Neighborhoods

The Center for Nonprofit Leadership at Youngstown State University, housed in the Williamson College of Business Administration, has been awarded a grant from The Wean Foundation to implement the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program.

The Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program is a biennial program that matches YSU students seeking career-related experience in the nonprofit sector with nonprofit organizations in the Mahoning Valley looking to build organizational capacity. This program gives 12 YSU students the opportunity to work full-time for 12 weeks, for a total of 480 hours, or part-time for 300 hours between May 12 and August 1. All fellows are paid $18/hour.

The following students and organizations were selected to participate in the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Honors Internship Program.

• The Andrea Mahone Foundation hired MacKenzie Harrington, a Master of Business Administration student, for the part-time Marketing & Social Media Fellowship position.
   
• Inspiring Minds Youngstown hired Melea Johnson, a Social Work major, for the full-time Site Instructor Fellowship position.
   
• Mahoning County Land Bank hired Serene Awad, an Environmental Studies major, for the full-time Program Management Fellowship position.
   
• Mahoning Valley Historical Society hired Connor Tapp, a History major, for the full-time Community Engagement Fellowship position.
   
• Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley hired Kevin Balella, a Marketing major, for the full-time Panerathon Event Fellowship position.
   
• Meridian HealthCare hired Tara Wine, a Marketing major, for the full-time Marketing & Development Fellowship position.
   
• Northeast Ohio Adoption Services hired Sujey Navarro Negrete, a Business Administration major, for the part-time Community Engagement Fellowship position.
   
• Oh Wow! Children’s Center for Science & Technology hired Aicha Sawaneh, a Communication major, for the part-time Marketing & Events Fellowship position.
   
• United Way of Trumbull County hired Danuneka Cargill, a Business Administration major, for the part-time Marketing & Events Fellowship position.
   
• YMCA of Youngstown hired Haya Farhan, a graduate student studying Health and Human Services, for the full-time Marketing & Development Fellowship position.
   
• Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation hired Sabrina Johnson, a Psychology major, for the full-time Neighborhood Stabilization Fellowship position.
   

• YWCA Mahoning Valley hired Miya Brown, an Accounting major, for the part-time Accounting Fellowship position.

  To read the full article from Youngstown State University, click here.

The Mahoning County Land Bank and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. have partnered to construct their first new home outside Youngstown’s city limits, expanding their reach to Struthers.

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

The Center for Nonprofit Leadership at Youngstown State University, housed in the Williamson College of Business Administration, has been awarded a grant from The Wean Foundation to implement the 2025 Nonprofit Leadership Summer Fellowship Program. The biennial program matches YSU students seeking career-related experience in the nonprofit sector with nonprofit organizations in the Mahoning Valley looking to build organizational capacity.

The program gives 12 YSU students the opportunity to work full time for 12 weeks, for a total of 480 hours, or part time for 300 hours between May 12 and August 1. All fellows are paid $18 per hour.

The students and organizations selected to participate in the program are:

• MacKenzie Harrington, a master of business administration student, part-time marketing and social media fellowship, Andrea Mahone Foundation.
   
• Melea Johnson, a social work major, full-time site instructor fellowship, Inspiring Minds Youngstown.
   
• Serene Awad, an environmental studies major,  full-time program management fellowship, Mahoning County Land Bank. 
   
• Connor Tapp, a history major, full-time community engagement fellowship, Mahoning Valley Historical Society.
   
• Kevin Balella, a marketing major, full-time Panerathon event fellowship, Mercy Health Foundation Mahoning Valley.
   
• Tara Wine, a marketing major, full-time marketing and development fellowship, Meridian HealthCare.
   
• Sujey Navarro Negrete, a business administration major, part-time community engagement fellowship, Northeast Ohio Adoption Services.
   
• Aicha Sawaneh, a communication major, part-time marketing and events fellowship, Oh Wow! Children’s Center for Science & Technology.
   
• Danuneka Cargill, a business administration major, part-time marketing and events fellowship, United Way of Trumbull County.
   
• Haya Farhan, a graduate student studying public health, full-time marketing and development fellowship, YMCA of Youngstown.
   
• Sabrina Johnson, a psychology major, full-time neighborhood stabilization fellowship, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. 
   
• Miya Brown, an accounting major, part-time accounting fellowship, YWCA Mahoning Valley.

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

A stretch of Glenwood Avenue is looking a little brighter these days thanks to a program from the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Program aimed at improving lighting and cutting crime. Back in January, a pedestrian was hit at the intersection along Glenwood across from the Salvation Army and Southern Tavern. It’s something the YNDC is trying to shine a light on to avoid any more dark situations.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

A groundbreaking was held for new and affordable housing opportunities in Struthers Tuesday. The home is being built at 42 East Wilson Street with the project being funded by a grant, the Mahoning County Land Bank and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

To read the full story from WFMJ, click here. 

There was a groundbreaking for a new single-family home in Struthers on Tuesday. It’s a project by the Mahoning County Land Bank and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here. 

It’s a first in the City of Campbell, aimed at meeting an urgent need.  There was a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday morning for a new home on Whipple Avenue. “When we have a shortage of housing, and especially that doesn’t break people’s bank accounts,” said Deb Flora, with the Mahoning County Land Bank.

It marks the first time the Mahoning County Land Bank, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation and City of Campbell have worked together on a housing project.

To read the full story from WKBN, click here.  

The Walter E. and Caroline H. Watson Foundation awarded a $15,000 Grant to YNDC for clean and green equipment. The grant will be used to purchase a van and hydroseeder to significantly increase our neighborhood cleanup and vacant lot greening activities. Big thanks to the Walter E. and Caroline H. Watson Foundation for their support!
 

Mayor George Levendis didn’t hesitate — nor did he need many words — to express his feelings regarding the sharp contrast between things being torn down in the city and something being built up.

“I’m ecstatic,” he said.

The source of Levendis’ jubilation was bearing witness to the first step in building a 1,400-square-foot, two-story home at 412 Whipple Ave., for which the Mahoning County Land Bank secured much of the funding. The address also was the site of a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday morning to usher in the project.

In addition, the work reflects a newly formed partnership between the city of about 8,000, the land bank and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., the mayor noted.

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

Mahoning Valley TreeCorps is offering free tree planting in public spaces in Youngstown and Warren.

The initiative, led by Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp., Youngstown CityScape, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership, Healthy Community Partnership and other community partners, aims to restore and sustain the urban tree canopy in the two cities to improve health and make the urban forest accessible to all to support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods.

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