secure work. “Despite those limitations, she still had a strong desire to work and gain her independence,” says Brown. After the young woman completed Daybreak’s employment program, she enrolled in AmeriCorps and used Lindy & Company as her dedicated work site. In the end, Daybreak and Lindy staff were so impressed with her drive and quality of work, they offered her a permanent position with the bakery. Additionally, Brown recalls a former employee who says Lindy & Company helped jumpstart their career as a chef. “The client told us that through their training at Lindy’s, they were able to gain the resources and confidence to continue their education in culinary arts,” says Brown. “I thought that was a pretty darn nice thing to say!” Of course, while the bakery is hard at work serving community youth and churning out top-notch pet treats, someone has to serve as the spokesdog. That dog would be Lindy, the golden retriever, whose “parents” helped fund the bakery’s inception. To find out more about Lindy & Company (and order treats online,) visit www.lindyandcompany.org. To find out more about Daybreak, or to make a contribution to their mission, visit www.daybreakdayton.org.
PH OTO CO U R T E SY OF LINDY & CO M PANY
Daybreak began developing the concept of a brick-and-mortar pet treat bakery when they realized that the youth they served were in need of more in-depth employment training. The goal was to ensure that young people exiting Daybreak were able to secure and keep jobs independently. “Despite teaching our youth job search techniques, interview skills and proper attire, we realized they were lacking many of the soft skills required to keep employment,” says Brown. “Furthermore, our CEO realized that the pet industry
seemed to be very stable, even throughout the recession.” Today, Lindy & Company exclusively employs young people who are receiving services through Daybreak. Prior to becoming employed with Lindy, youth must follow through with all the traditional steps required of anyone applying for a job. First, an employment counselor determines whether or not the applicant would be a good fit for the bakery based on their job preferences, schedule and long-term goals. Next, the counselor works with the
young person to complete an application and Brown calls them to schedule an interview. Daybreak, together with Lindy & Company, serves as an unwavering force of positive change in the Dayton community. According to Brown, the organization’s success stories are endless, but her current favorite story is that of a young woman who came to Daybreak challenged by varying physical limitations, making it difficult for her to D AY T O N PA R E N T M A G A Z I N E // f a l l
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