KeyBank Foundation recently awarded Westhab a $240,000 multiyear grant to create a pipeline to college and careers for low-income students at Dayspring Community Center in Yonkers. Beginning September, the program will support 30 9th- to 12th-grade students from Dayspring’s youth program in proactively exploring and choosing the postsecondary path that suits them best.
“I grew up in Yonkers. This is the kind of investment our neighborhood needs,” said Dayspring Director JC Soto. “Nodine Hill of southwest Yonkers (where Dayspring is located) has a poverty rate that is double that of all of Westchester County. Increasing college readiness and providing resources to advance their skills in careers with livable wages will allow teens to earn higher incomes, translating into better life outcomes, including health, wealth and happiness.”
To develop the program, Westhab will work with the Yonkers Partners In Education (YPIE), a Westchester County-based nonprofit with staff expertise in ensuring students are ready for, enroll in and complete college. For students not interested in college, staff will assess teens’ skills and interests and, through partnerships with programmers and guest speakers, help inspire potential career pathways. Participants will be connected to additional supports, such as Dayspring’s Employment Services, to help actualize their plans.
Said YPIE Executive Director Samuel Wallis: “We are thrilled to partner with Westhab to ensure teens at Dayspring Community Center are prepared for success in college and careers. We know how important it is to meet students where they are, and we look forward to working with students in a trusted community center like Dayspring. We are grateful to KeyBank for its generous support to make this partnership – and critical service for students – possible.”
Over three years, the program hopes to make more significant shifts in the trajectory of the community. “This generous investment by KeyBank Foundation will help individual students but also aims to create a more lasting change in the community by nurturing an ongoing college-ready culture for high school students. “We hope to broaden futures and disrupt cycles of inequality that we see in Nodine Hill,” Soto added.
“Supporting the communities in which we work is a core value of KeyBank,” said John Manginelli, KeyBank Hudson Valley/Metro New York market president. “We are proud to be a part of paving the path to increased college access and fulfilling careers with livable wages for these teens.”
For more, visit keybank.com and westhab.org.
