Youngstown & Mahoning Valley - It's Thrive Mahoning Valley's goal to build a welcoming and inclusive community throughout the region while working to assist immigrants who move to the region. 

Now, they're celebrating the next chapter of the group, while the national topic of immigration is on many minds leading up to Election Day.  

You can find the first physical office space of Thrive Mahoning Valley along Wilson Avenue in Youngstown.

"Now, we have a physical space to work, receive visitors, and work with the community," said Vicki Vicars, Vice President of Advancement with Thrive MV.

The open house celebration on Tuesday evening featured different groups, food vendors, and local artists that all strive to improve arts and culture of the Mahoning Valley.

"Specifically, we welcome newcomers into the Valley," said Christopher Colon, Founder & Executive Director with Thrive MV. "Whether that's immigrants, refugees, returning citizens, or international students. Anyone who's moving to the Valley, we help them access the resources they need."

And with the current political climate with many topics surrounding immigration here in the U.S., 21 News spoke with the leaders at Thrive Mahoning Valley on the topic.

"We think a huge part of our role is to change the narrative around immigration," Vicars added. "Immigrants contribute to American society. To the tax base and economic development. Immigrants make the best entrepreneurs in any given community."

"We're trying to bring people into our workforce specifically," Colon added. "We know that there are jobs here in the Mahoning Valley and we know that immigrants and refugees can be a small piece to filling those workforce needs here in the Valley."

Vicars added foreign-born people can fill the worker shortage void throughout the U.S., encouraging communities to research the benefits of welcoming newcomers. Vicars also emphasized the importance of knowing the difference between immigrants, refugees, and temporary protected status. "We don't want to group everyone into one clump."

"We have community resources here," Vicars said. "We have formed a newcomers network of people that are already working with some immigrants in the Mahoning Valley. We're addressing some of the concerns and issues that they see with newcomers."

The group is hosting a full week of events until September 22, including a naturalization ceremony happening in Youngstown on Wednesday morning.

Thrive Mahoning Valley can be found at 854 Wilson Ave. Youngstown, Ohio 44506. Click here to visit their website.