Brian Wakefield, an associate in Taft's Dayton office, was recently elected to the Board of Trustees for Daybreak, an emergency shelter for runaway and homeless youth.

Established in 1975, Daybreak remains Montgomery County's only 24-hour crisis and emergency youth shelter. Over the years the shelter has grown from a small, grass roots, volunteer-run shelter, to a professionally staffed agency. Daybreak is a nonprofit organization that is governed by a Board of Trustees. The Ohio Department of Mental Health has certified Daybreak to provide mental health services, and the Ohio Department of Human Services has licensed Daybreak as a residential care facility. The organization's current programs are as follows:

• 24-hour emergency shelter for 350 youth each year (ages 10-18)
• Individual, group, and family counseling for sheltered youth and their families
• 24-hour telephone hotline, which receives over 1,200 calls each year
• Violence prevention and anger management for 6,000 students each year
• Transitional housing for 40 young people each year (ages 16-21)
• A community-based, street outreach program that provides youth with a "Safe Place" to go when they are in trouble. This program includes 24-hour transportation to the shelter.