Jegna Corporation CEO Emmanuel Curtis, right, and team member Shawn Russell discussed new programs aimed at improving the lives of minority youth during a media conference Tuesday at Vibe Coffeehouse.
Craig Kelly | The Lima News
LIMA — The group behind My Brother’s Keeper, an initiative to promote mental health and positive opportunities for young men of color, has announced multiple new initiatives to help promote positive outcomes for minority youth, including trades skills training.
Emmanuel Curtis, CEO of the Jegna Corporation, a non-profit community action and mentoring organization, held a media conference Monday at Vibe Coffeehouse to announce these new initiatives, including the purchase of a residence on Lima’s south side that will serve as a practical training ground for students looking to gain skills in construction. The residence, located at 1307 St. Johns Ave. and once on track for eventual demolition, will hopefully be able to serve as a community safe house once renovated, Curtis said.
“We have contact with local contractors, but we’re really opening this up to the community, not just on the small business end,” he said. “We want it to be a community project. We really want everyone. Even if there are contractors who have not normally tapped into anything community-wise, we’re asking for their trust to participate in this project.”
Curtis hopes to involve students in Lima Senior’s construction trades program, as well as the construction program at Apollo Career Center.
“The project won’t take longer than this year,” he said. “We’re hoping to get mental health services, medical services or even some rec services to come in.”
Jegna does not have sufficient funds on its own to be able to fully renovate the building without sacrificing its other programs, which include an outreach project to help minority youth connect with African culture, efforts to prevent youth violence through promoting healthy habits, after-school mentorship and financial literacy training. The corporation also put together a trade school training program last year and plans to start a new class this year, Curtis said, so having community support in this renovation project is vital to its completion.
“So far, we’ve been getting some pretty good buy-in,” Curtis said. “But we’re really hoping the community buys into it.”
Jegna Corporation is also looking for people to serve as board members. To learn more about that search or to contribute to Jegna’s various outreach efforts, contact Curtis at 419-723-6041 or email [email protected].
