Our Donors
Centofantis, Zoldans give $1M to “We See Tomorrow” campaign
The Centofanti and Zoldan families are the latest major donors to YSU’s historic $125 million “We See Tomorrow” fundraising campaign.
The Centofanti Charitable Foundation pledged $1 million to support YSU’s Nursing program, and in turn the university named the James and Coralie Centofanti School of Nursing.
“This naming is particularly noteworthy at this moment as we have all come to realize and better appreciate the vital importance and the tremendous dedication of frontline healthcare workers,” President Jim Tressel said at a news conference announcing the gift.
James Centofanti of Canfield was a long-time member of the board of Farmers National Bank, a generous supporter of numerous educational and community-based activities, and the recipient of numerous awards for his humanitarian efforts. He died in 2010. His wife, Coralie, died in 1999.
It is the Centofanti Foundation’s second $1 million gift to YSU. In 2012, the Foundation pledged $1 million to establish the James and Coralie Centofanti Center of Health and Welfare for Vulnerable Populations in YSU’s Bitonte College of Health and Human Services. And in 2017, the Foundation pledged $500,000 to help support the successful Centofanti Symposium.
The YSU School of Nursing, started in 1967, enrolls more than 350 undergraduate students and 80 graduate students and boasts more than 4,300 alumni.
The $1 million gift from the Zoldan Family of Youngstown, founders of Phantom Fireworks, will be used for student scholarships and to establish a new mentorship program. The gift is being made in honor of their parents, Sam and Sylvia Zoldan, and their uncle, Abe Yampolsky.
“YSU has been the shining star of our community, and all of our family members have benefited from the university’s presence here,” said Bruce J. Zoldan, president and CEO of Phantom Fireworks. “It is our privilege to be able do our small part in supporting this wonderful institution.”
The gift establishes the Zoldan-Yampolsky Family Executive Fellows Program in the YSU Williamson College of Business Administration’s Center for Non-Profit Leadership. YSU juniors chosen to participate will work with senior leadership on campus or at non-profit organizations to gain practical work experience. The gift also increases the Sam and Sylvia Zoldan Memorial Scholarship endowment, established by the Zoldans in 2006.
The “We See Tomorrow” capital campaign is the largest fundraising effort in YSU history and has already exceeded $100 million.