Staff photo / R. Michael Semple With the skyline of downtown Youngstown in the background, a flash mob broke out at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater at Wean Park while celebrating National Community Development Day Friday afternoon.

YOUNGSTOWN — The city celebrated National Community Day in Wean Foundation Park and Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater and also kicked off National Community Development Week in the adjacent Covelli Centre Friday.

Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell was part of both events, including his introduction of over 200 people associated with the non-profit Gateways to Better Living who gave a Flash Mob performance to open the entertainment at the amphitheatre.

McDowell reveled in his role as emcee for the well attended event, standing on the amphitheatre stage and asking everyone to “look to your left, everybody look to your right.” He said, “This is where community happens. That is the slogan that I termed for Wean Park in 2019 when I was the community engagement and inclusion coordinator.

“This is where community happens. And if you look around you … those are the people who got your back. Look at somebody and say ‘I got your back.'” The crowd responded.

“That is what family does, regardless of the challenges we’ve to go through,” he said. He asked the people filling the amphitheatre to clap for the scores or organizations there with booths and tents who provide a service or otherwise help the city.

“Thank you all for making community day and the city of Youngstown better,” McDowell said.

Then he introduced the special needs individuals brought to the amphitheater by Gateways To Better Living to dance.

He said “Not only do they have something that most of us may not have, a special need, but we want to understand and recognize that even folks who have special needs can bring us something special to our community.”

The dancing went on for a long time in a springtime show of joy.

Community Development Day was free and open to the public event featuring a wide variety of activities, entertainment, and local vendors.

“This is what true community looks like-coming together, supporting one another, and celebrating the incredible individuals we serve,” Kristie Murphy, community engagement director for Gateways to Better Living, said in a press release.

“We are honored to share this stage with so many amazing partners and to help kick off such a meaningful event.”

Gateways to Better Living serves more than 300 individuals across the Mahoning Valley, providing residential and day program services that empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live fulfilling, independent lives.

COVELLI

Before the Flash Mob and the activities outside, McDowell, Youngstown Director of Community Planning & Economic Development DeMaine Kitchen, city Community Development Director Beverly Hosey and others meet at the Covelli Centre to mark National Community Development Week, which began in 1986.

It was created by the National Community Development Organization and other groups. It tries to increase awareness of the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships programs, Hosey said during her remarks.

CDBG is a federal program administered by the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides grants to states, cities and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment and by expanding economic development opportunities, mostly for low and moderate income people, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development web site.

The HOME Investment Partnerships Program was created in 1990 that provides funding to states and eligible localities to be exclusively for affordable housing activities to benefit low-income households, the Congress.gov web site states.

Hosey said National Community Development Week tries to bring national attention to the CDBG and HOME programs during the annual Congressional appropriations season “to urge lawmakers to protect and increase funding for these programs.”

Hosey said the mission of the Youngstown’s Community Development staff is to “improve the quality of life for Youngstown’s citizens by providing affordable housing and economic and social opportunities.”

MAYOR

McDowell said Friday’s events are a continuation of work done in Youngstown over the years to invest in the city and neighborhood cleanups. He said the event “falls well in line with the call to action that I have, which is reclaiming our identity, that Youngstown is known as a place that is worthy to be invested in, worthy to be acknowledged for its efforts, and not just challenging litter issues we have or the challenging lack of housing.

“We have to be known as a place where people want to come, they want to live, they want to grow, they want to raise their family, they want to work and they want to enjoy the city. And we have wonderful things to enjoy because of you all, because of the investments that have been made,” he said.

He said he looks forward to many more opportunities to “acknowledge the work that is being done out in our community.”

WEAN FOUNDATION PARK

Wean Foundation Park and the amphitheatre provided ample space for the scores of organizations to pass out information on the services they provide or vendors to sell food or other items.

Some of the organizations that receive CDBG funds were introduced on the amphitheater stage, such as the Students Motivated by the Arts School (Students Motivated by the Arts) in Youngstown.

Assistant Director Kate Easterday said the organization “provides arts programming for students from 18 months all the way to 21 years old.” The school provides classes in visual art, music, dance, theater and creative writing.

It also provides programming in local schools, such as city and Catholic schools.

Also speaking briefly was a representative for Inspiring Minds of Youngstown, which has been in Youngstown since 2015.

It focuses on education, college and career readiness, exposure to new experiences, health and wellness and personal development of students. The program “allows us to introduce to our scholars to opportunities so that they know what they want to do once they graduate or how they want to proceed in their future,” she said.

Many organizations with booths in Wean Foundation Park were there to get the word out on the work they do in the community.

One was the National Centers for Urban Scholars, which houses the Academy for Urban Scholars 3405 Market Street in Youngstown which is for students in grades 9 through 12.

It also has a program for people age 22 and over that obtain their high school diploma. And it has NCUS TEC, which teaches how to use software such as Microsoft Excel and Adobe Suite to the public and high school students. Both are taught at 139 E. Boardman Street in Youngstown.