KeyBank Foundation 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 Starting in September the program will support thirty 9th- to 12th-grade students from Dayspring’s youth program in proactively exploring and choosing the post-secondary 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-based nonprofit with expertise in ensuring students are ready for, enroll, and complete college.
YPIE Executive Director Samuel Wallis, said, “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.”
“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,” said Soto.
“Supporting the communities in which we work is a core value of KeyBank. We are proud to be a part of paving the path to increased college access and fulfilling careers with livable wages for these teens,” said John Manginelli, KeyBank Hudson Valley/Metro New York Market president.
Founded in 1981 to address the affordable housing crisis, Westhab acquired vacant buildings and renovated them into quality transitional and permanent housing. In response to growing homelessness, Westhab expanded to renovate and operate shelters.
Today, housing and social services combine to create Westhab’s comprehensive community development approach in New York City and Westchester.
KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose to help clients and communities thrive. It supports organizations and programs that prepare people for thriving futures.
