Neighborhoods

I would like to dedicate this space to some of the people and organizations that have made significant contributions to improve the lives of people in the Mahoning Valley this year.

Inspiring Minds continues to provide after-school and summer-enrichment programming for more than 400 students in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. Deryck Toles is founder and executive director.

Toles, a graduate of Warren G. Harding High School, Penn State University, and who had a career as a linebacker in the National Football League, has made sure under-represented youths are exposed to life-changing experiences and positive role models.

Since 2006, Inspiring Minds and its benefactors have provided more than $60,000 in scholarships to teens for post-secondary education. Inspiring Minds students have been to Washington, D.C., to see the historically black college, Howard University; visited Puerto Rico; and traveled to New York University to attend tutoring sessions.

The Community Initiative to Reduce Violence, under the leadership of Guy Burney, program coordinator, remains a positive influence in Youngstown. CIRV is a partnership of law enforcement, social-service agencies and the community to reduce gun violence in the city. CIRV offers support services to violent offenders willing to change; offers violence-prevention programming to youths in the community; and also engages and solicits community participation in delivering violence-deterrence message, according to its website.

Burney also has worked with several churches to help get the nonviolence message out to our area youth.

The Youngstown City School District’s after-school program to help students improve their math and reading skills should also be applauded. The sessions make use of i-Ready, a computer program dedicated to sharpening students’ minds through fun learning exercises.

Second Harvest Food Bank of the Mahoning Valley for years has been providing food for those who need it the most.

Sadly, with more jobs being lost in our area, the need for the food bank’s services is more crucial than ever. The food bank, a member of Feeding America, assists 148 hunger-relief programs in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. These include church pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, shelters for battered women and after-school programs.

Michael Iberis, food bank director, earlier this year, praised his agency’s outreach efforts, which include fulfilling about 15,000 requests for food each week in the three counties.

I also want to give a shout out to Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. Headed by Ian Beniston, the YNDC continues its mission to make city neighborhoods better and to help people achieve homeownership.

The organization fully renovates vacant homes to a high standard for sale to new homeowners at an affordable price. Its Iron Roots Urban Farm is a 1.7 acre working farm and training center located at 820 Canfield Road on the city’s South Side. Iron Roots Urban Farm grows fresh produce in an urban neighborhood.

Thank you area fraternities and sororities for raising funds to provide scholarships to inner-city youths on their way to college.

Teen Straight Talk, located in Vienna, equips children with truth, unaltered by the ever-changing morals of our society. The values they learn, including abstaining from sex before marriage and the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, have provided some with life-changing behaviors. TST’s director is Mary Duke, and the organization recently returned from a mission trip to El Salvador.

Of course, Catholic Charities, St. Vincent DePaul Society, Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, the United Ways in Youngstown, Warren, and in Mercer and Lawrence counties, and the Salvation Army should always be lauded for their efforts to provide help for the less fortunate throughout the year.

Don’t forget to drop whatever money you have in the Salvation Army’s red kettles over the new few weeks as this is that organization’s largest fundraising effort.

But I want to give a standing ovation to all the people in this community who donate their time and resources to help those who are suffering from catastrophic diseases.

So, to everyone who had a spaghetti dinner, organized a concert or a 5k walk/run, sold lemonade or cookies, walked or bicycled long distances to raise money to help offset the large medical bills not covered by health insurance, thank you.

And for those who did even one small thing to help your fellow man that was not publicized, you will always have my undying gratitude.

I am confident that same spirit of giving, love and support will continue in the Valley in 2017.

To read the full article form the Vindicator, click here.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

On Tuesday, December 6, The Clif Bar Family Foundation approved a $5,000 grant to YNDC’s Iron Roots Urban Farm.

The Iron Roots Urban Farm provides fresh food access to city residents, trains and assists individuals to start new urban farming and gardening enterprises, and works to build a more participatory and robust food system in Youngstown. The Clif Bar Family Foundation supports grassroots groups led by people whose vision and commitment we deeply admired. Many thanks to the Clif Bar Family Foundation for the support.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

With the change of seasons, Iron Roots Urban Farm has brought back weekly availability of produce! We have some great winter vegetables available, and we would love to help you serve local produce.

Every Monday morning we send out an email and post on facebook a list of the produce we have available for purchase for the week. Orders will be accepted 10am Monday through 12pm Thursday for pickup on that same Thursday afternoon. Orders are processed on a first come first served basis so we recommend placing your order sooner rather than later. To order, just reply to the weekly email or email produce@yndc.org stating what produce you want, how much you want of each item, your name, and a good phone number to reach you at. You will receive a reply confirming your order and you should arrange to pick up your produce between 2:00pm and 6:30pm that Thursday at our farm kitchen located at 822 Billingsgate Avenue. Payments can be made in cash, with a debit or EBT card, or by check made out to “YNDC” and will be collected at time of pickup.

At its December board meeting, The Raymond John Wean Foundation awarded grants of $900,152, making this the foundation’s largest grant-making quarter of the year.

The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and the Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership each received a grant for their work to bring change, leverage opportunities and encourage resident engagement, according to a foundation news release.

The Mahoning Valley College Access Program received a grant for its programming that increases college access through admission and financial-aid advising and college persistence, with an emphasis on Warren and Youngstown city schools.

Youngstown State University’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership received a grant for the 2017 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Honors Internship Program to continue its effort in connecting regional nonprofit and public-sector organizations with valuable and talented students, allowing opportunities to increase nonprofit skills and marketability.

Lastly, the Economic Action Group received a grant to fill resource and skill gaps necessary to build on the city of Youngstown’s current momentum toward sustainable community and economic development.

