Thrive Mahoning Valley Website Launches

Providing Accessibility to Resources for Local Puerto Rican Population

(March 26, 2018 – Youngstown, Ohio) Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September of 2017, many Puerto Ricans fled the island for the United States looking for relief. Since that time, it is estimated that the Mahoning Valley has seen 300 people settle from Puerto Rico. Christopher Tennant and Justin Mondok, both alumni of the Raymond John Wean Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program, took inspiration from an initiative conducted in Cleveland to assist those relocating here.

In response to the influx of people relocating to the area, Thrive Mahoning Valley was created with a mission to improve accessibility to basic resources and services for populations relocating to the Mahoning Valley. The Thrive Mahoning Valley website (thrivemv.org) allows users to find information about agencies and organizations across the following categories: food, housing/utilities, education, healthcare, child and senior care, transportation, employment and benefits, and spiritual needs, just to name a few. The entire site has been professionally translated into Spanish by Lorene Swartz, who has dedicated the past 10 years of her career working with and supporting the people of Latin America in the Mahoning Valley and abroad. The long-term goal for the organization is to assist any future populations that have a need to relocate to the Mahoning Valley by maintaining a quality collection of resources that can be translated into any language for which there is a need.

Thrive Mahoning Valley was made possible through support from The Raymond John Wean Foundation and the fiscal sponsorship of the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.

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THE CONTRIBUTORS

Justin Mondok

Accessibility is a central focus of Justin’s professional work as an Environmental Planner and much of the community work he engages. He believes in the idea of easily accessible information and physical places to better connect people to the things they need. Follow Justin on Twitter @justin_mondok to learn more about the work he does.

Accesibilidad es un enfoque central del trabajo profesional de Justin como un planificador ambiental y gran parte del trabajo comunitario que se dedica. Él cree en la idea de información fácilmente accesible y lugares físicos para conectar mejor a las personas a las cosas que necesitan. Sigue a Justin en Twitter @justin mondok para obtener más información sobre el trabajo que hace.

Christopher Tennant

For over 15 years, Chris has worked as a social worker and business development professional in the healthcare industry. Upon completion of his master’s degree in 2017, Chris found himself seeking new opportunities that support his goal of a healthier and more equitable Mahoning Valley. Chris is a proud Puerto Rican who has personally assisted families relocating to the area. Chris can be found on social media with screen name ctennantygt.

Para más de 15 años, Chris ha trabajado como trabajador social y profesional de desarrollo de negocios en la industria de la salud. Al terminar su maestría en 2017, Chris se encontró buscando nuevas oportunidades que apoyen su meta de un Mahoning Valley más saludable y equitativo. Chris es un puertorriqueño orgulloso que ha ayudado personalmente a las familias que se trasladan a la zona. Chris se puede encontrar en los medios sociales con el nombre de pantalla ctennantygt.

Lorene Swartz

Lorene is a Youngstown native that has dedicated the past 10 years of her career working with and supporting the people of Latin America in the Mahoning Valley and abroad. After completing degrees in Spanish, Latin American Studies, and international ESL certification, Lorene has worked as a legal translator, freelance interpreter, and private tutor. Her previous work also includes teaching English in the Maya Zone of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Mexico and in Vina del Mar, Chile as part of the English Opens Doors initiative. She currently supervises the administration for the Northeast region of local non-profit mental health agency.

Lorene es un nativo de Youngstown que ha dedicado los últimos 10 años de su carrera trabajando con y apoyando a la gente de Latinoamérica en el valle de Mahoning y en el extranjero. Después de completar su licenciatura en español, estudios latinoamericanos y la certificación internacional de ESL, Lorene ha trabajado como traductora legal, intérprete independiente y tutor privado. Su trabajo anterior también incluye la enseñanza del inglés en la zona Maya de Felipe Carrillo Puerto, México y en Viña del mar, Chile como parte de la iniciativa Inglés Abre Puertas. Actualmente ella supervisa la administración para la región noreste de una agencia local sin fines de lucro de la salud mental.

PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

The Raymond John Wean Foundation

The project received initial support from The Raymond John Wean Foundation’s Community Investment Grant Progam as well as technical assistance to get the project off the ground. The Thrive Mahoning Valley founders are both alumni of the Foundation’s Emerging Leaders Program. Visit the Foundation’s website at rjweanfdn.org.

Fundación Raymond John Wean > el proyecto recibió el apoyo inicial de una beca de inversión comunitaria de la Fundación Raymond John Wean, y también asistencia técnica para lanzar el proyecto. Los fundadores del Thrive Mahoning Valley son todos egresados del programa de líderes emergentes de la Fundación. Visite el sitio web de la Fundación en rjweanfdn.org

Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation

YNDC works to transform neighborhoods into meaningful places where people invest time, money and energy into their homes and neighborhoods; where neighbors have the capacity to manage day-to-day issues; and where neighbors feel confident about the future of their neighborhood. YNDC provided collaborative support to assist in project getting started. Learn more about their work at yndc.org

YNDC trabaja para transformar los vecindarios en lugares significativos donde las personas invierten tiempo, dinero y energía en sus hogares y vecindarios; donde los vecinos tienen la capacidad de manejar los problemas cotidianos; y donde los vecinos se sienten seguros del futuro de su vecindario. YNDC actuó como el agente fiscal de los fondos de subvenciones iniciales que ayudó a empezar Thrive Mahoning Valley. Se encuentra más información sobre su trabajo en YNDC.org