Keystone SMILES Invites the Public to Ross McGinnis Building Dedication

Residents of Knox, Pennsylvania, and surrounding communities are invited to 420 Main Street on Sunday, December 6, at 2 PM for an official building dedication. Keystone SMILES recently completed façade improvements and upgrades to its Center for Service and Leadership, and is celebrating the project with an official dedication ceremony. The organization will also invite people into the building for tours to learn more about how it helps the community. Light refreshments will be available across the street at the Edenburg Presbyterian Church social hall.

“We provide opportunities to learn and develop skills to serve others,” says Joyce Fosdick, Executive/AmeriCorps Director. “You can grow as a person while also benefiting others and the community.”

The building will be dedicated to Specialist Ross A. McGinnis, a Medal of Honor recipient who was killed while serving in the US Army in Iraq in 2006. Not only was McGinnis a local hero, but he was also a beneficiary of a Keystone SMILES program in 2004. 

Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps Promotes National Service

SMILES is an acronym for Service Making an Impact Through Learning Experiences with Students, and the organization promotes using service to help students and adults as lifelong learners, developing new skills through civic engagement.  For example, kids might learn to write letters (honing skills like paragraph formation, spelling, grammar, and penmanship) while also brightening others' days by sending them written messages. They learn to balance a checkbook by grocery shopping for neighbors who cannot leave the house.

“We are committed to helping people develop a passion while serving,” says Fosdick. “When you help others, you bring a smile to someone else’s face.”  To me, every day is an opportunity to expand the spirit of giving through service beyond the Christmas season.

These programs also help adults. For example, AmeriCorps participants can develop ServSafe skills while feeding kids who otherwise wouldn’t have a nutritious meal that day. Programs like House of Trades help people develop technical and trades skills while making a tangible impact on the community, such as building wheelchair ramps, floats, playgrounds, and small renovations for service programs.

Keystone SMILES hub is located in Knox, but also collaborates with schools and nonprofits in 7 neighboring counties. The goal is to bring together volunteers and people eager to expand their skills while serving communities with unmet needs.

The Façade Improvements Were Funded Through Grants

Keystone SMILES recently invested $26,000 in façade improvements to its Main Street building, of which $10,000 was funded through the Knox Façade Improvement Project, made possible by the McElhattan Foundation and other local donations. When Keystone SMILES took over the building in 1996, it had been unoccupied, abandoned by a former telephone company. The building has helped Keystone SMILES bring preschool services, STEM programs, summer meal programs, and other opportunities to the community, but it was starting to show its age. This is why its leadership team launched the façade improvement project.  

“This was a major project,” says Fosdick. “The work was done by Keystone SMILES employees and Meadville Plate Glass.”

The improvements covered in the façade project include:

• Replacing old block glass windows with ones that bring natural light.
• Replacing the original doors with new ones that provide weather-proofing. 
• Added more electrical outlets to assist with community events.
• Updating the yellow wood-sided façade with stone and new siding on the top.

Since Keystone SMILES started its project, the two businesses next to the building have also updated their exteriors to match the color scheme. This makes the whole block look and feel new. 

Ross McGinnis is Remembered Throughout Knox

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Ross McGinnis passing, but his impact on the community and his fellow servicemen is still felt here. McGinnis attended the Keystone SMILES service-learning program in 2004, when he was still in high school. After graduating, he enlisted in the army and joined the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment.

In December 2006, McGinnis was traveling by Humvee in Adhamiyah, Iraq, when an insurgent threw a fragmentation grenade into the vehicle. McGinnis threw his body over the grenade and absorbed most of the impact, killing him instantly. The four others in the Humvee survived because of his sacrifice.

The Medal of Honor was presented to Tom and Romayne McGinnis on June 2, 2008. Keystone SMILES AmeriCorps Alum, Keith McCauley, started the Ross McGinnis Memorial Endowment with a $5,000 donation. The endowment continues to grow through donations. McGinnis attended Keystone High School and Clarion Career Center. The endowment provides financial assistance each year to students enlisting in military service. 

Attend the Dedication and See How Knox is Growing

Anyone is welcome to attend the Ross McGinnis dedication and learn more about Keystone SMILES. You can also see how the City of Knox is changing through façade improvement projects and community investment. The Clarion County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is working to grow this town and others throughout the region. Together, we can make Clarion County a wonderful place to live.

Want to learn more about our local involvement and façade improvement projects? Don’t hesitate to reach out! We’re happy to talk about what we do and how we can help your organization.