Community service is always in style. How to go about doing it is limited only by one’s imagination. Take Scott Finamore, for example. About a year ago this 23 year old Poland, Ohio native tossed an idea at his buddy 19 year old Sam Malaska of Youngstown. Finamore was in need of an adventure, (“I’m an outdoors kind of guy,” he states), so he proposed a bike trip. But not just any bike trip. “I thought it would be neat to ride out to California to visit people I know there and in the process really see America.” Malaska thought Finamore was nuts – at first; but once he kicked the idea around, Malaska was on-board.

In the process of talking to friends and family about their road trip, someone made a suggestion. Bike ride across the country = cool idea. Bike ride across the country to help out a worthy cause = excellent idea. Now pedaling with a purpose, Finamore and Malaska are a little more than a week away from their San Francisco destination as they raise money for Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley.

The duo left May 9 at 5:00 a.m. from the Cycle Sales of Boardman parking lot. Armed with two bicycles and a bicycle trailer to haul needed supplies, Finamore and Malaska headed west embarking on the ride of a lifetime. Naming their trip Cali For Kids, the guys have already traversed Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, and are presently biking through Utah. Interested parties can follow the pair via their website www.califorkids.com. Click on the link “Track Our Progress, to read the blog entry reports written whenever they get a chance.

To date, the trip has remained pretty trouble free except for a few spills, broken wheel spokes and a broken brake. The pair reports their most memorable moments revolve around, yes the weather that dictates their days, but more importantly the people they meet. “The people are absolutely incredible,” Finamore states. Reading through their blog, it’s easy to see just how giving and caring Americans really are.

While many have helped the Cali For Kids riders along the way, the guys report their fund-raising efforts have fallen short. Their goal was to raise $15,000 for Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley’s charity program that provides medical care for children whose families can’t afford it. To date, their total raised is about $6,000. Finamore hopes they can link up with a charitable group who will match the funds they raise during the trip.

According to an article that ran in the June 15 issue of the Youngstown Vindicator, “They’ve made it easier for people to show financial support, adding a Paypal connection to their Web site. The site provides an opportunity for people to sponsor the ride — by the mile or by the day. Corporate sponsorships are also available. Donations will be accepted until July 1. All donations should be made out to “Cali for Kids” and mailed to P.O. Box 14098, Poland, OH 44514.

Keep track of the adventures of Finamore and Malaska as they finish up their 3,000 mile excursion at www.califorkids.com. The pair hopes to ride into San Francisco June 29 marking the end of a wonderful experience, and the beginning of, quite assuredly, many speaking engagements back home in Y-Town.

Pedaling with a Purpose is a post from: Youngstown Blog

Rumors had flown the city had turned down a better deal offered by Bruce Zoldan, owner of the B.J. Alan fireworks company and the Mahoning Valley Phantoms hockey team. It had been reported Zoldan had offered $140,000 annually for five years for the Centre’s naming rights. Upon closer inspection, however, it appears this was not the case.

The Centre’s executive director, Eric Ryan, explained the Zoldan offer was also for $120,000 annually. However, like the deal the Centre had just concluded with GM, with the Zoldan offer, money would have been deducted for suites, tickets and other requests. The Covelli offer was for naming rights only, making it the better bet for the Centre.

And with the Covelli offer comes another added bonus – the additional marketing that will become available. Covelli owns 145 Panera Bread franchises and four O’Charley’s restaurants, many within 100 miles of Youngstown. The fact more than 80,000 people visit these restaurants each year – and the cross marketing opportunities are many. Covelli assured Youngstown Mayor Jay Williamson Covelli Enterprises would make promoting the Centre a top priority.

Sam Covelli has always been heavily involved in the Mahoning Valley. This year marks Covelli Enterprises’ 50th anniversary in the area with the company’s headquarters being located in Warren, Ohio. Community involvement is big with Covelli, so supporting the Centre by paying for the naming rights is a natural fit.

So what’s coming to the Covelli Centre? Not surprising, the Youngstown Phantom hockey team – owned by Bruce Zoldan (yes, the same guy who lost out on the right to name the Centre) – has agreed in principle to play its 30 regular home games this season at the Covelli Centre. The Phantoms are now part of the United States Hockey League, the top amateur hockey league in the country.

Other events on tap for the upcoming months at the Covelli Centre include -

May 15 – Willie Nelson and Family

June 6 – Annual Tri-State Auto Classic, a custom auto and bike show

June 12 – Celtic Women – Isle of Hope

June 13 – Gus Macker, Three on Three Basketball Tournament

Various Mahoning Valley Thunder arena football home games throughout May and June

For more information on upcoming Covelli Centre events, for now, go to www.chevroletcentre.com

Chevy Centre to Get New Name is a post from: Youngstown Blog

If it needs done, these kids are willing to take on the task be it cleaning, painting, weeding, and everything in between including stuffing envelopes in an office setting to making and serving meals to the needy at area shelters. The registration form is written so groups can volunteer for areas they feel most comfortable with including – Fix-Up (indoor or outdoor cleaning or painting, landscaping, moving and window washing); Administrative (bulk mailings, computer help or assembly of printed material); Food/Clothing (meal prep and serving, food packaging and storing or clothing sorting and organizing) and Person-to-Person (arts and crafts or activities for children, teens or the elderly). The non-profit agencies these groups help get their services from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. meaning much can be accomplished.

The United Way established this program in an effort to expose the youth of the Mahoning Valley to the importance of volunteering. In doing so, these teens help the area United Way agencies complete needed projects. In the process, not only do the students gain a respect for what the United Way tries to accomplish, but by working within their own groups and with others, the children get to experience the fact that working together they indeed can make a difference in their community. And though the tasks taken on can be labor-intensive, the students also realize hard work can be satisfying, especially when one steps back and sees what’s been accomplished.

