MORE WEAN GRANTS | Also funded

These initiatives also have been awarded money from The Raymond John Wean Foundation in its latest round of grants under the Neighborhood SUCCESS program, designed to support grassroots groups in small community-development projects that improve the quality of life in Warren and Youngstown.

Community Concerned Citizens II, $5,000. Handicap Accessible/Adaptive Garden, to provide people with special needs greater access to horticulture therapy by creating a handicap accessible garden and purchasing adaptive tools.

Garfield Neighborhood Association, $4,413. NE Warren Neighborhood Watch, to develop a crime prevention strategy modeled after the Northwest Neighborhood Association, by training residents on what constitutes suspicious activity, how to report dangerous situations and how to communicate important information through the use of social media and email. Through an additional effort, Operation Identification, the group will assist residents with engraving and cataloging personal items to create a neighborhood database.

Holy Crafters, $910. Outreach & Sewing Circle, to host outreach events at Washington Square Health Center for residents and their families and to have weekly sewing classes for the public.

Northwest Neighborhood Association Inc., $1,500. Protect and Serve, to continue to provide patrols in the 1st and 7th wards as well as fulfill an agreement with the city of Warren to serve as shepherd of Northwest Memorial Park. Funds are needed to offset expenses for patrol services as well as to purchase equipment needed to care for the park.

Warren City Schools – McGuffey K-8 School, $4,950. Tying the McGuffey KNOT (Knowledge, Neighborhood, Open Minds, Teamwork), to strengthen the McGuffey community including students, families, and staff, using strategies based on the Skills for Life program through the CASEL initiative. The strategies will be incorporated into daily interactions with students and staff, and with families during ongoing family programs.

The following Youngstown-based projects are also receiving funding:

7th Ward Citizens’ Coalition Inc., $5,000. Blight Reduction Campaign, to secure boards and other supplies to help neighborhoods in the ward board up vacant homes in an effort to deter crime and keep deteriorating neighborhoods from experiencing more blight.

Dewey Block Watch, $4,664. Neighborhood Beautification, to complete lot restoration by planting grass, trees and shrubs where vacant homes have been demolished. Vacant properties in the neighborhood will be boarded up with painted boards to improve aesthetics while providing safety to neighbors.

Dorothy Day House of Hospitality Services, $4,600. Community Garden, to network with community partners to educate Dorothy Day House volunteers in a holistic approach to gardening including planting, cultivating, processing and preparing the food that is grown. Foods grown in the garden will be used for meals at the Dorothy Day House and extra crops will be shared with neighbors and community residents.

Gibson Heights Block Watch, $2,401. Gibson Heights Garden, to transform two vacant lots into a garden and parklike setting by planting a vegetable garden and fruit trees that will provide produce and fruit for Gibson Heights residents.

Harambee Inc., $2,500. Harambee Youth Program, to provide youth-development services to 200 young people and their families through instruction in contemporary and traditional African dancing, music and drumming. Character-building instruction through a value system known as Nguzo Saba (the seven principles that correspond with the seven days of Kwanzaa).

Metro Assembly of God, $3,050. Adopt-a-Block/Road Trip, to build healthy neighborhoods by addressing blight and to build healthy and empowered citizens through life skills training, physical fitness and team building. Adopt-a-Block will have weekly cleanup projects that will include cutting grass, trash pickups, planting neighborhood gardens and assistance with boarding up vacant properties.

St. Patrick’s Church of Youngstown, $1,179. St. Pat’s 4-H, Youth & Community Gardens, to build on the success of its 4-H Club efforts and community garden through efforts such as planting a berry patch, installing protective fencing and working with Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp. to plant a large sunflower patch adjacent to the garden.