The Dayton Urban League of Ohio is temporarily shutting its doors after 63 years of service to the community. The organization has been facing a financial crisis that it hasn't been able to solve. It canceled its annual fundraising gala, and 15 of 18 league employees were laid off. The remaining three, including President Kimberly A. Carter, will continue operations. Appointed in October, Carter is the group's third president in a year. Board President Ginny Strausburg said that $250,000 was needed immediately to keep the job-readiness-and-employment organization going. The league sent letters to supporters seeking assistance, to no avail. Friends of the League, made up of supporters of the Dayton Urban League, will hold a press conference today at 5 p.m. on the steps of the Dayton Urban League building to gather community support to reopen the league.
It's so sad that an organization that has done so much for the Dayton community in past years is failing. What's sadder is that the organization cannot get help from the very community it has serviced. That seems to be par for the course lately. Even with the financial and leadership issues, it seems that there should be some way to regroup in order to continue delivering much-needed services and assistance to the community, especially during the holidays.
Read more at the Dayton Daily News.