Skip to main content

The Ethos Center

Greater Dayton Community Partners

One of the core values of the Ethos program is partnership.  We partner with local nonprofit groups to give our students the opportunity to put their engineering knowledge and skills to use for the betterment of their community. Our previous, recent, and current community partners in the greater Dayton area include the following:

AULLWOOD AUDUBON CENTER AND FARM

Aullwood promotes the protection of birds, wildlife and the habitats on which they depend. Aullwood offers both children and adults the opportunity to experience and appreciate the world through experience-based education.

CITYWIDE DEVELOPMENT

CityWide Development is a non-profit organization located in downtown Dayton whose mission is to strengthen Dayton through strategic economic and community development. CityWide develops programs to address the city's need for economic growth and viable, attractive neighborhoods. Ethos students have worked on projects regarding food insecurity in low-income areas, such as planning mobile-farm markets. 

CO-OP DAYTON

Co-op Dayton incubates cooperative businesses to create and retain good jobs in the region, building a local economy that works for all. Projects that Co-op Dayton are developing include the Gem City Market, a worker and member-owned full service grocery store in West Dayton. Ethos students engage in research and design, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and makerspace projects that support the growing number of co-ops (worker-owned) companies. Students have been involved in the development of the Gem City Market and surveying local manufacturers about their interest in transitioning to employee-ownership as a succession plan or growth strategy. 

DAYTON EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY (DECA) HIGH SCHOOL MAKERLAB

DECA High was founded in 2003 as Ohio's first early college high school. Located on the University of Dayton campus, our program offers students from the city of Dayton a one-of-a kind opportunity to excel academically and succeed in their goal of graduating from college. Ethos students engage with teachers and high school students on projects to expand DECA’s Makerspace and to create educational opportunities connected with “making”.

DAYTON REGIONAL GREEN

Dayton Regional Green (DRG) is a leadership collaborative committed to enhancing the quality of life and environmental assets of the Dayton region by growing the economy, protecting the environment, and promoting social responsibility. DRG reaches these goals through green business certifications, sustainability workshops, energy assessments for organizations in the program, and other initiatives.

FIVE RIVERS METROPARKS

MetroParks protects nearly 16,000 acres of forests, grasslands, farmlands, and wetlands. Five Rivers MetroParks’ land protection goals include protecting significant natural area in the Miami Valley, linking forests and park lands along river corridors, and establishing buffer areas to maintain open space and protect watersheds. Ethos students help protect the region’s natural heritage and advance eco-friendly smart parks through projects focused on sustainability (energy efficiency, waste reduction, environmentally safe products, and more).

HOMEFULL

Homefull offers nonprofit services for the homeless to help people secure homes and jobs, assisting over 600 people daily. The organization also provides case management and programming for the gateway shelter system. One project that Ethos students have worked on is the development of flood management systems for the organization's urban microfarm. 

THE MAKERSPACE (SUBSET OF CO-OP DAYTON)

The Westside makerspace project is one of Co-op Dayton's specific initiatives. The Makerspace is a place where community members of all ages can learn, create, and collaborate together to design, repair, and make their own goods and structures. The Makerspace offers various classes but also provides open hours where the community can come in and work on their own projects!

MIAMI CONSERVANCY DISTRICT

Miami Conservancy District (MCD) is a pioneering organization at the forefront of flood protection, water stewardship, and recreation since 1915. MCD oversees a system of five dry dams, retarding basins, 55 miles of levees, and preserved floodplain to provide flooding protection in the region. Ethos students are involved in bike trail, dam, and levee infrastructure projects, water quality studies and creation of a new open data platform for GIS data to be viewed by the public.

MISSION OF MARY COOPERATIVE 

Mission of Mary Cooperative strives to improve the community life of the Twin Towers neighborhood by engaging in urban agriculture, urban land restoration, and community education. Collaboratively engage in sustainability projects with an urban farm focused on sustainable neighborhood development and growing local food to tackle food insecurity. Projects Ethos students have worked on are energy analysis, energy workshops on sustainability and energy usage, and contributing to an energy access initiative. 

THE ARTHUR MORGAN INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS

The Arthur Morgan Institute, located in Yellow Springs, Ohio, seeks to educate people around the world about ways to make their communities more resilient, vital, and capable of withstanding dramatic shifts due to climate and economic disruptions. Our students have worked on projects at Agraria,  an educational and research center that explores and demonstrates the benefits of regenerative farming practices at multiple levels—from the environmental, economic, psychological and social, to their impact on human health and well-being. Farmers utilize techniques that focus on regenerating the soil for generations to come.

THE DOME

The Dome, Springfield’s Center of Innovation, pursues connected learning by linking mentors and students in a space rich with new media, maker spaces and educational technology. They are a hub for the creation of our future workforce by engaging local businesses and organizations to build meaningful connections with students.

THE FOODBANK, INC.

The Foodbank serves as the primary source of food and hunger relief network in the Miami Valley through food acquisition and distribution and feeding the hungry in Montgomery, Greene, and Preble counties. The Foodbank provides the infrastructure for more than 100 member food pantries, community kitchens, and shelters that serve as the charitable hunger relief network in the area.

UNITED REHABILITATION SERVICES

United Rehabilitation Services (URS) is a nonprofit organization and center in Riverside, OH. with the mission to enhance "the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities or other special needs" by providing a variety of specialized programs. For more than 60 years, URS has grown from serving a handful of families to thousands of individuals with developmental and acquired disabilities annually. URS has established a continuum of care with full-day structured programs, offering a variety of goal-centered activities for every stage of life, from infancy through the senior years. URS is intent upon addressing the needs and desires of the people they serve and their families through a person-centered approach. URS is a great placement for Ethos students interested in assistive devices, technology support, and creating STEM activities.

WE CARE ARTS

The mission of We Care Arts is to transform physical, developmental, and mental challenges into possibilities through the power of creating and producing art. Through art, participants build confidence, create long-lasting friendships, and express ideas and emotions artistically. We Care Arts serves 1700 clients at more than forty off-site locations within the greater Dayton area. Ethos students have been involved with designing tools to help those with disabilities become more independent.

CONTACT

The Ethos Center, Kelly Bohrer, Executive Director

Kettering Laboratories
300 College Park
Dayton, Ohio 45469 - 0212
937-229-2306
Email