KeyBank’s $300K grant to help Urban League with local jobs program

The Urban League will seek to boost job readiness in west Dayton through a $300,000 grant from KeyBank. FILE

The Urban League will seek to boost job readiness in west Dayton through a $300,000 grant from KeyBank. FILE

The KeyBank Foundation today announced a $300,000 grant to the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio to fight poverty.

The foundation noted challenges for residents finding jobs in Dayton and said, “People need help now more than ever in finding new employment.”

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The grant will fund the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio program called Solid Opportunities for Advancement and Retention, or SOAR.

Started in 1998, SOAR is an intense three-week job readiness class for people who are unemployed or underemployed. Students learn resume writing, interview skills, employer expectations and financial literacy.

One recent SOAR graduate, Deandre Spears, said, “During the course of the program, I saw it playing a part in my everyday life. I believe that in the workplace, all the principles I learned in class will apply.”

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In 2017, the Urban League published a report called "The State of Black Dayton: Opportunities Lost." It said the struggle to earn a livable wage is growing, particularly in west Dayton. Urban League set up its Miami Valley SOAR program in DeSoto Bass Courts.

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