Wean program awards $100K to Valley groups

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — The Raymond John Wean Foundation, in its most recent round of grants, awarded more than $100,000 to neighborhood organizations working to change the communities in which they live.

With its grants, Wean’s Neighborhood SUCCESS Grants Program continues its support of small community-development projects that will expand resident participation and leadership, encourage communication among residents, and/or build on the resources that exist in the community, according to a foundation press release.

One of the organizations receiving funding this year is L.O.S.S. (Living withOut Someone Special) Support Group at Jefferson Elementary in Warren. The program received $3,149 from the foundation to provide developmentally appropriate support groups for children who have experienced the death, separation or incarceration of a loved one.

This project is designed to provide children with a safe, supportive environment for them to work through their feelings of loss and grief, and to learn more-effective coping skills and behaviors.

Another organization that received support to continue its work in Youngstown is the Idora Neighborhood Association in the form of a $2,000 grant for the Idora Mural Project. The mural project will reflect the history and character of the Idora Neighborhood, and with its design and implementation, the association hopes to bring new life to the Idora neighborhood.

The Neighborhood SUCCESS Grants Program is accepting applications for its next round of funding. The application deadline is March 15.

More information on how to apply can be found at www.rjweanfdn.org or by contacting Jennifer Roller at (330) 394-3203.