Miracle makers and more
September 24, 2007
Marc Levy President and CEO
United Way of the Greater Dayton Area
Dear Mr. Levy,
East End Community Services is a proud member of the United Way family and we are pleased to be of assistance to you and to the University of Dayton during the 2007 United Way Campaign.
East End Community Services is very grateful to the United Way for all the financial resources you have provided to us over the past few years. Specifically, you have allocated program funding for our work with children, teens, and Latino families and have helped us produce significant outcomes for these populations. Through the annual United Way campaigns, East End has also benefited from individual donor’s contributions to our work.
Similarly, East End is very grateful to the many students, faculty and staff volunteers from the University of Dayton who have given their time, talent and treasure over the past several years to making a meaningful impact in the lives of the working poor members of east Dayton neighborhoods. We consider the United Way and the University of Dayton to be two of our closest and most valued partners.
Here is a sample of the kind of outcomes that East End Community Services and the people of inner east Dayton have achieved just in the past year:
• Our 108 young “miracle makers” who attend East End’s after school program (k-7th grades) scored nearly 10 points higher in math, language and reading last year when compared to other children from the same school.
• 76% of the teens who participated in East End’s Youth Development Center reported grades of B or better, which is an increase of 15% over the year before. Our youth tell us they have more positive attitudes about finishing high school and going to college. Fewer teens under age 18 are becoming parents, and more are graduating from high school.
• 223 job placements were made for adults by our staff of employment specialists/case managers with an average starting wage of $8.22, vs. $7.90 average the year before.
• About 750 families were provided with assistance to meet basic needs like food, transportation, housing and utilities, and access to health care, as well as to achieve personal goals like earning their God’s or attending college. About 250 of those families were Spanish-only speakers.
• Neighborhood residents logged more than 2000 hours of volunteer time to improve their neighborhood through events and community-building activities.
• A new partnership between East End, City Folk, and the Twin Towers neighborhood called “Culture Builds Community” brought 300 residents together to celebrate Appalachian, Latino, and African American music and dance.
Thank you again for all you do, and for being a great partner in improving the lives of thousands of families throughout the City of Dayton and the entire greater Dayton are.
As the United Way slogan goes: “Together, we matter.”
Sincerely,
Jan Lepore-Jentleson
Executive Director
East End Community Services
