NETWORK CONNECTIONS — Jefferson County Resource Network Community Service Coordinator Beth Rupert Warren welcomed representatives of local agencies to a Community Connections gathering. -- Contributed

WINTERSVILLE — The Jefferson County Resource Network is playing a key role in connecting people with the tools to thrive, and more agencies are taking an interest as word spreads.

Developed and offered through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center and funded by the Jefferson County commissioners, the network has developed a website and an app as part of a one-stop hub to help the public navigate the many resources on offer.

Resource Network Community Service Coordinator Beth Rupert Warren welcomed representatives from a host of service providers to a Community Connections meeting June 23 at the Wintersville Methodist Church Center of Hope. Many new faces were in attendance as agency representatives forged those important partnerships vital to making a difference in people’s lives.

The network’s email list is up to 435 as more agencies have signed on to hear about upcoming events. The app and website are also popular, with 21,565 page views from August of 2024 to May of 2025.

The Community Connections meeting featured the first of a series of “Hidden Gems of Jefferson County” videos produced by students at Jefferson County Joint Vocational Schools, showcasing important local agencies and points of interest. The video highlighted the adult education program Eastern Ohio Aspire, once offered through the former Eastern Gateway Community College but now under the auspices of JCESC and pursuing its mission of helping clients in Jefferson, Belmont, Harrison, Carroll, Columbiana and Mahoning counties earn high school equivalency diplomas.

Many feared the Aspire program would disappear when EGCC closed its doors, but the Resource Network is doing its part to get the word out that Aspire is still going strong.

The network has also helped identify a local need for pediatric home health care and is coordinating with different agencies to fill that gap.

The program is working with the residents of the Bergholz and Amsterdam areas to help establish a library in Bergholz and to facilitate the Ohio Valley Health Center’s plan to hold a monthly medical clinic.

“We’ve been able to get more services and resources out in that part of the county,” Rupert Warren said, adding this is the result of a community coming together. “Slowly but surely making those connections, and that’s what the Resource Network is about, bringing everyone together. It’s not one of us that can do this.”

Newcomers included Erin Austin, business development director with the Milton Jefferson Recovery Center, who had high praise for the program. The recovery center will be opening a facility in Steubenville this fall to offer residential treatment for people from across Ohio who are struggling with mental health and substance abuse. Austin found the network to be invaluable in building local connections.

“This was so helpful to have a lot of these resources in one room, to be able to connect, set up meetings and figure how we can work together as a community.”

Austin wished she had known about the network earlier while she was researching the area.

“To have that all compiled into one is amazing and incredibly helpful,” she said. “We’re so thankful for the resource community, the network and I’m excited to continue to meet people and partner with the community.”

She expressed an interest in Aspire and the options that program might provide.

Another first-time attendee was foster help specialist Breana Bryant of COAD4Kids, who saw in the network’s connections a way to pursue her goal of recruiting foster and adoptive parents.

“I think it’s great to bring the agencies all together to make connections and to see what resources are out there in Jefferson County that we all can utilize and help other families.”

Rose Grimes, family self-sufficiency coordinator with the Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority, was interested in helping her participants find employment and resources.

“It’s wonderful. There’s so many different entities, especially to help people who need to get back on their feet,” she said, adding she has made valuable connections through the network’s community events.

“Especially the Aspire program. The Aspire program is helping a lot of our participants attain their GEDs and hopefully be able to further their education and better their lives.”

Longtime attendee Dan Wilson, workforce specialist with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, has seen the network’s value.

“A lot of the folks that attend this are employers in the area, and it’s a good way to get our information out at the Community Action Council for the events that we have,” he said. “It’s all about networking and it just makes it an easy place to get your word out for whatever programs you’re doing and whatever services you offer.”

The speaker was Executive Director Kimberly Arbaugh of Urban Mission Ministries who saw in the network and Community Connection events an opportunity for agencies to join forces and lift up the most vulnerable.

“So many people in our world are one paycheck away from being unable to pay their electric bill,” she said. “This is amazing because you get to meet other community members that you can network with and do services with, but also the more that we know and the more we can work together, the more we can partner together, the stronger we are as a community.”

For information about the Resource Network, visit jcresourcenetwork.org or email info@jcresourcenetwork.net.