Ethos Search Operations Team

09/01/2026

We are incredibly proud of our amazing volunteer, Kelly Rhodes!

Kelly recently traveled to West Virginia with Samaritan's Purse, where she volunteered her time and professional skills to provide dental care to people in need. Check out the link and she is the first picture in the article ❤️

Our volunteers give so much of themselves to the mission of ETHOS, but what makes us especially proud is that their commitment to service extends far beyond our team.

They serve their communities. They step up when there is a need. They give their time, talents, and hearts because service isn’t something they perform—it’s simply part of who they are.

That matters to us.

We believe how you serve matters just as much as the work you accomplish. Character matters. Integrity matters. Doing things the right way matters—even when the right way isn’t the easiest, fastest, or most visible path.

Because in the end, good work speaks for itself, integrity has staying power, and the things built on the right foundation will always stand the test of time.

That is the kind of team we are committed to building.

Kelly, we are incredibly proud of you and grateful to have you as part of the ETHOS family. Thank you for representing the heart of service so beautifully. ❤️

Hundreds of patients received free medical, dental, and vision care at WesBanco Arena during Samaritan’s Purse’s largest Community Medical Outreach.

08/25/2026

Sometimes we have to share our Eric Sanderson with Team Rubicon… but if we have to share him with anyone, we are more than okay with it being them! ❤️

Last night, Team Rubicon was recognized by Columbus City Council for the work they continue to do in communities across Ohio - and it is incredibly well deserved.

We have also had the opportunity to work alongside them at Perry County EMA, and plug their volunteers into several needs. They show up ready to work, bring experience and organization with them, and quietly get things done where they are needed most.

I truly cannot speak highly enough about this organization or the people behind it.

And we are especially proud of our teammate Eric for being part of both families. We will keep sharing him.

Congratulations, Team Rubicon - very well deserved!

08/24/2026

After a long, busy week sometimes all you need to recoup is to go play with dogs.

We have been keeping our team very busy! Everyone is in good spirits, though, but yesterday we decided to slow things down - and went back to foundations.

A few leftover shipping boxes became training aids. One being a dopamine box — one job, one clear picture: head in the box, find odor, stay committed, get paid. The science is pretty cool: dopamine is heavily tied to anticipation, so much of the “reward buzz” happens during the focus and effort leading to the reward. Done well, it helps build motivation, independence, persistence and commitment to odor.

From there, we worked closed-door problems with our cadaver, live-find, and electronics dogs. Willow got a short track, and because my headache voted for keeping things simple, Iris did too. Hers took her through a fence (that Ashley climbed) and into an off-leash area search - which she doesn’t get to do often.

I had already decided our hider probably wasn’t near the water tank truck because I couldn’t see anywhere to hide.

Iris disagreed.

Iris was right.

A great reminder to trust the dog and not let the human brain solve the problem for us.

Some smooth moments, some problem-solving, and some things to clean up… but lots of fun!

Pretty much the perfect training day, if you ask me.

08/22/2026

Today brought a small, but valuable lesson while working alongside Perry County EMA - one I thought was worth sharing.

I was gathering non-perishable food for several displaced families and found myself looking at everything a little differently.

Cereal is easy, but what if there is no milk or refrigeration? Some meals require water, butter, a stove, microwave, or other ingredients. And after a disaster, we simply can’t assume families have access to any of those things.

This isn’t about anyone donating the “wrong” things. The generosity that pours into communities during difficult times is INCREDIBLE. It is about helping that generosity go as far as possible. Simple combinations can make a big difference.

Think simple, complete, and immediately usable:
• Peanut butter + jelly + bread
• Tuna/chicken packets or ready-to-eat kits
• Crackers and shelf-stable proteins
• Pull-tab soups and ready-to-eat meals
• Microwaveable cups that require only water, when microwave access is available
• Canned fruit and vegetables with pull-tab lids
• Applesauce and fruit cups
• Granola/protein bars
• Shelf-stable milk
• Individual snacks
• Bottled water
• Disposable utensils, napkins, and can openers when needed
•other foods that require little or nothing else to prepare.

Even better? Ask the coordinating agency what is needed most at that moment. Needs change quickly during a disaster, and the people coordinating the response often have the best picture of what families can actually use.

There is so much learning that happens in this work. Sometimes helping well isn’t about doing more - it is simply about thinking one step further.

Grateful for Perry County EMA, the many organizations working together, and every person who has opened their heart to help this community.

08/22/2026

Volunteers are an invaluable part of emergency and disaster response, and we should always appreciate the willingness of people to step forward and serve. The goal isn’t to discourage that willingness, but to give it structure. When individuals or teams operate independently, even good intentions can create confusion, duplicate efforts, and safety concerns. We don’t need fewer people willing to help—we need efficient ways to get them plugged in, prepared, and operating within a coordinated response.

