VALLEY UPDATE: DECEMBER 2008
Dominion awards $15,000 to Incubator
The Dominion Foundation recently contributed $15,000 to the Youngstown Business Incubator for the INSPIRE! project. INSPIRE! is a new program of Incubator that will offer flexible development suites and access to entrepreneurial resources for information technology start-ups. “YBI is appreciative of this substantial investment as it affirms the mission of YBI to assist technology-based entrepreneurs establish and accelerate their scalable, proprietary information technology applications,” said Julie Michael Smith, chief development officer.
“YBI will be using this investment to create INSPIRE! – a resource for technology entrepreneurs that are in the very early stages of developing and implementing new information technology solutions.” “Dominion Foundation is pleased to invest in YBI’s new entrepreneurial initiative that will help technology entrepreneurs and companies in the northeast Ohio,” said Theresa D. Bishop, philanthropy manager of the Dominion Foundation. “Dominion has been a long time supporter of YBI, and recognizes the need to invest in innovation and entrepreneurship, and thus, its importance to the creation of new business, jobs and strengthening the economic climate of the community,” Bishop said.
Stambaugh Auditorium hires Cannatti as director
Philip A. Cannatti, Jr. officially assumed the role of executive director at Stambaugh Auditorium in early October. Cannatti, who has been active in the Stambaugh Pillars (a volunteer fund-raising arm of Stambaugh Auditorium) since 2005, most recently served as an account manager with Cumulus Broadcasting in Youngstown.
William Conti, president of the board of directors, said he looks forward to Cannatti leading Stambaugh in a new and exciting direction, while still upholding current relationships. Cannatti’s plans for Stambaugh Auditorium include increasing the number of clients that use the facility. “I would like this facility to be used as often as possible by as many people as possible, because once you come here to an event, and you see and experience the awe of Stambaugh, you’ll consider coming back for a business or even personal event.”
Eris Medical Technologies
receives $100,000 grant
Eris Medical Technologies, a Youngstown-based software company, has received a $100,000 investment from the Innovation Alliance Fund. The fund is a partnership of Lorain County Community College, the University of Akron Research Foundation, and GLIDE, an Edison Incubator sister organization of the Youngstown Business Incubator. Eris will use the proceeds to finish beta test trials and speed the commercialization of the firm’s revenue integrity technology that identifies lost charge capture opportunities for hospitals and medical centers. Visit the firm’s Web site at http://www.erismed.com for more information.
Packard foundation
adds McGee to board
Michael J. McGee, a member with Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell, Ltd., has been elected to the board of directors of the Packard Music Hall Foundation. McGee practices law in the areas of litigation, insurance, personal injury, employment, commercial collections, civil rights, bankruptcy and criminal matters and traffic.
The Packard Music Hall Foundation strives to improve the quality of life, to educate the public in theater and other performing art forms, and to bring in live shows that the community may not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy and experience. The foundation’s efforts also include fund raising and financial development, volunteer support and community leadership.
The majority of the foundation’s activities are conducted within the W.D. Packard Music Hall at 1703 Mahoning Ave. N.W., Warren. In addition to the Packard board, McGee is chairman of the board of directors of the Community Solutions Association and a member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society and the Rotary Club of Warren. He lives in Cortland.
Jenkins to direct
United Way campaigns
Christine Jenkins will join the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley as director of campaigns, effective Dec. 1. Jenkins will develop the campaign strategy, work on fund-raising events and coordinate the overall fund-raising efforts along with United Way President Bob Hannon. “We are pleased to add Crissi to our team.
Her energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge of the programs we fund made her the perfect choice. We are very excited that she wants to be part of our United Way,” Hannon said. For the past 11 years, the Youngstown Hearing and Speech Agency had employed Jenkins as the director of development and marketing. She is a graduate of Ohio University with a bachelor of science in telecommunications.
Trumbull Probate Court
names 2 to parks board
Stephen Sava of Niles was appointed to a three-year term as a park commissioner. Sava is the owner of PTNE Telephone & Data Systems and a lifelong resident of Trumbull County. Bethany L. Gutelius was appointed to fill the vacancy of a retiring park commissioner.
Gutelius is a resident of Cortland and is a design and project coordinator for Infinity Design Advertising, LLC of Warren. She will be eligible for re-appointment to a three-year term at the end of this year. Metro Parks maintains six parks in Trumbull County and receives its funding from the county and state grants. For further information, contact the Trumbull County Metro Parks at 330-675-2480.
Guardianship program
names Gagliardi to board
The Mahoning County Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian Ad Litem Program recently appointed Cathy Laine Gagliardi to its board. Gagliardi works at Mahoning County Children Services in the field of child welfare. The Mahoning County CASA/GAL is a non-profit organization that recruits, screens, trains, and monitors CASA/GAL volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children in the court system.
Gagliardi received her bachelor of social work from Youngstown State University and master of arts in applied sociology from Kent State. She began her work with the agency investigating child abuse and neglect. Later, she worked with the recruitment and training of foster and adoptive families, supervised the North District Project, was the training officer for staff, and then became chief supervisor of the Family Services Department, providing ongoing services to abused, neglected or dependent children and their families. The CASA/GAL program is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and is housed at the Martin P. Joyce Justice Center in Youngstown. For more information, visit www.mccasa.org/contact.htm or call 330-740-2239.
Kinsman B&B wins award
The Dream Horse Guesthouse of Kinsman was selected as one of the “Best Pet Friendly” in the annual Best of BedandBreakfast.com Awards, 2008-2009. The awards are based on a qualitative and quantitative review of the nearly 50,000 independent reviews submitted to the Web site. “We are pleased that we were chosen for a Best of BedandBreakfast.com Award and are proud that our guests posted reviews that resulted in this award,” said Allan and Catherine Kaulback, proprietors. For a list of award winners, visit www.bedandbreakfast.com.
