The Well CDC Receives $300,000 Grant From KeyBank To Expand Career Development Program

KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation announced an investment of $300,000 in Akron’s The Well CDC aimed at bolstering its Career Development Program.

Women enrolled in The Well CDC’s Career Development Program go through a 5-week cohort where they earn a customer service certification, write resumes, practice interviewing, discuss soft skills and engage in a variety of workshops (20+ hours) on mental health and emotional wellness. Before graduating from the program, participants have opportunities to meet 25+ community partners and address barriers to employment like childcare, legal backgrounds and the benefits cliff.

Grant dollars given by the KeyBank Foundation will allow The Well CDC to add a much-needed case management dimension to the program to better support students’ transition from training to job placement and long-term employment stability. The organization said they believe participants would achieve more sustainable success with seamless support - from the time they enroll until they develop the skills and habits to maintain employment stability on their own.

“At Key, we are dedicated to supporting local organizations and programs that help prepare individuals for thriving futures,” said Joe Daleiden, KeyBank East Ohio Market President. “The Well CDC has created a robust career program that is helping to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable community members, and we’re so proud to support the expansion of the program. We value their work and are looking forward to the continued success of the Career Development Program in the years ahead.”

“We are really excited to work with the KeyBank Foundation to creatively develop workforce solutions alongside our neighbors and residents,” said Zac Kohl, Executive Director of The Well CDC. “The Well CDC is focused on building individual and family stability within a home and recognizes that also includes taking a holistic approach to Career Development. This generous grant from KeyBank will allow our team to continue to develop programming with a trauma informed lens and continue to remove barriers to support the whole person. We are grateful for KeyBank Foundation's belief and investment into this work that will propel our programming to the next level of supporting women in finding stable, livable waged careers.”

Target outcomes from the program include:

• Expansion of clients the program serves with post-graduation follow up, case management and resource coordination from 54 to 125 annually.
• Create and implement an Alumni Peer Support Group that would meet six times a year.
• Increase client placement at employer partners from 20% to 50%.
• Create data collection processes to collect retention and engagement information from employer partners and education providers.

ABOUT KEYCORP

KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at June 30, 2024.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit  https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC.

ABOUT THE WELL CDC

The Well CDC invests in people through the built environment while seeking a holistic approach to address systemic issues in order to improve the quality of life within the Middlebury neighborhood by fostering choice in housing, job creation and community pride.