Friday, March 17, 2017
BOARDMAN
For many entities, the word “merger” connotes downsizing and job loss, but for two longtime faith-based organizations, it is a blessing, their leaders say.
“We are blessed with our staff and their talents,” Mark Samuel, Neighborhood Ministries’ executive director, said during Friday evening’s 29th annual Heart Reach Ministries’ Fundraising Banquet, which included the unveiling of a merger between his organization and Heart Reach.
Heart Reach and Neighborhood ministries’ consolidation has created Heart Reach Neighborhood Ministries.
Heart Reach is a 29-year-old faith-based, nonprofit organization on Youngstown’s North Side that has worked to positively impact children’s lives in similar capacities to Neighborhood Ministries, Samuel said.
Neighborhood was founded in 1913 in Campbell to assist immigrants who came to the Mahoning Valley to work in the steel mills, he explained. The merger will expand the reach, scope and effectiveness of both, he noted.
About 400 people representing an estimated 130 churches and faith-based organizations attended the two-hour gala at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center, 7440 South Ave. The gathering, themed “Better together,” also featured a video that offered testimonials of young people who grew up around drug activity and faced many other challenges and, thanks to the two organizations, were able to transform their lives and make positive choices.
Read more about the new ministry in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.