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Brightside Project and John Cockerill Industry kick off new partnership

By MORGAN AHART 5 min read

SALEM -- The Brightside Project and John Cockerill Industry North America have kicked off a partnership which will expand opportunities for experiential learning, mentorship and career exploration.

The partnership was announced at an event at John Cockerill's West Wilson Street location Tuesday, which saw the design of the Brightside Project's new "Spark Bus" unveiled.

The event also featured remarks from John Cockerill Industry North America CEO Arpad Csay, Ohio State Representative Monica Robb Blasdel, Mahoning County Career & Technical Center Precision Machining Instructor Mike Lutz, Sustainable Opportunity Development Center Executive Director Julie Needs, and Brightside Project Founder and Executive Director Scott Lewis. Csay also presented a check for $85,000 to Lewis and Brightside Project Co-Director Lisa Wallace.

Lewis explained that the spark bus would act as a mobile classroom and lab space which will allow the Brightside Project to bring their experiential learning programming to underprivileged and disadvantaged children across Columbiana and rural Mahoning County. Lewis said that the bus which will act as the foundation for the vehicle was one of two donated by the Columbiana County Board of Developmental Disabilities and that while its renovations weren't complete, he hoped it would be on the road by the end of spring or the summer of 2027.

The bus is part of the Brightside Project's larger Spark Initiative, which aims to ensure all children have opportunities to grow, thrive, and organically discover their spark, which Lewis described as "a deep interest, talent, passion or activity that gives them energy and helps express something important about who they are."

Lewis said that research has shown that children who are given the opportunity to find and develop their spark "report positive outcomes that include greater lifestyles, satisfaction, success in school leadership, contributing to their communities and a stronger orientation towards their future."

Lewis encouraged everyone in attendances and all businesses, community leaders, and civic organizations in the communities they serve to become fellow partners in the Spark Initiative, and to consider how they can use their knowledge and skills to inspire children and help them to discover and nurture their spark.

"That's what today is really about. We want a child growing up in Salem, Lisbon, East Liverpool, Leetonia, Colombiana, East Palestine, or any of the rural communities we serve to understand that their future is bigger than what they can currently see. We want local businesses and professionals to help us show them what is possible," Lewis said. "We want artists to inspire other artists. We want trade people to introduce children to those trades we want engineers to inspire future engineers…We want entrepreneurs, first responders, healthcare, professionals, farmers, manufacturers, educators, community leaders, and volunteers to share what they know. Because somewhere in our community, there's a child who may discover their future because someone took the time to introduce them to it."

Csay said that those renovations would be completed in part by John Cockerill employees, and that the Brightside Project was a natural community partner for the John Cockerill Foundation due to their shared missions of uplifting disadvantaged youth and disrupting cycles of systemic poverty. He said that Brightside's programming plays a vital role in affecting that change by bringing "hands-on educational experiences, healthy snacks, mentors, and a career exploration directly into communities."

Cockerill also stressed that the ceremony was not "to celebrate the completion of the project," but to "commit ourselves to its beginning" and creating opportunities for children to encounter and explore new possibilities. That commitment goes beyond lending Brightside John Cockerell's monetary and manufacturing might.

Csay said that John Cockerill employees will also be offering their expertise and time as mentors in future Spark Initiative programming, and that they were excited and eager to begin that work.

"For too many children, opportunities are still shaped by circumstances they did not choose. Children growing up in poverty often carry challenges that are not visible to the rest of us. Before they can think about a future career, they may be thinking about food. Before they can explore their interests, they may be dealing with instability at home," Csay said. "Before they can develop confidence, they may need someone to tell them that their ideas matter, that they have ability and that their future can be different from their present…Every child deserves to feel valued, supported and capable of building the future."

Blasdel said that two entities as enmeshed within their community and dedicated to supporting disadvantaged Ohioans coming together "is worth pausing." She said that Brightside and John Cockerill's partnership was particularly noteworthy as it will also help to address one of the most significant issues facing Ohio both now and in the future as the number of skilled jobs available around the state continues to far exceed the number of skilled workers available.

By introducing children to skilled trades like "welding, wiring or robotics, before they have to decide what they want to do with their life" which they may not otherwise get to experience directly, Blasdel argued that the Spark Initiative will help to lay the foundation for a new generation of skilled workers.

"The Spark Initiative will meet kids where they are and give them something real to put their hands on and experience. The opportunities here in Ohio are real. The jobs are here today, and more are coming tomorrow," Blasdel said. "When we invest in people, when we equip our workforce with the skills that our local economy actually demands, we do more than fill job postings. We strengthen families, we grow communities, and we secure the future of Northeast Ohio for generations to come. I'm proud that this partnership is happening right here in my house district."

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