Shenango Valley Urban League Celebrates 58th Annual Banquet

The Shenango Valley Urban League or SVUL (Farrell, PA) held their annual banquet at Avalon at Buhl in Hermitage, and recognized several members for their hard work in uplifting their communities.

Dr. Erin Houston, the President and CEO at the SVUL, said they were awarded for their contributions with out the expectation of recognition in return.

“I think sometimes we don’t always say thank you as much as we should. So I’m glad we were able to have that opportunity tonight,” Houston said.

Those awarded included two recipients of awards for community service, and a student from Farrell High School, who won the Black History Month essay contest.

Also in attendance were several elected officials, including Republican Pennsylvania state senator Michele Brooks, who said her conversations with Dr. Houston could bring some changes to Mercer county.

“Dr. Houston talked about the importance of developing additional housing in Mercer county, and I couldn’t agree more. So that’s one of the things were going to try and partner with,” Brooks said.

Another draw for the banquet was guest speaker Sierra Dunn, who works in the Office of Governor Josh Shapiro as part of the Advisory Commission on African American Affairs. She spoke to the crowd about the current state of “black Pennsylvania” and what she is working on with Shapiro.

As the SVUL celebrated their 58th year they also looked ahead to the future, as the celebration also functioned as an annual meeting where Dr. Houston talked about achievements and new goals moving forward.

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