League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown honors leaders in community, state
The women of the Mahoning Valley community have been uplifted by the work of the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown for the last 90 years.
These leaders of the last 90 years help educate and inform their fellow female voters about democracy.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown held Thursday’s celebratory dinner and Women’s Hall of Fame reception at the Jewish Community Center in Youngstown.
During the Hall of Fame reception, president Leah Sakacs honored leaders in healthcare, public service and community organizations, all with local ties.
The Women’s Hall of Fame first honored and recognized the following women for their “contributions of local importance and enduring value.”
Women’s Hall of Fame honorees:
Roxann Sebest, vice president of the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley
Vicki Vicars, director of Mission, Equity, and Resilience at Ursuline Sisters Mission
Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, director of community relations and government affairs at the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation
Dr. Lashale Pugh, assistant executive director, research and evaluation director of the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
V. Anne Harpman, retired Special Education Teacher from Youngstown City Schools
Sarah Grinstein Wilschek, executive director of Ohev Beth Sholom
Suzanne Barbati, founding director of OH WOW! The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology
Special honor in service for Amy Acton
Next, Dr. Amy Acton received the Distinguished Service Award for her statewide and national service and impact.
She grew up in Liberty Township and recalled swimming at the JCC years before she was director of the Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 crisis.
Acton is currently the president and CEO of RAPID 5 - Rivers and Parks + Imagination + Design - in Columbus, Ohio.
The four following honorees were also inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame, a surprise they learned at the ceremony: Vicki Vicars, Bonnie Deutsch Burdman and Lashale Pugh.
To learn more about the League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown, sign up for their newsletters to learn about joining.
Commemorating Women’s History Month
Dionne Dowdy-Lacey, who was honored at last year’s Women’s Hall of Fame ceremony, provided the following reflection:
“When women get up and get together to create and be resilient, we always make things happen. All the honorees that are here, if you’ve ever gotten to talk to them, all have the power to unite and make things different for themselves, their families, and our community. I think it’s just such a great thing that you can do this as the League of Women Voters, to allow us women to be standing up for all the things that we have been doing and will do.”
Dowdy-Lacey closed with the following poem: “The women power of the nation can be the power which makes us whole and heals the rotten community now so shattered by war, poverty and racism. I have great faith in the power of women who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to remaking our society.”
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This story was originally published March 31, 2023 at 12:21 PM.