Students inside Eastway Behavioral Healthcare’s Webster Street Academy.
Eastway Behavioral Healthcare — a nonprofit behavioral healthcare, rehabilitation and housing services — received grants from local foundations to make improvements to its commercial kitchen at its Webster Street Academy.
“These funds will play a significant role in giving our students the best possible environment for successful learning and growth,” Lesley Brose, Eastway’s president and CEO, said in a press release.
Eastway received a Greenlight Grant in the amount of $7,500 from the Dayton Foundation, which has been a charitable giving resource since 1921. The Greenlight Grant comes from The Robert and Jean Penny Endowment Fund of The Dayton Foundation.
The Dayton Foundation’s Physicians’ Charitable Trust also awarded Eastway with $10,000.
Eastway received a third grant, this one coming from the Dayton Rotary Foundation in the amount of $3,000. The Dayton Rotary Foundation provides support to programs and activities that meet community needs in the Dayton region.
“A state-of-the-art kitchen will enable us to continue offering healthy meals that will enhance focus in a setting that will benefit students facing both academic and mental health challenges,” Brose said. “The improved kitchen will serve as a daily reminder of the generosity of community organizations that share the common goal of improving services to the troubled youth in our community.”
Lesley Brose, president and chief executive of Eastway Behavioral Healthcare.
Eastway’s Webster Street Academy Day Treatment Program provides intensive, structured mental health care and academic instruction for youth who struggle to succeed in traditional classroom settings due to significant trauma and behavioral health needs, according to the nonprofit.
“Eastway is very focused on building partnerships in communities where there are gaps in client services, especially for children,” Brose said.
Students in fifth through 12th grades attend the program during the school day, receiving group therapy, individual counseling, psychiatric services, and small-group classroom instruction.
“The kitchen upgrades are aimed at meeting their standards to ensure the kids at Webster Street are receiving healthy food in a safe environment,” said Calen Kuck, Director of Kids Programs at the Webster Street Academy. “Many of the kids in Eastway’s programs face challenges outside of the classroom, including food security, so Eastway is excited to ensure all its kids have an opportunity to eat healthy food.”
Inside the kitchen at Eastway Behavioral Healthcare’s Webster Street Academy.
As part of this program, the kids will work with a registered nurse to gain understanding of how mental health is can affected by food, Kuck said.
Westwood Preparatory Academy provides the educational services at the Webster Street Academy, where its mental health services are aligned with Ohio Department of Behavioral Health.
“We are committed to ensuring that our youth are both academically successful and learn the coping skills they need,” Brose said. “Our goal is to offer services that will give every child the tools to address their individual needs and give them the very best opportunity to build a productive and successful life.”
The Webster Street Academy is currently accepting kids to both its day treatment program and outpatient services. In addition, appointments for diagnostic assessments are available for Ohio Medicaid members.
Inside Eastway Behavioral Healthcare’s Webster Street Academy.
Eastway Behavioral Healthcare’s 600 Wayne Ave. headquarters.