McGuffey milestone celebrated
East Side community center marks 100 years, eyes future with fundraising drive
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YOUNGSTOWN -- Peyton Lewis-Holman isn't shy about making lots of artistic creations, and it's safe to say that she will be making something else that does not require any supplies: memories.
"We have been making trees out of paper, and we made (play) lawn chairs and a rocketship," Peyton, 8, of Youngstown, said."I love helping. It's really great, and you can make friends. We're getting together, and we can do anything."
Providing the opportunity for her to spread her creative wings -- not to mention savor a high level of optimism -- was being part of Camp Invention, a summer camp that is among the numerous programs and opportunities the McGuffey Centre offers.
Peyton likely will carry lots of positive memories as well, because she also was among those of all ages who attended McGuffey Day, an all-day gathering Saturday to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the center, 1649 Jacobs Road, on the East Side, and plan for its future.
The festive celebratory centennial event, themed "One McGuffey. Better together," was to honor the facility's past achievements while anchoring and rebuilding it for future generations.
In addition to calling attention to the anniversary, the gathering resembled a community homecoming for several generations of families, community members, volunteers, athletes, workers and supporters who came together.
"It is about bringing people home, honoring those who built and protected the center, celebrating the young people and families we serve today and reminding this community that McGuffey's next 100 years belong to all of us," Cirell Howard, chief executive officer, said in a statement.
In her remarks Saturday in which she reflected on her first year as CEO, Howard said that several family members, including her 98-year-old grandmother, taught her the value of providing assistance and love to neighbors and the larger community.
The center also offers a plethora of programs and resources to the estimated 17,000 East Side residents, she said, noting that the facility seeks to ask what people need instead of giving them what others think they may need. Such necessities may include food, banking assistance, child care and day care, Howard added.
It's also vital that people substitute complaining about what they feel is wrong with being proactive and coming together to support and uplift one another, as well as make necessary corrections, she continued.
McGuffey's overall philosophy aligns closely with "One vision, one Youngstown," the slogan the Youngstown City School District has adopted as part of its reconfiguration project, Juanita Walker, the Youngstown school board's president, said in her remarks.
For generations, the center has positively shaped many of the district's children, families and residents while providing valuable pathways and being a source of community pride, so it's important to honor the center's past while working to rebuild it for the future, Walker added.
"What you are looking at is what we need. Reflect on what 100 years means," Mayor Derrick McDowell said, alluding to what he views as the power of people seeing one another as beneficial and precious resources.
Also, the McGuffey Centre has stood firm through major historical events such as the Great Depression, World War II, the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, the rise and demise of the local steel industry and the crack epidemic that plagued many communities in the mid-1990s, McDowell pointed out. During the civil rights era, the center often was a voice for nonviolent means to organize, the mayor said, adding that the people define the facility more heavily than the bricks and building itself.
In addition, McDowell and state Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, presented proclamations to Howard.
FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
Also, McGuffey Day placed a high emphasis on the center's "100 for 100," a community-driven fundraising campaign to generate $100,000 to support efforts toward rebuilding programs, strengthening operations and addressing needs moving forward.
The campaign asks people to find 100 alumni, families, individuals, businesses, organizations and churches that will provide at least $100 each in honor of McGuffey's 100 years of service. The first 100 gifts would add up to $10,000, then create the foundation for the larger campaign to raise the rest, organizers have said.
"Our first 100 supporters are important because they show that the community is standing behind McGuffey. But $10,000 is the starting point. Our goal is $100,000, and getting there will take individuals, businesses, corporate partners, churches, organizations and people who understand what this center means to the East Side," Howard said.
Those wishing to make a donation are invited to do so in person or online at https://square.link/u/dIz9uO4a.
Separate from the campaign, the center has received two grants totaling $15,000 to support children's programming as well as summer and fall tutoring, Tracie Balentine, founder and CEO of Balentine Solutions LLC, a strong McGuffey Centre partner, noted.
Efforts are underway to seek additional dollars via operational support and capacity-building grants to grow the center, Balentine said. She added that McGuffey also has partnered with the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, the Youngstown Historical Society and Youngstown State University to secure a grant for oral histories to capture members' stories, especially those who were affiliated with the center between 1973 and 2009.
Those who came to Saturday's gathering were encouraged to tell their stories related to their earliest memories of the McGuffey Centre, how the facility has impacted their lives, what made a difference for them, why they are proud of the center and what they hope it will look like in 2126.
A number of local and regional agencies were represented at McGuffey Day, including Mercy Health, Help Network of Northeast Ohio, CareSource, Alta Head Start, the Youngstown Office on Minority Health, Cadence Care Network, the Ursuline Sisters HIV/AIDS Ministry, the Northeast Homeowners and Concerned Citizens Association and the Youngstown Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program.
Also on hand were several outdoor vendors who sold jewelry, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, clothing and a variety of foods.
In addition, the gathering included line dancing, as well as a pop-up library, courtesy of the PLYMC, and the Kikel Mercy Health Mobile Dental Clinic.