Metro Leaders Roundtable
names Lidle as chairman
The Mahoning County Metro Leaders Roundtable, has named Poland Township Trustee Robert Lidle Jr. as chairman and Struthers Mayor Terry Stocker will serve as vice chairman. The group was formed last March to begin a discussion on regional collaboration among elected public officials.
The Roundtable brought the city of Youngstown, its adjacent communities and Mahoning County officials together as a first step in regional collaboration efforts that include discussions on group purchasing, utility aggregation, health insurance consortiums, IT cost sharing, 911 consolidation, storm water management districts and countywide land use planning.
Recognizing the need to make government more efficient throughout the Valley, I am pleased to have the Regional Chamber bring together the various governmental entities to one table, so that we may collectively seek ways to pull our resources giving our taxpayers more cost effective means of providing goods and services to them, Lidle said. He also noted that as efforts move forward to revitalize the Mahoning Valley, working together is vital.
Lidle is serving his second term as Poland trustee, a trustee with the Western Reserve Fire District, and a board member of CASTLO. He is employed with Dickey Electric and is a journeyman electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 64. Lidle formerly worked as a staff member for Ohio State Sen. Harry Meshel; former political director for Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher; and former executive director of Franklin County Democratic Party.
Stocker was elected to his first term as mayor in 2007. He had previously served as a councilman-at-large and 4th Ward council member. He is a retired Dominion East Ohio technician.
Others serving on the roundtable include: Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, Austintown Township Trustee Chairman David Ditzler, Boardman Township Trustee Chairwoman Robyn Gallitto, Canfield Township Trustee Chairman Randy Brashen; Canfield Mayor William Kay; Poland Mayor Tim Sicafuse; Campbell Mayor John Dill; Lowellville Mayor James Iudiciani; Coitsville Township Trustee Chairwoman Phyllis Johnson; Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti and County Administrator George Tablack.
Providing support for the group’s work are Tony Paglia, vice president for Government Affairs, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber; Jason Loree, Boardman Township administrator; Mike Dockry, Austintown Township administrator; and Sarah Lown, the city of Youngstown’s development incentive director.
Rescue Mission seeks food donations, support
“The number of baskets we historically have distributed in a month has become the weekly number,” said Jim Echement, director of development for the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley. Over the past five years, the mission has experienced a relatively stable number of requests for emergency-food baskets, but this year the need is greater. (Individuals in dire need should contact the Rescue Mission to make an appointment to receive a food basket. )
The Rescue Mission is currently requesting donations during this time of national crisis. Contact Lynn Wyant, development coordinator, at 330-744-5485 or e-mail LWyant@RescueMissionMV.org to set up a food drive.
The mission will deliver empty and pick-up full collection barrels – or participants can drop off a donation any time at the Rescue Mission’s resident building, 962 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., or at the distribution center, located at 2246 Glenwood Ave., between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Financial contributions are also welcome. Individuals can donate online at www.RescueMissionMV.org or mail contributions to P.O. Box 298, Youngstown, Ohio 44501.
Cafaro to match funds
raised by ‘Feed Our Valley’
During WFMJ’s “Feed Our Valley” campaign for the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Cafaro Foundation has offered to match funds raised at the Eastwood Mall Complex Super K-Mart location on Saturday, Dec. 6 from noon to 3 p.m. and at the Christmas Concert to be held live from the Eastwood Mall on Saturday, Dec. 13 from noon to 8 p.m. The Christmas Concert will feature area high school choirs and personalities from WFMJ, who will be auctioning off items and asking people to donate to the Food Bank. A collection container will be available for donations.
“Project: Feed Our Valley” is an ongoing campaign by 21 News to raise donations of food and money for the Second Harvest Food Bank and raise awareness of the problem of hunger in the community by reporting on the issue on the station’s news programs. Second Harvest provides food to 165 hunger relief organizations in Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Foot and Ankle Centers
seek shoes for area needy
Podiatrists with Ankle & Foot Care Centers are urging holiday shoppers to help the area’s less fortunate by buying and donating new pairs of shoes. Ankle & Foot Care Centers, a group of 15 local podiatric physicians and surgeons, last month announced the start of its 2008 shoe drive and hope to collect more than 800 pairs of shoes between now and Jan. 9, 2009.
Shoe collection stations are in place at each of the group’s 20 locations throughout the region, all of which are accepting new or nearly new shoes. (Locations can be found on the group’s Web site: www.ankleandfootcare.com). In February, the Salvation Army will distribute the shoes collected this year to individuals throughout Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
Burlington kicks off ‘One Warm Coat’ campaign
One Warm Coat, Burlington Coat Factory and ABC’s “Good Morning America,” will again join forces to bring warmth to the needy of the Mahoning Valley. One Warm Coat, a national nonprofit organization that assists in the donation of free coats, will conduct its second annual “Warm Hearts & Warm Coats Drive” now through Jan. 16, 2009.
Coats will be distributed free of charge to children and adults in local communities across the United States and here locally through the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley. Anyone wishing to donate coats for men, women, or children can do so in the drop-off boxes located in the Burlington Coat Factory store in Boardman or Niles. Coats should be in good condition, with working fasteners, and no rips or stains. Donors will receive a receipt for tax purposes. For more information about One Warm Coat, visit: www.onewarmcoat.org. To learn more about the Rescue Mission of Mahoning Valley, visit www.RescueMissionMV.org.
Compiled from local reports.
©2008 Metro Monthly - Youngstown, Ohio
