HandsOn Central Ohio traces its roots to the early 1970s when the Volunteer Action Center (VAC) was formed by the Junior League of Columbus as a center to match volunteers to boards, nonprofits and other community service opportunities. Its purpose was to serve as a clearinghouse of activities to engage volunteers in Central Ohio.

In 1975, another organization was formed that served as an information and referral service for professionals, such as case workers, social workers, parole officers and attorneys. Its objective was to provide these professionals with a resource to direct their clients to government and nonprofit agencies that would assist them in finding solutions to challenges they were facing. This group, known as CALL, became Columbus' first community information and referral provider.

Over the course of a decade, the two organizations frequently collaborated on projects and shared information. After years of informal coordination between these two services, in the mid-1980s the staff and resources of the two agencies were consolidated to form CALLVAC. Central Ohio residents could now have a one-stop shop for information on both nonprofit/government programs and volunteerism.

CALLVAC continued to grow to meet the spectrum of community needs, but it still operated as two distinct organizations. After an extensive strategic planning process, the agency reorganized and streamlined its programs and business principles. To reflect its transformation into an organization that possessed a scope far greater than information and referral services, CALLVAC was renamed FIRSTLINK and launched a new brand identity in 1995.

As its volunteer programs continued to grow, FIRSTLINK developed ties with national organizations including the National Council of Volunteer Centers and the Points of Light Foundation (POLF). The President and CEO was elected to serve on the Points of Light Foundation board. From there, the relationship grew with the HandsOn Network, the leading business unit of the Points of Light Institute, and FIRSTLINK became the HandsOn Network affiliate in Central Ohio.

HandsOn Network equips, mobilizes and inspires people to take action that changes the world. At the center of the network are more than 250 affiliates serving 83 percent of the American population and 11 international communities.

In 2010, FIRSTLINK officially launched a new name and brand identity. FIRSTLINK became HandsOn Central Ohio. This move allowed the organization to leverage a national identity, tap into a vast network of volunteer resources and better deliver on the promise to put people at the center of change. And though the name changed, the power to serve and enrich the community remains the same.