Silver Maples and Blueberry Bushes: Sowing a Thriving Community in Boulevard Park  Mary Danus, Secretary, Boulevard Park Block Watch  Mary Danus remembers the silver maples covering every inch of Boulevard Park when she moved there 50 years ago. This section of the Pleasant Grove neighborhood in Youngstown was always known for its tall trees—an urban …

Engaged Resident: Showing Up Wherever There Is a Need Christina Anderson, Licensed Independent Social Worker Christina Anderson is the picture of an engaged resident. The licensed independent social worker lends her expertise to a number of boards and causes in the community. She’s served as the precinct committee representative for her neighborhood and is a …

Mission-aligned Partner: Connecting Opportunities Through Capital Angelo LoCastro, Youngstown/Warren Office Director, Bridgeway Capital There is a new mission-aligned partner in town: Bridgeway Capital. Founded in 1990 in Pittsburgh after the collapse of the region’s steel industry, Bridgeway Capital seeks to combat injustices and advance opportunities in places that have been devastated by disinvestment and lack …

The Power of Reinvention: Teaching a City Ward the Importance of Self-Love Honeya Price, Ward 6 Councilwoman, City of Warren; Founder, SWAG Sisters, Sisters Welcome All Generations Honeya Price believes in reinvention. Ten years ago, she was convicted of a felony in a domestic case against an ex-boyfriend and lost everything. She had to rebuild …

No Time for Excuses: Making a Neighborhood a Happy Place Darla Ballinger, President, Boston Avenue Neighbor Association In 1981, three days before Darla Ballinger was to move into a house on Boston Avenue on the south side of Youngstown with her two small children, neighbors vandalized it, painting racial slurs on the walls. At the …

Can’t Fight the Feeling: Searching for the Right Role Tia Toles, Associate Vice President, gener8tor Tia Toles remembers staring out the window of her office on Courthouse Square at the Wean Foundation building and thinking, “I’m not fulfilling my purpose, but one day I will.” That feeling had been gnawing at Toles, who was then …

Neighborhood Scaffolding: Building an Infrastructure to Support a City Ian Beniston, Executive Director, Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. Ian Beniston credits the origins of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. (YNDC) to a specific exchange between a resident and the Wean Foundation.  It was 2007 and Beniston, who grew up on the north side of Youngstown, was …