CLEVELAND, December 7, 2016 – Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland and Resilience
Capital Partners today launched Pathway to Resilience, a groundbreaking skills and
training program to provide at-risk teens and young adults with a pathway toward
meaningful employment. Launched as a three-year pilot program, Pathway to
Resilience will serve at-risk and gang-involved young people aged 17½ and older.
The first pilot program will select two groups of 10 young people to participate in an
intensive, six-month career readiness and mentoring program that combines job skills
and literacy instruction with extracurricular activities such as athletics and music. After
completion of the training program, participants will be eligible for employment with
sponsors of the program, which will include large and small Cleveland-area employers.
The program’s launch comes as Cleveland, despite progress, continues to face
significant challenges, according to a 2015 whitepaper by Cleveland’s Collaborative on
Youth Violence Prevention:
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participate in the program. Potential participants will come from among young people
currently case-managed by the Cleveland Peacemakers Alliance, a subsidiary of Boys
& Girls Clubs of Cleveland.
“Pathway to Resilience builds on our ongoing programs and will provide Cleveland
youth with intensive job skills training that will offer them a pathway towards
employment and away from gang activity,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland
President and Chief Executive Officer Ron Soeder.
Added Steven H. Rosen, co-chief executive officer of Cleveland-based Resilience
Capital Partners, “As Cleveland looks to a bright future, too many of our young people
are at risk of being left behind, lacking necessary social and work skills and vulnerable
to violence and gang activity. We are proud to support Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland
as it builds a pathway to resilience for our city’s youth. Our contribution will be paid off in
stronger families and a stronger community.”
“Pathway to Resilience will offer Cleveland’s young people that most precious
commodity: Hope for a better future,” said Peter J. Elliott, United States Marshal for the
Northern District of Ohio. “Opportunity can break the cycle of despair and violence that
has trapped so many in the past.”
Career tracks being considered include the light manufacturing, information technology,
construction, healthcare, hospitality and maintenance industries, with the intent that
participants could even be trained to operate their own businesses.
“The best way to defeat poverty is with a good job. Pathway to Resilience will help our
young people get on a career path to success,” said Cuyahoga County Executive
Armond Budish.
Noting current conditions in Cleveland, Soeder added that Boys & Girls Clubs
recognizes that working with at-risk and gang-involved youth poses challenges. He said
some of the young adults who will participate in Pathway to Resilience have come into
contact with the juvenile justice system; may need intensive academic support in order
to improve their literacy and math skills; and may lack access to professional clothing
and dependable transportation.
In order to meet the logistical and lifestyle needs of participants in Pathway to
Resilience, the program is seeking to partner with local professional organizations,
colleges and transportation providers. Potential corporate partners and sponsors and
individual volunteers can email pathway@resiliencecapital.com or call 1-216-360-7254
to become involved or pledge their support.
“The characteristic that most reflects the values of Cleveland is resilience. We
understand the role that resilience plays in changing lives and transforming
communities, and we are glad to play a role in sponsoring Pathway to Resilience, a vital
new initiative that brings that quality to Cleveland’s young people,” said Bassem A.
Mansour, co-chief executive officer of Resilience Capital Partners.
Additional support for Pathway to Resilience is being provided by the Cleveland
Foundation, James Vaughn, III and Cintas.
About Resilience Capital Partners
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Resilience invests in niche-oriented manufacturing,
value added distribution and business service companies with sustainable market
positions and a clear path to cash flow improvement. Resilience targets platform
businesses with $25 million to $250 million in revenues across a broad range of
industries where it can improve a company’s operations, competitive positioning and
profitability. Resilience manages in excess of $625 million for its global investor base
which includes pension funds, insurance companies, foundations and endowments,
fund of funds and family offices. For more information, please visit
www.resiliencecapital.com.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland
Founded in 1954, Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland serves more than 8,600 youth
annually at 15 locations in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland and Garfield
Heights. The Clubs provide a safe place for children to learn and grow, to develop
ongoing relationships with caring adult professionals, to engage in life-enhancing
programs and to create a culture of hope and opportunity. For more information, visit us
at www.clevekids.org.
Contact:
Ron Soeder, President/CEO
Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland
rsoeder@clevekids.org
216-883-2163