ACTION annual banquet set for May 2

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods will host its 17th annual community fundraiser and banquet Thursday at the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel social hall, 343 Mt. Carmel Ave. The event will open at 5 p.m. and will feature the Rev. Todd Johnson, pastor of Second Baptist Church in Warren. He will speak on the theme, “Rooted to Soar.” Sheryl St. Germain, guest author, will share excerpts from her collection of essays, “Fifty Miles,” which discusses challenges arising from addiction.

The annual Frances Kerpsack Awards will be presented to Jeffrey M. Magada, founder and executive director of Flying High; Mike McNair, editor of The Buckeye Review; Ian Beniston, executive director of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.; and Sam Covelli, owner and operator of Covelli Enterprises.

Tickets are $40 per person, and proceeds will benefit key initiatives of ACTION. ACTION is a nonprofit organization dedicated to confronting ongoing challenges such as racism, predatory lending, rebuilding the future for returning citizens, and mitigating problems related to the food desert that affects many urban neighborhoods.

For information, call Rosetta Carter, ACTION executive director, at 330-741-0475.