1523 Poland Avenue, Youngstown, OH 44502
History: 1999-Present
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The idea for the Pride Center was generated in an encounter at Kent State University in the summer of 1999. A
matriculating grad student from YSU went to Kent to check the status of his application in the History Department at
Kent. He stopped by the Kent LGBT Student Union office, and that is where he was made aware that Akron had a
Pride Center. The idea formed that “If Akron can do it, we can do it.” Upon return to Youngstown he contacted a
member of the YSU faculty, and the group that is mentioned further on in this history was put together. It consisted
initially of Rodd Coontz, Patrick Pacalo, Diana Shaheen, Louisa Crouthers, Tom Copeland, Terry Esarco, Marlene
Aron, and Bill Bogan. They traveled to Akron as the guests of the Akron Pride Center and learned how that
organization had begun, how it was funded, and what plans there were for its future.
This visit made several things clear:
1. We needed a name.
2. We needed a constitution.
3. We needed a mission statement.
4. We needed to begin early to do something more than have meetings in order to keep interest alive.
5. We had to incorporate.
6. We had to obtain tax-exemption as a charitable 501(c)(3)organization.
7. We needed more funding than membership dues could provide.
Our name became The Pride Center of Greater Youngstown, and we quickly wrote a constitution. Becoming a
corporation required only a letter and a check to the treasurer of the state of Ohio, so that was done and became
official on November 9, 1999. We began programming by inviting representatives of all local LGBT organizations, as
well as the Akron Pride Center, to a kick-off party at the home of Rodd Coontz, our first chairman. We also planned
subsequent programs, including a session on religion and one on estate planning.
Funding was a thorny issue since we did not approve of accepting a cut of raffles held in the bars. However, we
postponed dealing with this problem since Rodd Coontz’s home was a perfect meeting place and cost us nothing
except a cleanup party once a month. Eventually, after Rodd’s withdrawal, we rented a basement room in the First
Unitarian-Universalist Church of Youngstown for $100 a month, which one of our members paid. A committee
consisting of Patrick Pacalo, Louisa Crouthers, and Tom Copeland worked for almost a year on the 501(c)(3) project
and finally secured tax-free status, with the necessity of reporting income and expenses after a probationary period.
In the beginning we met weekly on Sundays around Rodd's dining room table, with coffee provided by Rodd and
bread provided by Diana. It was very cozy and informal. We gradually gained member, and these came from all
walks of life, sexual orientation, and political persuasion.
As time passed, it became clear that our weekly meetings for conversation served a vital function for those
needing emotional support but were too frequent for most of those who attended. Therefore we developed the
kaffee klatsch, a monthly event with a program, such as socially responsible investing or medical issues for women,
and we maintained the weekly meetings strictly for support. Louisa Crouthers led these meetings for a long time,
choosing every week a new topic for discussion but always making clear that she was not a professional counselor.
We published a newsletter for about two years and also permitted groups which became members to use our
facilities for their meetings, PFLAG-Youngstown being our first group member. We also began to hold an annual
summer picnic at Craig Beach, a popular event that kept us in the public eye during the summer, when groups tend
to become dormant.
Eventually attendance declined, and the officers themselves often failed to come to meetings. The secretary, who
was also paying the rent, finally realized that his position on the board conflicted with his being the major funder.
The IRS regards such a situation as a conflict of interest. Therefore, since he was also the only active member of
the board, he announced that he had to resign and invited new leaders to apply. This invitation was answered by
Brian Wells, Louis Gastellum, and Nicole Peterson of YSU. Brian had been the president of the student organization
YSUnity and had leadership skills. This new board agreed to serve for a year but ended by serving for two years, at
the end of which time Scott Fullerton assumed the chairmanship. Brian Wells had revised the constitution and
renamed the center the Mahoning Valley Pride Center. During that transitional time we also received the assistance
of Don Rowinsky, a local landlord who offered us, rent-free, the ground floor of a building on Poland Avenue. He
remodeled this space, and members of the group, notably Kay Davis, beautified it. In this new home, our activities
have expanded, and we have hosted many other organizations, including a Gay AA group, a Buddhist group, and
most recently a youth group. We have only just begun!
