Things are looking up for Ohio Valley Teen Challenge

By DOUG LIVINGSTON

newsoutlet.org

YOUNGSTOWN

Ohio Valley Teen Challenge executive director Roy Barnett was invited to a recent fundraiser at Pleasant Valley Church in Niles.

“It was just a normal Sunday morning service,” Pleasant Valley Pastor John Weisman said, but Barnett “had no idea what was about to happen.”

As Barnett sat with the congregation, a wheelbarrow was pushed to the front of the pews, filled with money from church members and then counted. The tally was projected on a screen as the opening theme to “2001: A Space Odyssey” filled the air.

The wheelbarrow, along with funds raised in the prior two days, totaled more than $37,000. The church wrote that dollar amount on a check and handed it to Barnett, no strings attached.

“He was speechless,” Weisman said.

Barnett and the staff at OVTC “are a crazy bunch of risk takers,” Weisman said, “but we believe in what they were doing as a vital part of the community.”

The Vindicator and TheNewsOutlet.org collaborated on a seven-part series in November that showcased the fledgling rehabilitation center that opened in March 2008 just off Wick Park on Youngstown’s North Side. As a result of the series, the new year looks brighter for OVTC.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.