Mayor and wife plan ball to raise money for needy

An event held this past January raised about 5,000 in net proceeds.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mayor Jay Williams and his wife, Sonja, will host a formal Mayor's Community Celebration to raise money for the needy and to honor those who made a positive impact on the city this year.
The black tie-preferred event is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Jan. 6 at Stambaugh Auditorium's ballroom on Fifth Avenue.
Tickets are 45 each and are available, along with sponsorship information, at Stambaugh's box office at (330) 259-0555. Reservations should be made no later than Dec. 29.
The mayor will deliver a state of the city address and recognize people who had a positive impact on Youngstown in the past year.
Williams held an inauguration ball this past Jan. 6 at Stambaugh to celebrate his mayoral victory. Close to 800 people attended, and 200 were turned away because the ballroom couldn't hold any more.
About 800 people are expected for the community celebration, said Scott Schulick, chairman of the committee organizing the event. Schulick, Butler Wick Trust Co.'s vice president of investments, chaired the inauguration celebration's committee.
5,000 raised
The event held earlier this year raised about 5,000 in net proceeds with the intention of using the money for charitable causes benefiting needy children and families, Schulick said. But that money has been sitting around for nearly a year, he said.
A not-for-profit corporation, the Mayor's Community Trust, was created last week and the money from the inauguration ball was transferred there, Schulick said. The money raised at next month's community celebration will be placed in the fund, he said. It will be up to Williams to determine how the money will be distributed, Schulick said.
At the inauguration gala, Williams said he wanted to have a similar event every year or two. That ball was the first for a Youngstown mayor in more than 25 years.
skolnick@vindy.com