KeyBank Foundation’s $200,000 grant promotes digital equity to YWCA Women’s Residence and others throughout Westchester County
Northampton, MA –News Direct– KeyBank
WHITE PLAINS, NY, July 6, 2022 /3BL Media/ – The YWCA White Plains and Central Westchester and KeyBank announce a community partnership to provide life-changing digital skills training and resources to low-income women currently living at YWCA’s Women’s Residence in White Plains, as well as women living in Westchester County. Through a $200,000 KeyBank Foundation grant ($100.00 per year for two years), the YWCA will scale its YW Strive program to include at least 100 women (with an emphasis on women of color and women of color). low-income) with essential digital and workforce support to improve their career prospects.
The YW Strive program, which was piloted in 2021, is designed to connect women with free internet access and devices, as well as the training to use them. The ultimate goal of the program is not only to support women in their efforts to find work, but also to enable them to take a step towards liberation from poverty and its devastating consequences. Funding from KeyBank allows the YWCA to hire a full-time YW Strive Program Director and provide at least sixteen cohorts of 12 women with the Strive training program and free Internet hotspots and/or computer equipment over a two-year period.
“KeyBank Foundation is committed to partnering with community organizations whose mission is to improve the lives of underprivileged populations in our neighborhoods through education, workforce development and community investment,” said John Manginelli, KeyBank Market President and Northeast Regional Executive for KeyBank Real Estate Capital. “One of the effects we have seen from the pandemic is the disproportionate impact it has had on women and women of color who face acute employment inequalities due to systemic disadvantages. Our partnership with the YWCA aims to help alleviate these drawbacks by directly addressing the lack of basic digital skills and internet access that many unemployed and underpaid women in our community face, by preventing them from getting into better-paying jobs and a way out. seek poverty. †
Women’s poverty rates in our local community are much higher than men’s – the poverty rate in Westchester County is generally 8.2%, but 18.8% for single women with children under 18 and 40.3% for women with children under 5 years old. women have more responsibilities in childcare and aged care, making job searches more difficult. The unemployment rate of Westchester women living in poverty is 25.2% — 58% higher than that of men (US Census, National Women’s Law Center). The situation is more dire for women of color. COVID-19 has also led to unprecedented unemployment for women (Economic Policy Institute).
“KeyBank is a visionary partner of the YWCA and shares our determination to empower all women, especially those most vulnerable, by providing free digital literacy training and internet access. The YWCA Residence is more than a safe and stable home for women; our broad services open doors to life-changing opportunities,” said Isabella Malouf, Director of Residence and Clinical Services. “Programs like YW Strive give women in residence and throughout Westchester County the tools they need to confidently enter the working world and move forward. Today, KeyBank and the YWCA are breaking through a barrier that perpetuates poverty for too many women in our province.”
The YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester operates safe, affordable, permanent supportive housing for 193 low-income women in its residence, making the YWCA the largest provider of supportive housing for low-income women in New York State and the only in Westchester. In addition to affordable housing, residents receive on-site social services that help them live more stable, productive lives, including assistance in accessing government benefits (e.g., skills training and more. The Residence also has a free food pantry and free clothing boutique on site In addition to program support and training, KeyBank’s grant will enable the Residence building, which is not fully wired for Internet accessibility, to provide free Internet access hotspots for residents and other low-income women in the community.
About YWCA from White Plains & Central Westchester
Since its inception in 1929, the YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester has pioneered social change through innovative programs that improve the lives of women and girls in Westchester. The YWCA’s mission is to eradicate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. With two locations in White Plains, an activity center and a residency for women, the YWCA serves more than 4,000 women, children and their families each week. For nearly 90 years, the YWCA has been making a difference in the lives of women, children and families in White Plains and Westchester through three core program areas: empowerment and economic progress, racial justice, and health and wellness/safety.
About KeyCorp/KeyBank
KeyCorp’s roots go 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 $181.2 billion as of March 31, 2022. Key provides deposits, loans, 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 1,300 ATMs. Key also offers a wide range of advanced corporate and investment banking products, such as mergers and acquisitions advisory, public and private debt and equities, syndications and derivatives to medium-sized companies in select industries in the United States under the trade name KeyBanc Capital Markets. For more information visit https://www.key.com/† KeyBank is a member of the FDIC.
About KeyBank Foundation†
KeyBank Foundation serves to fulfill KeyBank’s purpose of helping customers and communities thrive, and its mission is to support organizations and programs that prepare people for a prosperous future. The Foundation’s mission is furthered through three funding priorities—neighbors, education, and staff—and through community service. To provide meaningful philanthropy that changes lives, KeyBank Foundation listens carefully to understand the unique characteristics and needs of its communities and then supports solutions with targeted philanthropic investments. KeyBank Foundation is a non-profit charitable foundation funded by KeyCorp.
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Check out the source version at newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/ywca-receives-support-from-keybank-foundation-to-provide-digital-literacy-and-internet-access-to-low-income-women-870098374