YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A Mahoning Valley group that works to connect new and existing residents to opportunities received an award to aid its effort from two national nonprofits. 

Mahoning County is one of 10 communities to receive a Gateways for Growth Challenge award from Welcoming America and the American Immigration Council. The award is competitive but not financial.

“Awardees will receive a mix of customized research, technical assistance and planning support to develop strategies that ensure all residents – including immigrants – can succeed and fully contribute to their communities,” according to a Monday news release from Welcoming America.

Thrive Mahoning Valley sought the award under Mahoning County rather than Youngstown because of a requirement that communities boast a population of at least 100,000, said Vicki Vicars, Thrive operations director.

“Welcoming America is partnering with the American Immigration Council, and they’ve done this since 2016 in 75 cities across the country,” she said. “They spend about a year doing some research in our community so that they can create a profile of who the immigrants are in Mahoning County.”

Welcoming America and the American Immigration Council will create a profile of immigrants who live in the county, including their countries of origin, the industries they work in, their education, where they live, whether they rent or own their homes, the taxes they pay, their spending power and other information, Vicars said.

“We also had to propose a project to go along with that research, and our project was developing a strong support system and network for immigrant-owned businesses, knowing that they employ people and provide opportunities for customers and shoppers, as well as pay taxes in the county and in the city,” she added.

Thrive’s first meeting with representatives of the two nonprofit organizations is next month.

Molly Hilligoss, senior network director of Welcoming America, said in the news release the cohort of award recipients includes local leaders who are working to make their communities places where everyone can participate and succeed.

“We’re proud to support them as they turn their welcoming values into action,” she said.

Rich André, director of state and local initiatives for the American Immigration Council, agreed. 

“For nearly a decade, the Gateways for Growth Challenge has helped local communities quantify the impact of their immigrant populations and invest in welcoming policies and programs,” he said in the release. “We are excited to work with the new cohort in creating opportunity for all residents.”

At the conclusion of the organizations’ work, Thrive Mahoning Valley will have an in-depth report of who immigrants in Mahoning County are, Vicars said.

“And then, hopefully, we will have a system in place to provide support services for foreign born individuals who want to establish a business here,” she said. 

The award comes as there’s movement in Washington to limit immigration from certain countries. 

“Part of our reason for wanting to do it was to push that narrative that immigrants built this country, and they still continue to provide incredible services and business opportunities and culture in our communities,” Vicars said. “So we’re kind of challenging some of that narrative that’s not so kind.”

The award is separate from Thrive’s effort to secure a Welcoming City designation from Welcoming America. Certified Welcoming is a designation that says a city or community has policies in place signifying it’s open and willing to accept newcomers into the community. Late last year, Youngstown signed onto the effort.

Pictured at top: Chris Colón, Thrive Mahoning Valley executive director, and Vicki Vicars, operations director.