The work of the five grantees represents community revitalization, access to educational opportunities and the creation of economic opportunity in the Mahoning Valley.

Raymond John Wean, after having achieved success in the flat-rolled steel processing industry, in 1949 created the foundation that bears his name in Warren.

Since then, more than $100 million in grants have been awarded to a variety of nonprofit organizations in support of the foundation’s vision to empower residents to create a healthy, vibrant, equitable and economically stable Valley.

To read the full story from the Vindicator, click here.

The Raymond John Wean Foundation awarded grants totaling $900,152 to local Mahoning Valley organizations, making it the foundation’s largest grantmaking quarter of the year.

Lori Wiebe, administrative and capacity building officer with the foundation, said the work represented by the five grantees represents community revitalization, access to educational opportunities and the creation of economic opportunity in the Mahoning Valley.

Grants from the foundation’s responsive portfolio were made to strategic partners, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, for their continued work to collectively catalyze change, leverage opportunities and encourage, support and nurture resident engagement.

”Our strategic partners are playing an increasingly and equally important role in community revitalization; their work being recognized with national grants and honors in 2016. They have provided voice to residents, and leaders throughout the Valley,” said Jennifer Roller, president of the Raymond John Wean Foundation.

”We are excited for the coming year and the various collaborations and community-building initiatives that our partners will launch,” Roller said.

• Mahoning Valley College Access Program for collaborative programming that increases college access through admission and financial aid advising and college persistence, with an emphasis on Warren and Youngstown city schools.

• Youngstown State University Center for Nonprofit Leadership for 2017 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Honors Internship program, an effort that continues that tradition of connecting regional nonprofit and public sector organizations with valuable and talented students, allowing opportunities to increase nonprofit skills and marketability.

• Economic Action Group to fill resource and skill gaps necessary to build on the City of Youngstown’s current momentum toward sustainable community and economic development.

To read the full story from the Tribune Chronicle, click here.

Monday, December 12, 2016

On Wednesday, December 7, the board of directors of The Raymond John Wean Foundation awarded grants totaling more than $900,000 to strategic partner organizations

representing community revitalization, access to educational opportunities, and the creation of economic opportunity in the Mahoning Valley. Of these funds, $400,000 was awarded to YNDC to continue its mission of improving the quality of life in Youngstown by building and encouraging investment in neighborhoods of choice for all. We are extremely grateful to The Raymond John Wean Foundation for their continued support as one of our primary partners in revitalization, without which the work of YNDC would not be possible.

Monday, December 12, 2016

On Thursday, December 8, Mayor John McNally, City of Youngstown; Dominic Marchionda, YSU City University Planner; and Ian Beniston, YNDC Executive Director represented the City of Youngstown at the National Resource Network Peer Convening attended by more than 70 cities in New Orleans, Louisiana.

At the event Mayor McNally and Ian Beniston led a discussion on blight management in the City of Youngstown. A full copy of the presentation can be downloaded below.

The National Resource Network is a core component of the federal government's Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative, and develops and delivers innovative solutions to American cities to help them address their toughest economic challenges. The Network works with local leaders to identify practical solutions, share real-world expertise and best practices, and help cities develop the tools and strategies they need to grow their economies. More information can be found at http://www.nationalresourcenetwork.org/en/home.

The Raymond John Wean Foundation awarded grants totaling $900,152 at its December board meeting, making this the foundation’s largest grant-making quarter of the year.

The work represented by the five grantees represents community revitalization, access to educational opportunities and the creation of economic opportunity in the Mahoning Valley, said Jennifer Roller, president of the Wean Foundation.

The foundation has awarded more than $100 million in grants since it was established in 1949.

Grants from the foundation’s responsive portfolio, awarded last week, were made to its strategic partners, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership. The grants will fund the organizations’ continued work to collectively catalyze change, leverage opportunities and encourage, support and nurture resident engagement.

“Our strategic partners are playing an increasingly and equally important role in community revitalization; their work being recognized with national grants and honors in 2016. They have provided voice to residents and leaders throughout the Valley,” said Roller. “We are excited for the coming year and the various collaborations and community-building initiatives that our partners will launch.”

Additional grants were awarded to:

Mahoning Valley College Access Program for collaborative programming that increases college access through admission and financial aid advising and college persistence, with an emphasis on Warren and Youngstown City Schools.

Youngstown State University, Center for Nonprofit Leadership for the 2017 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Honors Internship Program, an effort that continues the tradition of connecting regional nonprofit and public sector organizations with valuable and talented students, allowing opportunities to increase nonprofit skills and marketability.

Economic Action Group to fill resource and skill gaps necessary to build on the City of Youngstown’s current momentum toward sustainable community and economic development.

To read the full article from the Business Journal, click here.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

YNDC's work is highlighted in the book “On the Edge: America’s Middle Neighborhoods” published and supported by The American Assembly

through its Legacy Cities Initiative, and edited by Paul C. Brophy. On the Edge authors provide ideas for action and advocate for new and innovative community, housing, and education policies to better support on-the-edge neighborhoods and create opportunities for the millions of people who live in them. To read more about the book, click here.

Thursday, December 22, 2016

On Monday, September 19, 2016, the YNDC Board of Directors adopted YNDC's Strategic Plan Update for 2017 through 2019.

The Strategic Plan Update reviews accomplishments over the previous strategic plan period, mission, and goals. Most importantly the plan outlines programmatic, organizational, and resource development goals to guide YNDC through the period from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2019.

Copies of the 2017-2019 Strategic Plan Update and 2014-2016 Strategic Plan Update can be downloaded below. REVITALIZE.