Neighborhoods

The city played host Tuesday to a Japanese local government official that wants to know how communities such as Youngstown are rebuilding themselves in the face of population decline and other challenges.

Arika Aizawa, assistant director of the city of Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki Prefecture, visited Youngstown as part of a three-day tour that also includes stops in Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Accompanying her on the visit was Seth Benjamin, senior researcher with the Japan Local Government Center, based in New York.

While in Youngstown, Aizawa met with city officials, community groups such as the Youngstown Neighborhood Redevelopment Corp. and staff members of the Youngstown Business Incubator downtown.

The meetings touched upon issues such as how the city is coping with population loss, unemployment, and the strategies it’s using to empower business and economic growth said Ian Beniston, executive director of YNDC.

“We’ve had many folks from Japan here over the last five years,” said Ian Beniston, executive director of the YNDC. “They’re here to learn.”

To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Arika Aizawa, an official from Kitaibaraki, Japan, was in Youngstown Tuesday along with Dr. Seth Benjamin of the Japan Local Government Center of New York as part of a tour of the region.

Aizawa was a guest of Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and will be visiting business parks and brownfield development sites during her stay in the city. She met with the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department, and plans to meet with the Youngstown Business Incubator and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

A visiting Japanese official is visiting Youngstown, Cleveland and Pittsburgh as part of a tour of the region.

Arika Aizawa of the city of Kitaibaraki was in town Tuesday along with Dr. Seth Benjamin of the Japan Local Government Center of New York.

She was a guest of Mayor Jamael Tito Brown and will be visiting business parks and brownfield development sites during her stay in the city.

Aizawa also is visiting Cleveland and Pittsburgh during a three-day visit to the area.

In Youngstown, she met with the mayor as well as the city’s Community Planning and Economic Development Department, where the topics of discussion included population loss, revitalization plans and economic development.

A news release said Aizawa has more meetings planned with the Youngstown Business Incubator and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

The Youngstown Marathon Foundation board has opened public voting for a third 2018 Youngstown Marathon race beneficiary.

The 13 charity choices are a result of the board’s special meeting in November.

“We want to make sure the public also has its voice heard,” said Courtney Poullas, CEO and race director in a news release. “We took any charities that received any board votes, even if it was just one, and placed them up for public voting.”

Youngstown CityScape and United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley will be joined by one of the following charitable organizations: Boys And Girls Club Of Youngstown, Down Syndrome Association Of The Valley, Homes For Kids, Youngstown Piggyback Foundation, St. Vincent DePaul, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. (YNDC), Yellow Brick Place, Inspiring Minds, Potential Development, Rescue Mission Of The Mahoning Valley, The Cure Starts Now, Forever Safe Farms, and Oh Wow! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology. To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

YNDC is getting the work done in 2018! Here are some highlights of our work to date in 2018:

8 new clients were enrolled in HUD-approved housing counseling

87 volunteers cleared 260 yards of debris and removed 54 tires at 2 workdays

65 students attended 9 Safe Routes to School events

4 vacant homes were rehabilitated

Friday, February 9, 2018
On Thursday, February 8, YNDC Executive Director Ian Beniston and Neighborhood Stabilization Director Jack Daugherty were honored at the Mahoning Valley Young Professionals 13^th Annual 25 Under 35 Awards.

The awards ceremony recognized local young professionals that have made a difference in their community. The honor is Ian’s second and Jack’s first time being recognized at the annual event. In addition to being an honoree, Ian received the MVP Award along with Dr. Patrick Brine and Dr. Courtney Stryffeler of Mercy Health, which is given to the top three nominees. YNDC partners in revitalization Jim Freeze of Goodwill, Lauren Johnson of The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, and Mark Oles of Cardinal Mooney High School were also honored. Thanks to MVYP for promoting community service in Youngstown and continuing to support the efforts of YNDC and our partners.

Twenty-eight young professionals have been deemed this year’s 25 Under 35 honorees since October, but three – Ian Beniston, Dr. Patrick Brine and Dr. Courtney Stryffeler — stood out as the three MVPs Thursday night. 

All 28 honorees were nominated by their peers and co-workers for the 25 Under 35 Awards. A panel of judges assessed and scored the honorees based on three areas: careers accomplishments, their levels of education and service to their communities. The top three are chosen as the MVPs. While the 28 finalists have been known since October, the judges kept the identities of the three MVPs a secret until last night when they were announced before a crowd of 400 well-wishers at Stambaugh Auditorium. The 25 Under 35 class of 2018 actually included 28 nominees, all of whom were recognized last night. “The three MVPs this year are just wonderful,” said Rose Shaffer Saborse, Mahoning Valley Young Professional chairman of the awards. “We have people who really concentrate on the community.” In their remarks, Brine, Stryffeler and Beniston iterated the importance of community and community service. Brine is associate program director of internal medicine residency at Mercy Health at St. Elizabeth Hospital Youngstown. “I am just truly honored and humbled to receive this award. Being somebody who was raised here, giving back is a part of what we need to do and who we need to be,” he said. Stryffeler is nurse manager of perioperative and infusion services at Mercy Health at St. Elizabeth Hospital, Youngstown. “I truly have a passion for people and showing kindness and love and trying to give back as much as I can. I’ve been blessed throughout my entire life and I need to make sure I’m giving back blessings to other people,” she said in her remarks. Beniston is executive director of Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. “I don’t take this MVP for me I take it for YNDC,” he said. “What we do every day in neighborhood revitalization and community development is not something that one person can do. We need you all to participate in what we’re doing. We need everyone to work together to continue to improve the city.” To read the full story from The Business Journal, click here. 

At this year’s 25 Under 35 ceremony, the honorees urged everyone to support their communities. To watch the video from The Business Journal, click here. 

The Raymond John Wean Foundation awarded $105,736 to 27 resident-led Warren and Youngstown grass-roots organizations seeking to transform their neighborhoods and communities.

Among the 2018 grantees are the Junior Organizers, a group of Warren G. Harding High School students working to create meaningful opportunities to support other youth in Warren through mentoring and enrichment, and Youngstown’s West Prince- ton Block Club, which is working to transform a vacant lot into a Peace Corner for neighbors to gather, socialize and meditate. The funds were awarded as part of Neighborhood SUCCESS, a foundation program that supports grass-roots organizations seeking to develop resident participation and leadership, promote communication and collaboration among residents and build on existing resources in their communities. Neighborhood SUCCESS provides annual grants of $500 to $5,000 to projects aligned with the foundation’s strategic priorities of community revitalization, economic opportunity, educational opportunity and public service leadership. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber will have its annual meeting from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15 at Mr. Anthony’s, 7440 South Ave.

Awards and award recipients are: William G. Lyden Spirit of the Valley Award: Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. (Ian Beniston, executive director) and Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership (Matt Martin, executive director); Donald Cagigas Spirit of the Chamber Award: Gary Soukenik, president and CEO of Seven Seventeen Credit Union; and Chairman’s Political Achievement Award: Craig Butler, director, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The cost is $40 for chamber members and $50 for nonmembers. To read the full story from The Vindicator, click here.