Wrapping up a year of good work, on December 13, neighbors, friends, and program partners from the Northwest Dayton Community Investment Fund (CIF) gathered for an evening of reflection and celebration. Here is a spotlight on three of our grant recipients.
Abundant Life Christ Centered Ministries launched an afterschool program in partnership with Belle Haven Elementary to serve Northwest Dayton students ages 4-12 with personalized academic support, engaging out-of-school time enrichment activities and team building. In addition to providing the academic aspects of the program, CIF funds provided safe play equipment and healthy food for students. The Summer Camp program blended academic, social, health, and creative aspects -- plus enriching and inspiring field trips. Family engagement and additional supports for caregivers were critical aspects of the summer and afterschool programs.
With a vision to build coalitions that restore communities, the CIF grant empowered the Dayton Equity Center (DEC) to increase their capacity by welcoming new staff to expand their food and workforce programs. DEC launched a monthly culturally appropriate food delivery program for resettled persons. They served 1600 people (350 families) over the year, and each month, they delivered ~70 pounds of food for distribution. At the same time, DEC leveraged CIF grant funding to expand the team to include a Workforce Director, social support coach, community resource organizer, employment specialist. Their personalized support leverages a wide network for referrals, support, and corporate placement, and it is showing results: in 2024, they've seen a 40% increase in graduates over the past year.
With many programs, from food security to education, and winter clothing distribution to workforce to community engagement, Grace Urban Development has served in multiple capacities in Northwest Dayton. Funding from the CIF contributed to many outcomes . Their key workforce program is Dayton Cooks, which offers 10-weeks of commercial kitchen training for adults. As part of their training, the aspiring cooks create 560-750 meals a day that go out to area nonprofits, educational groups. Grace Urban Development used some of the CIF funding to hire an outside accounting firm to ensure best fiduciary practices for future growth and sustainability, which will also free the team to focus on the mission and the work they do best.
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