Rabbi David Saperstein will be speaking at Rodef Shalom, 1119 Elm Street in Youngstown on Thursday, October 8th at 7:30pm. Rabbi Saperstein has been the director and chief legal counsel for Union for Reform, Judaism's Religious Action Center, for more than 30 years and is widely regarded as one of the foremost voices on matters of human rights, peace and justice.
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Recently the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber mentioned MVOC as one of the top 10 reasons that the Valley is on the rise.
With its focus on grassroots-based, neighborhood revitalization and stabilization, MVOC will be essential in returning our Valley communities to safe, prosperous places to work and raise a family. Check out the full article here:
Youngstown/Warren, Ohio - Poised for Success after Years of Decline
Professor john a. powell spoke to Valley leaders on August 14th at the Willard Elementary School in Warren. The event was put on by the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative and the Trumbull County Interfaith Ministerial Alliance.
The discussion focused on the concept of "Access to Opportunity:" that the neighborhood one grows up in and the opportunity structures, like high-quality education, a healthy and safe environment, stable housing, sustainable employment and political empowerment largely determine a person's success. In short, "place has a profound impact on health, well-being, and child development." He expands further by analyzing access to opportunity through GIS mapping of regions like the Mahoning Valley, where it becomes clear that opportunity is racialized.
The solution to structural inequity, he says, lies in reducing fragmentation in our communities and regionalism in our country through organizing for sound, creative policies that work for all people.
On behalf of those in attendance, we offer our sincerest thanks to Professor powell for spending his day with us and look forward to his next visit to the Valley.
10 MVOC Leaders made their way to Washington D.C. Saturday March 21, 2009 to participate in the National People's Action (NPA).
There were over 600 community activists from 20 states in attendance. All of the different organizations and groups are striving to make a difference in their hometown communities, just like MVOC in the Valley. The events focus was two-fold; action and education.
The action portion included 
storming the office of former Congressman Ted Doremus, chief lobbyist for Wells Fargo. We went in with the message: "Save our Homes and Hold Banks Accountable." The objective was to get Wells Fargo to develop clear strategies and to repair the damage that has been done by the unfair lending practices. The lobby was a first step success the demands are being taking into consideration by the multi-billion dollar lending conglomerate.
The education was training, one-to-one interviews with similar grassroots organizations, as well as a legislative briefing on the Community Regeneration Sustainability and Innovation Act. This Act coincides with our Vacant Property Campaign. The basics of the Act are to create green infrastructure in these dilapidated communities, provide federal assistance for the metropolitan areas that have suffered and to 'encourage the strategic use of other Federal, State, local, private, and nonprofit resources not provided under this Act to stabilize and improve neighborhoods not presently experiencing widespread vacancy and abandonment, but whose stability is or may be threatened if current demographic or employment trends continue.'
On March 10, 2009 the Mack Property Group (MPG) was due to enter a written plan for the committe's approval. Upon the failure to submit the plan MPG was violating Addendum 4 and 7 of the Community Agreement.
Addendum 4: MPG will agree to demolish four of the worst properties within one month's time with the understanding that a financial plan to tear down and rehab all 35 properties will be developed within three month's time.
Addendum 7: Plans to bring all structures in compliance with city codes will be included in the financial plan to be developed in three month's time.
March 19, 2009 MVOC sent a written notice to MPG explaing the severity of the breach that occurred and a detailed explaination of the Addendums violated.
Due to the lack of responsiveness, the committee attempted to contact MPG to set another meeting for March 24, 2009, since there was no physical evidence for the committee to rate the progress that had been made by MPG thus far. During this meeting the owner of PMG offered a handwritten plan to the committee, which included: four structures had been demolished, three structure had been renovated and two structures are under current renovations.
The committee advised the owner of their displeasure in the fact that he only intends to board up the remaining houses slated for demolition, along with the fact that they would remain in this condition until they were rented, even though they are currently uninhabitable.
The group has developed an updated plan for MPG to include a clean up of all properties now that the weather is nice, meaning: close and board up all windows and doors, pick up and keep picked up all debris, litter, tree limbs, etc., keep grass,etc. cut and trimmed on a regular basis, demolish the remaining 25 houses in the Agreement, 5 each month with at least one on each side of town.
We are also going to ask again that MPG not purchase any new homes.
MVOC, AMOS, and NOAH and the OOC host Senator Brown in Youngstown and Cleveland
On Monday April 13, 2009, Senator Sherrod Brown met with top leaders from the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative at Union Baptist Church for a an hour and half closed door meeting around health care, vacant properties, and green jobs initiatives. “He agreed to support us on all three of these key aims and we are now looking forward to a close working relationship with his office,” said Pastor Michael Harrison. "It is great recognition for us that Senator Brown asked us for the meeting in response to our innovative work and model of community o
rganizing that has brought together faith based groups, grassroots organizations, local elected officials, and foundations in a broad alliance. It shows that a new model of organizing has been long overdue," said Harrison.
The meeting was a precursor for a 500 person health care rally that took place this morning that was hosted by the Northeast Ohio Alliance for Hope -- and in partnership with ACORN, SEIU, UFCW, Progress Ohio, AMOS, and MVOC. Senator Brown has taken the lead on pushing a public health care option -- a key piece of the national policy debate on Health Care Reform. Pastor John Lentz, Senior Pastor of Forest Hill Presbyterian described the meeting as the most powerful meeting NOAH has had in its history... and credited the NOAH's ability to wield power through its ability to collaborate with other key community organizing networks and labor unions across the state.
The Ohio Organizing has now hosted two public meetings with more than 500 people in the last two months around national issues (stimilus funding and health care reform) that have a direct impact on our neighborhoods and constituencies.
BlogMembers of the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC) will join Congressman Tim Ryan and leaders of the Youngstown Neighborhood...
Nearly 200 concerned residents gathered at the corner of Parkcliffe and Hudson Avenues in Youngstown's Newport Neighborhood on the evening of July...
Results of the EfficientGovNow contest were announced Wednesday Morning with first place going to the Mahoning County for it's program.
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