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BUSINESS UPDATES | Sheely’s Furniture donates $11K to organization, playground project

By Mahoning Matters staff and Jeremy Harper
Lance Romeo, Sheely’s Furniture and Appliance buyer and principal owner, and Jeff Curry, general manager and principal owner, present a check to the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Leonard Kirtz Playground Project. Also pictured are staff and students of the Leonard Kirtz School. (Contributed photo)
Lance Romeo, Sheely’s Furniture and Appliance buyer and principal owner, and Jeff Curry, general manager and principal owner, present a check to the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Leonard Kirtz Playground Project. Also pictured are staff and students of the Leonard Kirtz School. (Contributed photo)

NORTH LIMA — Through one of its largest fundraising efforts, Sheely's Furniture and Appliance donated $11,035 to the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities and the Leonard Kirtz Playground Project.

Sheely's on Wednesday presented a check to MCBDD and the Leonard Kirtz Playground Project at the Leonard Kirtz School in Austintown.

The second-quarter fundraising effort took place at Sheely's North Lima and Aurora

locations and encouraged participation from customers by offering $100 off $1,000

purchases when a donation was made. Sheely's matched funds for every dollar raised.

"Sheely's believes in an accessible community for all. Providing fundraising assistance to the recess and play area for the Leonard Kirtz school is a fantastic effort we were so proud to support," Jeff Curry, Sheely's general manager and principal owner, said in a news release.

"The quarterly fundraising campaigns that we host are an example of the philanthropic spirit on which Sheely's was founded," Lance Romeo, Sheely's buyer and principal owner, said. "I want to thank everyone, from customers who donated, to the Sheely's team and the wonderful people at MCBDD for the work that went into this effort."

PNC provides more than $50K for local education programs

YOUNGSTOWN — PNC provided grants totaling more than $52,000 to support early childhood education programs in the Mahoning Valley under its signature philanthropy, PNC Grow Up Great.

"Ninety percent of a child's brain develops by age 5, so PNC understands the importance of early childhood education," Ted Schmidt, PNC regional president of Youngstown, said in a news release. "Programs that help pre-K children learn literacy, behavioral and social skills better prepare them for school, which lays the foundation for a stronger economy."

Here are the Valley organizations that received grants:

YWCA of Youngstown: $2,500 for preschool enrichment activities.

McGiffin, Ensminger join Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber welcomed two new members to its team.

Michael McGiffin has joined the regional chamber as director of the Regional Chamber Foundation, and Samantha Ensminger recently was named the chamber's events coordinator.

McGiffin will oversee all facets of the 501(c)(3)-exempted supporting organization for the regional chamber.

"We are fortunate to have on our team someone with so much talent and so respected throughout the community," Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the regional chamber, said in a news release. "We are confident that Mike will help the foundation grow so that we can launch more programs that improve the Valley's economic prosperity and quality of life."

McGiffin, of Poland, has a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in education, both from Youngstown State University. He most recently was contracted by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit as project manager, guiding its OnRamp to Remote Learning initiative — the education agency's response to the challenges and constraints that COVID-19 placed on its 42 school districts. He also was the chief strategy officer at Stambaugh Auditorium and director of Events and Special Projects for the city of Youngtown.

As events coordinator, Ensminger assists the Events and Marketing divisions with logistics and reservations for the organization's nearly 100 events, as well as the coordination and promotion of chamber members' ribbon-cutting celebrations.

Ensminger, of Girard, most recently was a copywriter for Advantage Video Production & Marketing, writing scripts, web content and social media copy. She had similar responsibilities as a copywriter at J. Saul Campbell & Co., where she also organized and oversaw events for clients. She earned her bachelor's degree in English, with a double minor in professional and technical writing and Italian, at YSU.

Hope Foundation seeking additional board members

YOUNGSTOWN — The Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley is looking to add to its board of trustees.

In a news release, the foundation said it is looking for leaders who are passionate about making an impact and giving back to the community.

For more information about the position, click here. The due date for applications is 5 p.m. Aug. 13. To apply, click here.

— Do you have a business announcement you'd like to share? Email news@mahoningmatters.com.

This story was originally published July 16, 2021 at 4:45 AM with the headline "BUSINESS UPDATES | Sheely’s Furniture donates $11K to organization, playground project."