Though the deadline to register your group in order to participate this year was April 1, visit the Youth Day of Caring website at www.ymvunitedway.org and find out how your group can participate next year. And come Saturday, April 25, if you happen to see a group of kids doing some good, give a shout-out and let them know it’s appreciated!

Contact information:

Debbie Oliver

United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley

255 Watt Street

Youngstown, OH 44505

Phone: 330-746-8494 Fax: 330-746-4525

E-mail: doliver@ymvunitedway.org

Website: www.ymvunitedway.org

Caring for Our Community is a post from: Youngstown Blog

Our nations’ first federally funded highway is celebrating its bicentennial, and you’re invited to the party. The National Road: Helping Build America is a traveling exhibit whose next stop is the Youngstown Historical Center of Labor & Industry where it sill be on display April 7 through June 28, 2009.

Put together by the Ohio Historical Society and partially funded by a grant from the Ohio Humanities Council, this exhibit honors Congress’ authorizing the construction of the National Road also known as the Cumberland Road, the National Pike, “The Main Street of America” and U.S. 40. The National Road was the first compact gravel road to cross the Appalachian Mountains making it so travel through this area was more doable. With the construction of The National Road, settling the frontier became a reality.

Though Congress gave the okay to begin the construction of the road in 1806, and contracts with private builders were in place by 1811, the War of 1812 held the project in limbo until 1815. At this time, work on the road began in Cumberland, Maryland with the first portion to Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia) being completed in 1817. The road eventually extended to St. Louis, Missouri. It is interesting to note that the Ohio portion of the 620-mile National Road is more than 225 miles long and traverses through 10 different Ohio counties.

The history of The National Road shows Ohio was to become a state in 1803 and congress promised in 1802 to build a road connecting areas east of the Appalachian Mountains to the land that was to become Ohio. Up until this time, the Nemacolin’s Path, a Native American trail named after the Delaware Indian chief, Neamcolin was the “road” used to help people in the Northwest Territory to cross the Appalachian Mountains. With the National Road in place, the ability to settle this Ohio frontier was made easier, as was communication between this area and those on the East Coast.

The National Road: Helping Build America relies on wonderful graphics to tell the story of this landmark road through the eyes of a traveler of this era. Those visiting the exhibit will not only learn how this road came to be, but how it helped with westward expansion, and how it continues today as a travel destination. Such is its importance to the development of the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries; in 2002 the United States Department of Transportation designated this byway an “All-American Road” in the “National Scenic Byway System.”

The exhibit has been on display appearing at venues along Route 40 since 2007 and is now making its way to other Ohio Historical Society stops in 2009 so more may learn about this important Ohio landmark.

The Youngstown Historical Center of Labor & Industry is open Wednesday through Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday (as well as Memorial Day and Labor Day)- noon to 4:00 p.m.  Admission is $7 for adults; $3 for children 6-12 and children under 5 are free. Call 1-800-262-6137 for more information.

The Youngstown Historical Center is located at 151 W. Wood Street in Youngstown, Mahoning County. Wood Street is located between Wick Avenue and Fifth Avenue. It is one block north of downtown and two blocks south of Youngstown State University.

On the Road Again is a post from: Youngstown Blog

“The new building will provide the spaces, technologies and professional environment necessary to keep YSU competitive in recruiting and retaining the best students and faculty,” said Betty Jo Licata, dean of the business college, as quoted by the YSU Alumni Magazine. “It will enrich the teaching-learning environment and will support business services to the region.”

Raising the funds needed to build this state of the art facility is edging towards its goal. Besides private donations, the YSU Centennial Capital Campaign headed up by area business leader Tony Lariccia is also closing in on their goal for the project. Having already raised close to $12.4 million with $3.6 million still to be met, it was recently announced the Kresege Foundation, an independent private foundation which offers grants to nonprofit institutions has awarded a $1.2 million challenge grant to the effort. If YSU can raise another $2.4 million, Kresege will provide $1.2 million to meet the YSU Centennial Capital Campaign’s goal of raising $16 million for the project.

“This grant will help give us the push needed to put the fundraising campaign for the new building over the top,” YSU President David C. Sweet said in the January 2009 issue of Metro Monthly magazine.

What is most exciting about the new Williamson College of Business Administration facility is its intent. Its location on Rayen Avenue, North Hazel Street, Phelps Street and Wood Street – where it will fill a city – block links it to the YSU campus and the downtown area of Youngstown. Here it is hoped area business leaders, students and faculty will meet and inter-mingle making the structure a facilitator of melding seasoned business professionals with newly degreed business students.

Designed by Strollo Architects, Youngstown and Perkins & Will, an international architecture and planning firm, the new three-story Williamson College of Business Administration facility will house classrooms and computer labs as well as offices and meeting rooms. With the success of the Youngstown Incubator as a model, this new building will support a center for small business development and its own student business incubator. Adding to its overall uniqueness, the Williamson College of Business Administration building will also feature a 200 seat auditorium, a café and an atrium.

Youngstown State University is already known for its fine business school which has produced many success stories. Now this program’s excellent reputation will have a fantastic physical facility to match.

Visit www.wcba.ysu.edu/newWCBA.html to view images of the October 2008 groundbreaking ceremonies and take a virtual tour of the artist’s rendition of the facilities exterior facade and interior design.

New Building Links YSU to Downtown Y-Town is a post from: Youngstown Blog

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2008 Election Results is a post from: Youngstown Blog