Fraternity will host “Fabric of Youngstown”

Staff report

GIRARD

The Youngstown Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. will host the inaugural “The Fabric of Youngstown” event at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The event will recognize several civic organizations, social clubs, entrepreneurs and churches located in Youngstown whose longevity, perseverance and sustaining presence in the minority communities have touched the lives of people in the Mahoning Valley and contribute to the fabric of the city.

Cheryl Perez, founder and president of BIG-HR, the largest African-American woman-owned human-resources consulting and outsourcing firm in Northeast Ohio, will be the guest speaker. Perez is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, serving as recording secretary of the Youngstown Alumnae Chapter and a member of the Youngstown chapter of The Links Inc.

Recipients of awards will be the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, Buckeye Elks 73 BPOE-W, The Buckeye Review, Junior Civic League, McGuffey Centre, National Council of Negro Women, Roberts Deliberation Club, Saint Andrewes AME Church, Third Baptist Church, Donald Lockett VFW Post 6488 and Goldies’ Floral Shop.

Tickets are $40 per person and include dinner. They can be purchased at ytownkappas.com/fabric-of-youngstown.html or by calling members Willard Boyd 330-398-0625; Ben McGee, 330-716-5150; or Charles Mickens, 330-559-9053. Proceeds will support efforts to sustain the legacy of the West Federal Street YMCA.

An ongoing project, the fraternity is designing a banner to display the logos of clubs, social groups, entrepreneurs and churches, past and present, that have served Youngstown’s minority community. The banner will be preserved for historical purposes. Those interested in having their logos displayed on the banner should contact Boyd 330-398-0625 for more information.