MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—When a bilingual child gains confidence in reading during summer break, when a family receives healthcare information in their native language, or when a Marion student steps onto a bus bound for Tulsa to learn about Black Wall Street, community change is happening one person at a time.
This year, Marion Community Foundation’s Racial Equity & Justice Grant Program is investing $50,000 in five initiatives designed to create opportunities, build understanding, and strengthen connections across Marion County.
“The goal of Marion Community Foundation’s Racial Equity and Justice grants is to foster innovative programs to help people overcome challenges and continually build a better community,” said Jody Demo-Hodgins, co-chair of the Racial Equity and Justice grants committee at Marion Community Foundation. “Moving forward takes small, continuous steps and is essential for a community, like Marion, that values all people.”
According to co-chair Nicolle Willis, the awards demonstrate what equity means in practice—not as a concept, but through mentoring youth, supporting bilingual learners, improving access to healthcare, preserving cultural heritage, and creating organizational partnerships.
Education & Opportunities
Mayes Community Temple (MCT) | Boys to Men Program and Ladies 101 Program – Mayes Community Temple’s Outreach Ministries have created two programs — Boys to Men and Ladies 101 — to provide community-based minority role models for youth. According to the church’s First Lady Lona Jackson, the focus of these programs is to “create positive change by transforming individual potential into collective community power.” By providing local heroes who share the same cultural identities and lived experiences, she said, the programs normalize success, foster resilience, reduce risky behaviors, strengthen the local economy, and cultivate civic muscle.
Both programs seek to foster a strong sense of cultural identity, self-worth, and resilience among minority youth, empowering them to overcome systemic barriers. The program’s activities include financial literacy, etiquette classes, a higher education and skilled trades workshop, interactions with local law enforcement, a visit to the National Underground Railroad Museum, and sessions on self-esteem, body image, emotional regulation, healthy relationships and boundaries, culture and roots, healthy eating, gratitude, and giving back to the community.
The role models will move the program beyond simple “advice-giving” to community transformation by building skills to create a self-sustaining pipeline of community leadership and replacing negative stereotypes with visible, local examples of success.
“We are creating a generation of citizens who feel seen, heard, and invested in their community’s future,” said Jackson.
St. Mary Catholic Church | Summer Enrichment Program — A week-long program planned for July 20-24, will provide summer academic reinforcement in math, reading and religious studies in a fun, camp-style setting for bilingual children of the Marion community.
According to Evelyn Lisiecki, Hispanic Ministry coordinator at the church, the Summer Enrichment Program gives a summer push of academics and engages underserved children about schooling. “We will have music, reading, games, imagination stations, crafts, Bible adventures, lunch and recess,” she said. Field trips to Terradise Nature Preserve and the Lincoln Park Aquatic Center are included.
“We have bilingual teachers and volunteers. This program creates safe spaces where students can relate to one another, share experiences, and grow without feeling isolated,” she said. “There are more children coming from other countries that need the summer to learn and prepare for the upcoming school year. A sense of belonging can make a big difference in confidence and motivation.”
The program offers full day sessions, 8am-5pm, and is open to kindergarten-grade 8 students. It will be held at St. Mary Church, 251 N. Main St. in Marion. Transportation options are available. Registration is available online through July 10.
Logos Christian Ministries | Logos Freedom Riders Part 3 — The Logos Freedom Riders will set forth on another journey to explore and evaluate the significance of the Civil Rights Movement in American history, this time to Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Led by Pastor Jackie Peterson, the Logos Freedom Riders trip, coming up in October 2026, will enable students from the Marion community to participate in a place-based learning activity and be challenged to critically evaluate the significance of the Civil Rights Movement to our country’s history. “The students will have four days to experience and learn, not only about the civil rights movement, but reflect the effects of this knowledge on today’s society,” said Peterson. Activities will include visits to Langston University, the Greenwood District (known as Black Wall Street), and John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park.
Building on previous Freedom Riders’ trip to Atlanta and Memphis, “some students will be challenged to take a historically candid look at civil rights and social justice in the United States and make valuable connections, while others will be exposed for the first time,” she said. “By fostering critical thinking and civic responsibility, we pray to empower our students as informed advocates for equality and justice in the Marion community and beyond.”
Health & Wellness Access
St. Mary Catholic Church | Latino Health Fair — On Sunday, June 14, St. Mary Church will, once again, offer a Latino Health Fair on the church campus to provide and aid Marion’s Latino/Hispanic community, to improve their quality of life, and to promote inclusion as they integrate and navigate local resources in Marion County.
The Latino Health Fair provides more than health care screenings, education, and information, says Hispanic Ministry coordinator Evelyn Lisiecki, “It is an opportunity to build trust and welcome Hispanic families in the area.”
Lisiecki emphasizes that the event serves members of the Latino population who can’t afford a checkup by providing Spanish interpreters, health assessments, blood work, and educational materials in Spanish. A collaborative effort, the health fair includes information stations and screenings from Marion Public Library, OhioHealth, Marion Family YMCA, Women, Infants & Children (WIC), Marion Police Department, and ADAMH, among others. Every organization will provide communication in Spanish and English.
“By providing bilingual resources, incorporating local traditions, and ensuring accessibility, we foster an environment that feels welcoming to all,” said Lisiecki. “We recognize and respect cultural, social, and economic diversity within the community.”
Cultural & Community Connections
Black Heritage Council of Marion | BOOM – A new collaboration, BOOM (Black Organizations of Marion), is bringing together several well-known organizations — including Marion’s Black Heritage Council, Marion Minority Commission, Black Business Council, Peace & Freedom Committee, and the former Marion Voices, among others — under a powerful, collective vision. Coordinated by Tara Dyer, she says, “We strive to celebrate, preserve, and promote the rich cultural heritage of African Americans while advocating for social justice, equality, and community empowerment.”
According to Dyer, BOOM is about “collaborating and supporting each other in community events to strengthen our bonds, enhance awareness, and cultivate opportunities for growth and unity. Together, we honor our past, engage in meaningful dialogue, and inspire future generations to thrive in our community.”
BOOM events include a health walk held last month and the upcoming Bobby Floyd Trio concert at the Marion Palace Theatre celebrating Juneteenth on June 20 and the Black Joy Summerfest at Martin Luther King Park on June 27. Details are available at boomohio.info.
Marion Community Foundation’s Racial Equity & Justice Grant Program was created in 2020 and is open to any charitable non-profit 501(c)(3) organization or equivalent, including educational, governmental, and religious programs, looking to improve issues of equity and justice in Marion County (Ohio). Funding for the program comes from Marion Community Foundation’s Health Care Fund and the Robert M. & Dorothy C. Wopat Community Fund. The application process is competitive and is held annually in February-March.
The Racial Equity & Justice grant committee consists of co-chairs Demo-Hodgins and Willis and community volunteers Candace Floyd, Hon. Matt Frericks, Jennifer Lawson, Evelyn Olivos Lisiecki, Dana Martin, Pastor Jackie Peterson, and Erin Slater.