Hearing Missions Reconnects People | December 19, 2019

By Michael MoliternoYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Wanda Drahos sits quietly in her chair while Dr. Megan Annis sets her hearing aids and her family watches with anticipation. “They’re turned on. Can you tell?” asks Annis. “Yes,” Drahos replies, but the word is unnecessary. Her tear-filled eyes say it all. The two...

Giving Back Is More Than a Job for Ball | December 19, 2019

By Michael Moliterno While interviewing for a job at the Centers for Hearing Care in Boardman, Gibby Ball found her interests being pulled away from her future employer and toward the nonprofit with which it was affiliated. “I wound up asking more questions about the [Hearing] Missions Foundation than I did the job,” she recalls. […]

By Michael Moliterno While interviewing for a job at the Centers for Hearing Care in Boardman, Gibby Ball found her interests being pulled away from her future employer and toward the nonprofit with which it was affiliated. “I wound up asking more questions about the [Hearing] Missions Foundation than I...

Hoyt Center Mixes the Arts with Purpose | November 18, 2019

By Michael MoliternoNEW CASTLE, Pa. -- It takes several minutes of walking – mostly uphill – for Carol Daviei to get from her car to her watercolor class at the Hoyt Center for the Arts. Using a walker, she moves slowly down the sidewalk to the front door. From there...

Wildlife Artist Keeps Students Coming Back | November 18, 2019

By Michael MoliternoNEW CASTLE, Pa. — With a pale fall sunlight filling the classroom, all attention is on Jocelyn Beatty and the lesson she’s giving. “This will take you about 15 minutes to fill in,” she says, demonstrating to the class how to paint individual kernels on an ear of corn. This is the water […]

By Michael MoliternoNEW CASTLE, Pa. -- With a pale fall sunlight filling the classroom, all attention is on Jocelyn Beatty and the lesson she’s giving. “This will take you about 15 minutes to fill in,” she says, demonstrating to the class how to paint individual kernels on an ear of...

Walnut Grove Provides Place for All to Play | October 3, 2019

By Jeremy Lydic CANFIELD, Ohio -- If ever there is a question why the board members for The Walnut Grove spent five years working to build a playground “in the middle of nowhere,” the reactions from parents on social media serve as constant reminders. “I see a Facebook post about...

Butler’s Docents Serve as ‘Face of the Museum’ | August 23, 2019

By Jeremy Lydic YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — From school children to senior citizens to babies in strollers, volunteer docents serve the mission of The Butler Institute of American Art by bringing art to regional residents who otherwise don’t often get to the museum. That means a great deal to Hannah Moses, who has been a docent […]

By Jeremy Lydic YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- From school children to senior citizens to babies in strollers, volunteer docents serve the mission of The Butler Institute of American Art by bringing art to regional residents who otherwise don’t often get to the museum. That means a great deal to Hannah Moses,...

TAG Displays the Art of Partnerships | July 30, 2019

By Jeremy Lydic WARREN, Ohio -- On the last day of Summerfest 2019, five students sit at a table in the lobby of the Trumbull Art Gallery in downtown Warren, putting the finishing touches on their projects – knightly shields made by using paper, crayons and markers. For 14 years,...

In Retirement, Art Feeds Sferra’s Creative Soul | July 30, 2019

By Jeremy Lydic WARREN, Ohio -- In the basement of the Trumbull Art Gallery downtown, six artists sit at long tables working on pottery and ceramics projects. Mugs, small bowls and windchimes are painted as the artists chat among themselves, surrounded by shelves full of finished projects, pottery supplies and...

Piggyback Supports Families Facing Adversity | June 25, 2019

By Jeremy Lydic YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- By all accounts, Landen Fitzgerald is a typical 8-year-old boy. He plays football during recess at McGuffey Elementary in Youngstown, likes making sandcastles and enjoys playing games with his siblings. For about four years of Fitzgerald’s life, however, playing at a public park was...

When Warning Signs Surface, They Intervene | June 11, 2019

By Jeremy Lydic YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Aubryanna and Preston Traenkle are your average 9- and 7-year-old siblings. They enjoy hot dogs, getting their faces painted and immediately are curious why their mother is talking to a reporter. But they have already endured much more than other kids at their young...