New Funding! New Leadership! New Opportunities!
New Funding – $20,500 Grant from 100+ Women
CityHeart was VERY PLEASED to be the January 2018 recipient of a $20,500 Grant from the organization 100+ Women Who Care. CityHeart was well represented by Christ Church parishioners, a CityHeart board member, and other friends who are members of the Dayton chapter of this generous group of philanthropic women. The grant awarded will help to meet our increased demand for emergency assistance, engage in consultation for organizational strategic planning, purchase equipment, and begin Phase II office renovations. CityHeart has also partnered with “Party With A Purpose,” to hold our first happy hour fundraiser at the Dayton Beer Company on June 26, from 6-8 pm. Mark your calendars and bring a friend as we try to reach new people and bring awareness to the important work of CityHeart in our community. Follow this link for more information!
New Leadership
At our Annual Meeting in March, the board elected Jane McGee-Rafal as our new board chair to replace The Rev. John Paddock. Jane has served on the CityHeart board since 2015, she is retired from a career in education, once serving as Superintendent of Dayton Public Schools. Jane is a resident of downtown Dayton, has served as a leader on many area boards, and is a long-time Episcopalian who worships at St. George’s Episcopal Church, one of CityHeart’s partner churches. Jane and Kris will work closely together, along with the full board to strategically plan for CityHeart’s future.
New Volunteer Position & Upcoming New Staff Position
CityHeart continues to grow in the number of client services we provide. Year-to-year statistics indicate we are experiencing 30-40% annual growth rate, resulting in a strain on CityHeart’s human resources.
Our Hospitality and Resource Specialists are at capacity each day working to meet immediate and emergency needs. The result has been less time available to address the comprehensive needs of our clients, many of which are the root causes of their emergencies. To ensure that we are fulfilling our mission to assist in connecting people to long-term solutions, we have added a new volunteer position, Resolution Specialist, filled by Christ Church parishioner Anthony Ehresmann. One full day each week Anthony does follow-up work with clients who have already received emergency assistance – working closely with them to identify next steps, making appropriate referrals to other organizations, and encouraging greater participation toward self-sufficiency in resolving their ongoing problems.
Later this summer, CityHeart will hire a part-time staff position for a Program Services Assistant. We have operated with just one staff person for many years, but as the organization has grown, the administrative demands of the Executive Director have gone beyond capacity. Although we have a tremendous volunteer staff, we require more continuity in front office operations. The added staff position will provide greater efficiency in the flow of daily program services as we strive towards our vision of being a primary center of hospitality in downtown Dayton.
New things and new times involve CHANGE! Please keep CityHeart in your prayers as we enter into a new phase of our organizational life and ministry in service to our neighbors in need.
Thanks for your support! Kris Sexton, Executive Director (June 2018)