08/21/2026

Stay safe everyone!

Mandatory Evacuation for area west of SR 360
Urgent Notification

08/20/2026

As tempting as it is to push through a flooded road, moving water is stronger than it looks - and it only takes a few inches to sweep away a vehicle or a person.

ETHOS is asking our community to take the safe route every single time. Turn around, don't drown. Your life, your family, and our responders depend on it. 🌊🚙

Good morning, Delaware County. We are hearing reports of high water throughout different areas of the county. Please leave extra time for your commute and do not drive through flooded or barricaded roads. Turn Around - Don't Drown!

08/19/2026

Packing up another box of Comfort Kits this morning to head out into the world. ❤️

We haven’t shared much about these lately, but they continue to be one of my favorite little things we do.

We never know whose hands they will find their way into, what that child may be experiencing, or which responder will be the one to hand it to them. They are simply meant to bring a little comfort and familiarity into a moment that may feel anything but.

It also reminded me why there are parts of our work you will never see on social media.

I feel like I share some version of this every time there is severe storm damage, flooding, or another disaster. There are so many people doing genuinely good work with genuinely good intentions. I am incredibly proud of my own team and the way they show up and understand the responsibility that comes with stepping into these spaces.

There is camaraderie in this work. There is laughter and there are moments of fun - and sometimes responders need those moments. But there is a difference between what happens among responders and what we choose to broadcast from someone else’s worst day.

Social media has made it incredibly easy for service to become promotion without us even realizing it.

Imagine your community is underwater. Your home is damaged. Everything you own may have washed away. Then you open social media and see the people who came to help smiling, joking, and posing for pictures amid the devastation.

The intentions may be completely innocent. But we still owe it to the people we serve to consider how that picture might feel from their side of it.

Take the pictures. Document the work. Be proud of your people. Laugh together when you need to. But before we hit “post,” maybe the question should simply be: If this were my home, my family, my community, and my worst day, how would this picture make me feel?

Part of serving people well is protecting the dignity of their hardest moments, too.

So sometimes the picture we share is simply the one taken before the work begins - a box full of the best boy’s goofy face - headed somewhere it is needed, with no expectation that we will ever know the rest of the story.

And no matter how many of these I pack, I will never get over how stinking cute they are. 🐾❤️

08/18/2026

This is a little outside of our usual scope of sharing, but these are our partners. Also, one of our own was involved in this investigation. If you know him, you will spot him in the photo. He is away protecting the world right now, but we wanted to give him, and all our friends at Ohio Division of Wildlife, a well-earned shout-out.

Nice job not only protecting people, but protecting the dignity of the creatures entrusted TO US.

NEWS: Creek Kings YouTubers Plead Guilty to Poaching Charges

🦌 A poaching investigation, conducted in collaboration with Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks, resulted in a combined 40 guilty pleas from William I. Bethel, 28, of Columbus and Justin A. Booth, 23, of Columbus. The two central Ohio men were known on YouTube as Creek Kings Outdoors.

📰 Press Release: https://ow.ly/3reb50ZAWJ0
📌 Wild Ohio Podcast: https://ow.ly/5WPt50ZAWL1

08/14/2026

I am not even sure I can put into words what these last several days meant.

We had the incredible opportunity to train alongside our friends and partners Ohio Division of Wildlife Search & Rescue Tracking Team, and somewhere between the scenarios, the problem-solving, the long hours, and a whole lot of laughter - something pretty special happened.

We didn’t just train alongside each other. We blended. Different resources. Different strengths. Different perspectives. But one team - communicating, adapting, problem-solving, and moving fluidly toward the same objective.

And it wasn’t all easy.

These scenarios came with twists and turns we didn’t expect. Plans changed. Things happened outside of our control. We had to stop, reassess, get creative, trust each other, and figure it out.

Exactly like the real world.

Because the best training isn’t about everything going according to plan. It is about what happens when it doesn’t. It tests our abilities, patience, resourcefulness, communication, and our willingness to lean on the people beside us.

And these last several days made something incredibly clear: Certain people come into your circle for a reason.

There are teams you work beside - and then there are people you simply click with. People whose strengths complement yours, whose mindset matches yours, and who make everyone around them better.

The camaraderie and opportunities to bond over these last several days were something we don’t take lightly. There was trust built here. Respect. A whole lot of learning. And probably enough laughter to last us until the next training.

We walked away better searchers, better problem-solvers, and better teammates. But more than anything, we walked away incredibly grateful for the people who shared this time with us.

This is what collaboration is supposed to feel like ❤️