Neighborhoods

Thursday, October 12, 2023. 

On October 12, 2023 the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) and partners including: Mahoning County Land Bank, City of Youngstown, Trumbull County Land Bank, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, Youngstown Cityscape, Healthy Community Partnership, Lola Lewis and other partners announced a $5,000,000 grant award from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act Grant Program for the Mahoning Valley TreeCorps project.

The funds will be used to develop a tree inventory and management plan, provide forestry training to local professionals and young adults, create living wage jobs, plant and sustain thousands of trees, and address urgent mature tree canopy maintenance and removal needs. More details will be shared in the future.

Youngstown and Warren may get a little greener, shadier and beautiful due to a $5 million USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Inflation Reduction Act grant awarded to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

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

Monday, October 16, 2023.

On Thursday, October 12, YNDC Housing Program Manager Jennifer Evans was named a 2023 Gems of the Valley Honoree by the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley at their annual Fund for Women and Girls event. 

Other honorees included Lynn Anderson with Sustainable Youngstown, Meghan DeGregory with Thrive 1010, Allison Smith with Outreach Quilt and Artists Guild, and Dee Traylor with Mercy Health.

Congratulations to all of the honorees and thank you for your commitment to serving our community!

Work to re-beautify lots in some parts of Mahoning and Trumbull Counties is now getting more attention. The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation (YNDC) recently received a $5 million grant from the USDA Forest Service to plant thousands of trees in the Youngstown and Warren areas over the next five years.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

A group of valley organizations have announced that they have received a $5 million grant from the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry program. The program is focused on creating, maintaining, and revitalizing green spaces in America's cities.

"Trees make a difference. Studies show that communities with access to trees and green spaces are associated with improved health outcomes, reduced crime, lower average temperatures, and an influx of other kinds of investments and new economic opportunities," the USDA website says.

The $5 million grant will be used by The Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, Mahoning County Land Bank, City of Youngstown, Trumbull County Land Bank, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, Youngstown Cityscape, Healthy Community Partnership, Lola Lewis and other partners to revitalize green spaces around the city.

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

We all know amazing women throughout the Mahoning Valley who have left an impact through their line of work. One local group is making sure outstanding women don't go unnoticed for their efforts in making the Valley a better place. The 'Gems of the Valley' is an event that returned this year to honor the best of the best in the area. "We get to honor a lot of women who don't get the recognition that they deserve and they're really the unsung heros," explained Jana Coffin with Fund for Women & Girls.

Five outstanding women were honored with the 'Gem of the Valley' award by the Fund for Women & Girls, a community-led fund at the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley. Out of dozens of candidates submitted, the fund's committee chose their top 5 candidates. Honorees were nominated by someone close to them for always going that extra mile. For the first time, the Fund for Women & Girls accepted nominations from the community as they seek wider input on who to recognize as a Gem of the Valley.

"After the success of our Microfunding Event earlier this summer, we knew it was important to bring back Gems of the Valley," Coffin added. "This event is our way of putting the spotlight on the work of incredible women to make the Mahoning Valley a better place."

The 2023 'Gems of the Valley' included Meghan DeGregory with Thrive 1010, Dee Traylor with Mercy Health, Jennifer Evans with YNDC, Allison Smith with Outreach Quilt and Artists Guild, and Daphne Carr on behalf of Lynn Anderson with Sustainable Youngstown. 

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

STORE RELOCATES: The MiMe Global store has a new location at 2533 Belmont Ave., Youngstown, the former glass bank building at the Union Square Plaza. It formerly was at the Eastwood Mall.

MiMe Global is a 3D printing company that creates full color, 3D printed figurines of customers in miniature. It also sells services 3D printing machines and sells 3D printer spare parts and supplies. The company was selected as the winner of the Eastwood Mall Small Shop Showdown competition in 2019, and received six months of free rent, marketing and advertising from the Cafaro Company, which owns the Eastwood Mall Complex. The Cafaro Company also owns Union Square Plaza.

WORKSHOPS OFFER FINANCIAL, INSURANCE HELP: Credit Union of Ohio will offer two free workshops this month to educate the community on individual health insurance and Medicare options, and the financial impacts of different plans. Mike Gatteri of Healthmarkets will lead the virtual sessions: Individual health care and insurance coverage 5:30 p.m. Tuesday — Learn about how health care reform works, how to maximize a subsidy in order to lower premiums, as well as addressing many little-known facts to save money. Medicare workshop noon Thursday — This workshop will give a detailed explanation of Medicare, supplemental plans, and how to decide which plan is best. There will be discussions of Medicare advantage plans, Part D plans, and Medicare supplements, as well as how each works. Registration is required to attend each workshop at cuofohio.org.

FARMERS’ BANKER HONORED: Juan Santiago, vice president, Community Reinvestment Act engagement leader at Farmers National Bank of Canfield, is being honored by the American Bankers Association as a recipient of its 2023 ABA Emerging Leader Awards.

The award recognizes the next generation of bank leaders who are committed to the highest standards of achievement and service to their industry and their local communities.

Santiago and 11 other winners will be recognized at the ABA annual convention Oct. 8 -10 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Santiago has been in the banking industry for 20 years, including eight with Farmers National Bank. In his role now, Santiago ensures the credit needs of low-to-moderate income individuals, small businesses and small farms are met in the areas in which the bank serves.

During his career, he has helped more than 100 families of Hispanic / Latino descent purchase a home through programs he has helped create. He also serves on the boards of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, Farmers Charitable Foundation, Mercy Health-Youngstown and the Ohio Bankers Foundation.

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

The Fund for Women & Girls, a community-led fund at the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, put the spotlight on the work of five women at its Gems of the Valley event. The honor recognizes women doing important work to make the Valley a better place for all, especially when that work is overlooked or underappreciated.

Selected by the Fund for Women & Girls Guiding Circle, this year’s Gems are:

Lynn Anderson, activist and organizer for Sustainable Youngstown.
Meghan DeGregory, director of operations for Thrive 10:10.
Jennifer Evans, housing program manager for Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.
Allison Smith, artist and founder of Outreach Quilt and Artist Guild.
Dee Traylor, manager of the Resource Mothers program at Mercy Health.

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

Tuesday, October 17, 2023. 

On October 12 the Mahoning County Commissioners approved a $50,000 predevelopment grant to YNDC for affordable housing. YNDC will work collaboratively with Mahoning County Continuum of Care (Continuum), Family and Community Services, Inc. (FCS), and Mahoning County Land Bank.

The funding will be used for predevelopment expenses necessary to develop  a project and prepare to obtain the necessary financing and funding commitments. Many thanks to the Mahoning County Commissioners!

According to the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation, Mahoning County commissioners awarded a $50,000 grant to YNDC. The award was approved Oct. 12 by the commissioner’s office for the pre-development costs of affordable housing in Youngstown.

To read the full story from Mahoning Matters, click here.