AN EVENT WORTH CELEBRATING — Monday evening’s annual fundraising banquet for the Ohio Valley Youth Network and Sycamore Youth Center saw more than 400 community members in attendance. The event inside Steubenville High School’s cafeteria celebrated the organizations’ growth and continuing impact on local youth. -- Contributed

The evening featured a wide range of student performers, youth speakers and adult volunteers who shared testimonies about the powerful influence the Sycamore Youth Center has had in their lives.

Pre-dinner entertainment was provided by the Stapletons, a husband-and-wife harp and guitar duo. The program opened with a welcome from Executive Director Bobbyjon Bauman and a prayer by the Rev. Herb Fletcher. Alex Taylor of WTRF-TV served as mistress of ceremonies for the evening.

Students showcased their talents in music, dance and mime — many of them champions of the Valley’s Got Talent competition. Performers included Evan Conn, Dalana Bove, Lynzee Ensell, Cooper Crowe, Jasmine Wooden and 2025 overall VGT champions Jovie Kelly and Madyson Gruszecki.

The Sycamore Folk Dancers and Sycamore Classical Choir performed as well.

SPECIAL GUEST — Bobbyjon Bauman, right, executive director of the Ohio Valley Youth Network and Sycamore Youth Center, was joined by Aaron Ashby, a Harding Middle School eighth-grader who served as a featured speaker during the nonprofits’ annual fundraiser. -- Contributed

In addition to student performances, several volunteers and community partners addressed the audience, including representatives from local Fellowship of Christian Athletes programs, Steubenville Release Time Bible Education and McCollough Children’s Home.

Bauman delivered the keynote address, highlighting the urgency and hope behind Sycamore’s mission.

“$203,000. Let that number sink in,” Bauman told the crowd. “That is the approximate annual cost to house one juvenile in a detention facility in the State of Ohio — nearly $600 per day, per child. At Sycamore, we are working every single day to keep our community from ever having to pay that price.”

He described Sycamore’s focus on serving “children on the edges” — students who may not be involved in sports or extracurricular activities, whose families can not afford private lessons, or who face transportation and family challenges.

Sycamore offers 64 free after-school classes to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. All programming, meals and camps are provided at no cost to families.

“We are not just keeping kids busy,” Bauman said. “We are building futures.”

According to Bauman, the organization has grown from serving just a dozen children eight years ago to now welcoming more than 500 students each week.

Key programs highlighted during the banquet included the Indian Creek Middle School Sycamore Stars, a free academic program for fifth- through eighth-grade students; Sycamore Corps, which partners closely with students with IEPs and developmental disabilities; and Sycamore After School Enrichment, the organization’s cornerstone program offering 64 weekly classes.

Bauman cited an independent statistical study conducted by Dr. Theresa Pattera, which found participating students experienced a 10- to 15-percent improvement in grades and mental health indicators throughout the course of a year.

The organization serves more than 15,000 meals annually and hosts 20 free summer camps, ranging from art and orchestra to sewing and historic architecture.

Faith-based initiatives were recognized as well, including Fellowship of Christian Athletes programs operating in local schools, Release Time Bible Education in several elementary schools and large student-led gatherings such as See You At the Pole and Fields of Faith.

As the evening concluded, attendees were encouraged to continue supporting Sycamore’s mission to ensure every student graduates “enrolled, enlisted or employed.”

With record attendance and strong community support, organizers described this year’s banquet as a celebration of growth and a call to action for the future of youth in the Ohio Valley.