August Partner Spotlight: The Junction Coalition
In case you missed last month’s spotlight in our newsletter on The Junction Coalition—a powerhouse of environmental justice work in the Junction neighborhood of Toledo in Ohio. Learn more about there work below and catch up on what you might have missed in our August newsletter here.
This month’s August Partner Spotlight is written by The Junction Coalition’s Donald Wiggins Jr.
The Junction Coalition, led by Executive Director Alicia Smith, has been a community-led force for justice in Toledo since their founding in response to the 2014 Toledo Water Crisis. A decade later, the team and work has expanded - focused on the organization’s four pillars–peace education and social, environmental, and economic justice - for The Junction Neighborhood in Toledo. The Junction Neighborhood is full of strong ties and culture, yet this close-knit community continues to suffer disproportionately from blighted properties, legacy contamination, unaffordable water, and flooding. From the heat-beaten streets to the sewage-contaminated banks of Swan Creek, The Junction Community (“TJC”) is carving out a bright future.
Last month, TJC hosted the inaugural Swan Creek Fish Festival, a family-friendly event that brought neighbors together to celebrate and educate on waterway restoration efforts. The festive atmosphere uplifted the message: Swan Creek needs our help. A local sewer collapse continues to send raw sewage into the creek, triggering an E. coli advisory and posing a serious health risk. TJC has responded with public advisories, advocacy, and renewed commitment to long-term restoration of the Swan Creek watershed. Alongside local partners, TJC is leading a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funded effort to design Swan Creek restoration projects.
Through the #419GETTHELEADOUT initiative, funded by the Center for Disease Control, TJC is confronting Toledo’s legacy of lead exposure head-on. As the only grassroots organization in Ohio selected by the CDC for this kind of program, Junction Coalition is building a model for community-driven public health. Their approach draws on the expertise gained from acting as community liaisons for the public utility during lead service line replacements and combines direct outreach, lead education, screening events, and one-on-one support. When elevated lead levels are found, the coalition works quickly to connect families with health services. Join them on September 20th for their Mommy & Me Lead Free Sock Hop at the Wayman D. Palmer YMCA to find out more!
Their Job Opportunities & Youth (J.O.Y.) program wrapped up its summer session and will be back with the new school year! Over the years, hundreds of Toledo’s youth have become community advocates through after school and summer programs that teach community history, steward the community green spaces, and train leaders in the climate space. It’s not just the youth that are being trained to enter the green workforce! Junction is partnered with The Ohio State University to provide a free series of certification programs for neighbors looking for a green career.
Other programs Junction’s team are taking on include fair housing, a community garden, responding to water shutoffs, installing solar, and restorative justice training. To learn even more about The Junction Coalition, you can sign up to get their emails and updates below!
The Junction Coalition would like you and your colleagues to join them for the inaugural Great Lakes Regional Learning Exchange, taking place on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, in Rochester, New York. Learn more and register here!
