Her Story
Andrea L. Mahone was born Juanita Elaine Crayton in Oakland, California. She was adopted by Arthur L. and Mary L. Mahone, returning to Youngstown, Ohio.
In 1972-1977 Mahone family became an emergency home for many abandoned and abused children in Mahoning County. At age 8, Andrea instantly became a mentor and children’s advocate.
Andrea graduated from South High School, attended Youngstown State University, and graduated from Kent State University (KSU) with a Bachelor of Arts in rhetoric and communications.
As a KSU student, she worked with PEC Progress education community school, developing learning opportunities for low-income students in Portage County. Andrea attended Ohio State University and Geneva College before earning a master’s in Human Services-Executive Leadership Counseling from Liberty University.
Anthony and Andrea continues to follow their mission today with a faith-based commitment. They continue to serve in partnership and board members with Children Services, Criminal Justice Systems, Catholic Charities, Veterans Court, Educational and training centers, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, and 39 other community agencies.
She developed the welfare-to-work program in 1991 for Job and Family Services, and that birthed the Just in Time Employment Agency was the first in the Municipal Courthouse in Ohio, serving over 1,500 clients. But unfortunately, the need for housing, training, and parenting became barriers to employment. She then formed the Andrea Mahone Transitional Center in 2020 to further the task of helping individuals with mental health, addictions, and felonies to overcome hurdles to regain their hope. This faith-based movement has now developed into the Andrea Mahone Foundation.
Andrea and Anthony met at the Trumbull Correctional Institution, where he was doing a prison ministry. In 2019, Elder Anthony and Andrea Blackmon married, and they have three children, Anthony (Victoria) Jr., Brett, and Sophia, and six grandchildren. Once married, they came together and they both discovered that they had a passion for guys coming home from prison; a passion to help women get their children back. Before they knew it, Andrea Mahone Foundation was established