Mentoring is focus of state grant

Staff report

COLUMBUS

The Ohio Department of Education awarded Community Connectors grants to two Mahoning Valley organizations and their partner institutions for mentoring programs.

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber was awarded two $100,000 grants, one each for programs in Youngstown and Warren.

The chamber was awarded a grant last year to fund the program in Youngstown that matches city school students with mentors and business people to help them gain skills required to secure and retain employment.

The grant will continue that initiative in Youngstown and expand it into Warren City Schools.

Youngstown State University and Eastern Gateway Community College are partners in the grant in both cities.

Choffin Career and Technical Center and the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance are part of the Youngstown program. Kent State University at Trumbull and Teen Straight Talk are partners in the Warren initiative.

Junior Achievement Mahoning Valley Inc. earned two grants, $89,125 for work in Ashtabula County and $67,967 for a Trumbull County effort.

The Trumbull project involves YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration; Talmer, Huntington and PNC banks; and First Community Church of Leavittsburg. The program will be in Weathersfield, LaBrae, Lordstown, Bristol and Joseph Badger schools and the Trumbull County Educational Service Center.

In his 2014 State of the State address, Gov. John Kasich outlined a new proposal to bring together families, community organizations, faith- or values-based organizations, businesses and others to support schools and to mentor students. Community Connectors was developed and passed by the Ohio General Assembly.