matriculating grad student from YSU went to Kent to check the status of his application in the History Department at
Kent. He stopped by the Kent LGBT Student Union office, and that is where he was made aware that Akron had a
Pride Center. The idea formed that “If Akron can do it, we can do it.” Upon return to Youngstown he contacted a
member of the YSU faculty, and the group that is mentioned further on in this history was put together. It consisted
initially of Rodd Coontz, Patrick Pacalo, Diana Shaheen, Louisa Crouthers, Tom Copeland, Terry Esarco, Marlene
Aron, and Bill Bogan. They traveled to Akron as the guests of the Akron Pride Center and learned how that
organization had begun, how it was funded, and what plans there were for its future.
This visit made several things clear:
1. We needed a name.
2. We needed a constitution.
3. We needed a mission statement.
4. We needed to begin early to do something more than have meetings in order to keep interest alive.
5. We had to incorporate.
6. We had to obtain tax-exemption as a charitable 501(c)(3)organization.
7. We needed more funding than membership dues could provide.
Our name became The Pride Center of Greater Youngstown, and we quickly wrote a constitution. Becoming a
corporation required only a letter and a check to the treasurer of the state of Ohio, so that was done and became
official on November 9, 1999. We began programming by inviting representatives of all local LGBT organizations, as
well as the Akron Pride Center, to a kick-off party at the home of Rodd Coontz, our first chairman. We also planned
subsequent programs, including a session on religion and one on estate planning.
Funding was a thorny issue since we did not approve of accepting a cut of raffles held in the bars. However, we
postponed dealing with this problem since Rodd Coontz’s home was a perfect meeting place and cost us nothing
except a cleanup party once a month. Eventually, after Rodd’s withdrawal, we rented a basement room in the First
Unitarian-Universalist Church of Youngstown for $100 a month, which one of our members paid. A committee
consisting of Patrick Pacalo, Louisa Crouthers, and Tom Copeland worked for almost a year on the 501(c)(3) project
and finally secured tax-free status, with the necessity of reporting income and expenses after a probationary period.
In the beginning we met weekly on Sundays around Rodd's dining room table, with coffee provided by Rodd and
bread provided by Diana. It was very cozy and informal. We gradually gained member, and these came from all
walks of life, sexual orientation, and political persuasion.
As time passed, it became clear that our weekly meetings for conversation served a vital function for those
needing emotional support but were too frequent for most of those who attended. Therefore we developed the
kaffee klatsch, a monthly event with a program, such as socially responsible investing or medical issues for women,
and we maintained the weekly meetings strictly for support. Louisa Crouthers led these meetings for a long time,
choosing every week a new topic for discussion but always making clear that she was not a professional counselor.
We published a newsletter for about two years and also permitted groups which became members to use our
facilities for their meetings, PFLAG-Youngstown being our first group member. We also began to hold an annual
summer picnic at Craig Beach, a popular event that kept us in the public eye during the summer, when groups tend
to become dormant.
Eventually attendance declined, and the officers themselves often failed to come to meetings. The secretary, who
was also paying the rent, finally realized that his position on the board conflicted with his being the major funder.
The IRS regards such a situation as a conflict of interest. Therefore, since he was also the only active member of
the board, he announced that he had to resign and invited new leaders to apply. This invitation was answered by
Brian Wells, Louis Gastellum, and Nicole Peterson of YSU. Brian had been the president of the student organization
YSUnity and had leadership skills. This new board agreed to serve for a year but ended by serving for two years, at
the end of which time Scott Fullerton assumed the chairmanship. Brian Wells had revised the constitution and
renamed the center the Mahoning Valley Pride Center. During that transitional time we also received the assistance
of Don Rowinsky, a local landlord who offered us, rent-free, the ground floor of a building on Poland Avenue. He
remodeled this space, and members of the group, notably Kay Davis, beautified it. In this new home, our activities
have expanded, and we have hosted many other organizations, including a Gay AA group, a Buddhist group, and
most recently a youth group. We have only just begun!
© 2011 MV Pride Center All Rights Reserved
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