Thanks to your generosity, Ravine Village (Toledo, Ohio) is helping residents work together to improve their community.
The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority (LMHA) has been a pillar of affordable housing in Lucas County since 1933. Through its programs, including public housing and Section 8, LMHA helps families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities find stability and opportunity. At Ravine Park Village, a 166-unit apartment complex originally built for families of deployed soldiers, LMHA also runs Jobs Plus, a program designed to help residents find employment and achieve greater financial independence.
To make sure residents could fully benefit from Jobs Plus, LMHA partnered with CommunityWorks to train and deploy two residents as Community Connectors, neighbors who help neighbors access resources, strengthen relationships, and work together to improve their community.
One of those Connectors is Mandy Wright, a mother of four—Damion, Devon, Aden, and Dominic—known for her gracious spirit and gift for connecting with others. Five years ago, life changes led her to move into Ravine Park Village, where rent support gave her a chance to rebuild.
Then, in 2023, tragedy struck. Damien, her son, was shot eight times. The months that followed were consumed with hospital visits, surgeries, and an eventual stay in a nursing home for his recovery. Watching her child fight for his life shook Mandy deeply. “It was bad, a rough time,” she recalls. “I could feel my mental health going down the drain. My only goal was to keep my kids safe inside. I was in a dark place.”
That’s when she heard a knock at the door. “I was in the middle of dyeing my hair,” Mandy laughs, “and a bit put out.” But she answered anyway. Standing there were Trish, another resident-turned-Connector, and
Stephanie, the LMHA Jobs Plus coordinator and Mandy’s soon-to-be mentor. “I started apologizing for how I looked,” Mandy remembers, “and Stephanie just said, ‘Mandy, I don’t care what your hair is like. I’m here to get to know you.
That small act of kindness sparked something in Mandy. Soon after, she joined the team as a Community Connector herself. Her job? Knocking on doors, listening to neighbors’ stories, and helping them connect to one another and to available resources.
As she began to listen to others, something inside her shifted. “Learning about people’s gifts and struggles opened my eyes,” she says. “It reminded me that I still have something to give, too.”
Today, Mandy’s mental health has been restored, and her life has direction and momentum again. She’s graduated from the “Getting Ahead in a Just Getting By World” class and is nearly done earning her GED. Next, she plans to study nursing, buy a home, and continue building a brighter future for her children.
And those children? They’re thriving too. With encouragement from Stephanie and support from the community, Devon is studying engineering at Owens College, Damien has found steady work, Aden is working on his GED, and Dominic received a grant to attend an autism-focused school.
“It’s been a wild ride these last few years,” Mandy says, smiling. “But today I feel blessed. It’s a simple word, but it says it all. I’m blessed that I met the right people. I wouldn’t have recognized that blessing if not for those dark days.”
Through her work as a Community Connector, Mandy is helping change her corner of the world. In doing so, she’s been transformed herself. Her story is a reminder that community doesn’t just heal neighborhoods from the inside out — it heals people.
Your support allows us to be a part of more stories like Mandy’s. Through a one-time or monthly donation, you can support Mandy’s work in 2026!
