Winners of WRTA 2025 Holiday Lights Awards Announced
5th Annual Event Spotlights Valley Non-Profit Organizations
YOUNGSTOWN — The Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Holiday Lights Awards.
WRTA Holiday Lights Awards honor ten non-profits for their outstanding and consistent dedication to the Mahoning Valley community. Award winners will be recognized at a special dinner Monday, November 17, 2025, at the B&O Station Banquet Hall in Youngstown. Each of the winning non-profits will be featured in a shared regional awareness campaign on TV, bus ads, social media marketing as well as WRTA’s giant digital display sign.
“Every year, this event is a highlight for the WRTA, allowing us to give back to those who make the Mahoning Valley a better place to live, 365 days a year,” said Dean Harris, WRTA CEO. “The 2025 winners represent the deep commitment and diversity of service that keeps the spirit of our community bright, long after the holiday lights come down.”
One of the 10 award winners will be chosen Non-Profit of the Year via public vote. The Non-Profit of the Year will receive a custom individual TV advertising campaign from Spectrum Reach, targeted social media campaign from Farris Marketing/StrategiX Social and $1,000 donation from a First National Bank.
Co-chairpersons of the awards are Barb Ewing, Makenna Ozenghar and Josh Aikens.
WRTA 2025 HOLIDAY LIGHTS AWARD WINNERS
ACLD School and Learning Center
A non-profit dedicated to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of individuals with learning and/or developmental difficulties. The center provides evaluation, intervention, and advocacy services, with the school offering an effective, all-day education to children with learning problems in grades 1-8 to improve academic success and confidence.
Friends of the Mahoning River
A grassroots alliance working to restore the Mahoning River through clean-ups, paddle events, and advocacy, transforming a once-forgotten waterway into a thriving corridor for recreation and wildlife. This group advocates to improve the quality of the Mahoning River through a strong focus on education, restoration, and recreation. Friends of the Mahoning River work with partners like Trumbull Canoe Trails to remove debris and logjams, ensuring the waterway is safe and enjoyable for recreational visitors. They conduct river cleanups throughout the year, utilizing canoes to enhance the waterway and the recreational experience for all who visit the river.
Game Changers
Their mission is to increase the retention and graduation of high school students through personal and professional leadership and character development. They utilize the GC360 app to monitor student-athlete GPAs, offer a Leadership Summit, and recognize students’ positive community impact through programs like Player of the Week. Game Changers empowers at-risk youth with mentorship, life-skills workshops, and athletic programs that turn obstacles into opportunities and dreams into realities.
Hopewell Theatre
A beloved indie arts venue and meeting place, providing an eclectic mix of entertainment including independent films, live music, and diverse performances in an intimate setting. It fosters community connections by co-presenting events with local cultural organizations and is dedicated to showcasing local talent.
Mahoning Valley Historical Society (MVHS)
Founded in 1875, MVHS collects, preserves, and teaches the history of the Mahoning Valley people, operating the Arms Family Museum and a comprehensive archival library. Founded in 1875, MVHS preserves and shares the Mahoning Valley’s stories through the Tyler History Center, Arms Family Museum, the society offers robust educational programs, local history exhibits, and archival resources for all ages, appealing to historians and genealogists.
OH WOW! (The Roger & Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science & Technology)
Their mission is to foster independent thinking and enrich lives through hands-on exhibits and educational programs rooted in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The center features over 65 interactive opportunities linked to educational content standards for children ages 0 to 14, driving engagement and economic development in the area. Since 2011, OH WOW! has welcomed more than 650,000 visitors to its colorful, hands-on STEM exhibits, igniting curiosity and independent thinking in young minds while anchoring downtown Youngstown’s revitalization.
Silver Lining Cancer Fund
Over 50 years ago, The Fund was started by Dr. Lawrence Pass, an oncologist with the Youngstown Hospital Association in Youngstown, Ohio. A Silver Lining Foundation works to ensure dignified, respectful, and equal access to quality cancer education and services for all, chiefly by ensuring financial circumstance doesn’t prevent access to critical care. This local organization works diligently to raise funds to help cancer patients in the Tri-County Region. All funds raised by The Silver Lining Cancer Fund stay in the Tri-County Region.
Youngstown Area Jewish Federation
The Federation supports the entire Valley through cultural events, senior services, and emergency aid—building bridges of understanding and compassion. Its institutions, including Heritage Manor and Levy Gardens senior living, extend high-quality, compassionate care to a diverse and inclusive population of all faiths and cultures. The Jewish Community Center (JCC) offers health, cultural, and essential outreach programs, such as a vast mobile meal service for hundreds of regional recipients.
The Youngstown Playhouse
For over 100 years, America’s oldest continuously operating community theatre has staged classics and new works, delivered arts education, and forged partnerships that enrich lives with laughter, tears, and wonder. The Playhouse is committed to staging innovative, unique, and accessible theatrical performances of both classic and modern productions. It serves thousands annually and provides a vibrant Youth Theatre Program with a dedication to removing financial barriers to participation.
Youngstown Press Club
The club supports journalists and communications professionals in the Mahoning Valley through educational, social, and charitable initiatives. Critically, it raises funds to provide direct scholarships to local students pursuing journalism and communications degrees, supporting the future of the local profession. A guardian of First Amendment values, the Press Club hosts forums, scholarships, and the region’s premier journalism awards.
ABOUT WRTA
The Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA) provides no-cost public transportation services throughout Mahoning County, connecting communities, businesses, and essential services for all residents.
