents were avid volunteers, instilling in her the desire to give back and have a purpose outside herself.
Ray LaVoie
Because of this, Erwin-Rinaldi attended Kent State University, earning her bachelor’s and later graduating with a master’s in counseling education in 1985.
While there, she enjoyed working for a professor conducting research regarding adults with disabilities and substance abuse. Her familiarity with family members and a close friend experiencing severe mental health challenges became instrumental in the years following as she focused on behavioral healthcare, serving on the County of Summit Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.
In 1994 she moved to Columbus to work at the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County. There, she was set up on a blind date by her hairdresser who noticed that Erwin-Rinaldi and another client were both looking for a partner. Her date, David, later became her husband. Through him, she gained a stepdaughter, Kelly.
“We were both freaking out about meeting each other because neither one of us had ever done anything like that,” she says. “I was very impressed with how much he talked about his daughter and how much he loved his daughter.”
She moved from Clintonville to Dublin, where David lived, and has stayed there for 27 years. Kelly, as well as the couple’s two sons, graduated from Dublin Scioto High School, and her grandson Briden is a fifth grader in the district.
The couple adopted their son, Justin, in 2000. Erwin-Rinaldi deliberately chose to adopt older children as they are less likely to be adopted.
“In my career, I knew there were a lot of older kids that needed families,” she says. “It’s hard to get adopted after you’re 8. When you’re 8 you're still cute, when you get a little older, people don’t want an ‘almost teenager.’”
After interacting with him at adoption events, Erwin-Rinaldi decided her background and willingness to provide care to vulnerable children made her a fitting parent for him.
“Justin had been in nine different foster homes by the time he was 10, and so they really wanted to find people who were really committed to him because he had been through some failed adoption experiences,” she says.
Years later the family of four experienced a tragedy: losing Kelly to suicide.
Harboring their grief, the family wasn’t looking to adopt another child, but in 2006, a 10-year-old named Colin was in need and they couldn’t say no.
Serving with Syntero
After losing her stepdaughter, Erwin-Rinaldi sought counseling at Dublin Counseling Center. The Center has since evolved into Syntero, a nonprofit organization that partners with the City of Dublin, school districts, police departments and other Dublin-area institutions to provide counseling and mental health services.
When a position opened up on the Dublin Counseling Center’s board, Erwin-Rinaldi decided to step in, and when the Center became Syntero, she became the CEO.
“It was a really good fit for me to go and serve both my community where I live, but also the agency that helped me when I was struggling,” she says.
During her 15 years at Syntero, Erwin-Rinaldi used her networking skills to partner with community organizations to make welfare services more accessible. Through these partnerships she also increased funding, fostering financial growth within Syntero.
She thanks the City specifically for recognizing the importance of supporting mental health services.
“As the needs have grown in the community, I feel like the City has responded…especially with supporting Syntero all these years. That’s pretty unprecedented for a municipality to do that,” she says.
Ray LaVoie
Additionally, she expanded suicide prevention programs and programs that focused on serving populations with a higher risk of mental illness and suicide, including older adults as well as those who identify within the LGBTQIA+ community.
As if all the support she gives to others through her career isn’t enough, Erwin-Rinaldi is also passionate about volunteering with several organizations, including The Miracle League of Central Ohio and Special Olympics. She joined the Dublin A.M. Rotary in 2009 and serves as the literacy committee chair.
“My mom was a reading teacher and she taught us that reading was really important, and literacy was really important… So we focus on the schools…with the highest (number of students who qualify for the) free and reduced-price lunch program, so there’s a tie into food insecurity, literacy, learning,” Erwin-Rinaldi says. “It’s one of the things I do to honor my mom, who’s no longer with us.”
A new start
Erwin-Rinaldi’s decision to retire from Syntero in 2024 wasn’t easy, but she felt it was time to let someone else steer the ship.
“We had a lot of female leaders in the organization…I wanted to be able to leave and allow others to be leaders, to be able to give them more opportunities,” she says.
However, she plans to use her knowledge and experience regarding behavioral health at the Pantry, explaining that welfare challenges, including food insecurity, can compound and lead to poor mental well-being.
“So much of this is intertwined,” Erwin-Rinaldi says. “If you’re struggling in one way, it’s going to be compounded and exacerbated in other ways. I really want to make sure that we’re attending to other needs here as well because people aren’t just coming here because they can’t access food, they’ve obviously got other stressors in their life that are causing that, you know? It’s not that simple.”
Ray LaVoie
There are misconceptions people have about food pantries, Erwin-Rinaldi says, including the notion that people overuse the services. She says most Pantry visitors only come a few times a year, often only in times of need, such as when tackling unexpected bills or being laid off.
“It’s people that are…working two and three jobs to live here, working their butts off to provide for their families,” she says.
Another part of Erwin-Rinaldi’s plan for the Pantry is to use her experience connecting with local organizations and city government for further outreach. She hopes to forge a partnership with a local medical school to offer physical healthcare at the Pantry.
“This has been a nice transition for me because I can still work in the community, and still feel like I’m having an impact,” she says. “I’m hoping Syntero will come here and do some work with some of our customers. We’re going to be bringing in employment specialists and different folks to come in here to serve.”
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com.
