Help make history in the Valley

A $500,000 gift this month from a generous civic-minded benefactor will carry the Mahoning Valley Historical Society’s private fundraising drive for its Tyler Center downtown well into the home stretch.

That gift represents a major investment in completing and furnishing the first-floor main exhibition area of the three-story center, which will be named appropriately in honor of the donors, Maria Fok of Austintown and her late husband Dr. Thomas Fok.

The gift also represents a major incentive to complete the society’s $6.5 million fund drive to put the finishing touches on the renovated and revitalized structure. Since the society purchased the building on West Federal Street seven years ago, about $5.9 million of its $6.5 million goal has been met.

INSPIRATION TO GIVE

That progress should inspire other community-minded lovers of history and those interested in stately preserving our region’s glorious past to chip in the final 10 percent needed to seal the deal.

The center, which opened last fall, has used its community funding responsibly to transform the aging yet historic Harry Burt/Ross Radio Building into an attractive, sleek, stately and multifunctional gem in the heart of the downtown.

Center leaders hope to open the new exhibit space this fall for the 140th anniversary of the MVHS. An investment in the fund drive serves as a valuable birthday gift and a tangible opportunity to play a concrete role in making history in the Valley.