Robbins, Kelly, Patterson & Tucker has partnered with the Adopt-A-Class Program within the Greater Cincinnati Area.
The Adopt-A-Class Program's mission is "To facilitate personal, sustained connections between members of the business community and the students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grades with the purpose of providing positive role models and developing practical and social skills for the students and building the culture of philanthropy and teamwork for the business". Adopt-A-Class targets inner city schools because of the following statistics:
- More than 60% of the students live in single-parent homes.
- While nationally 40% live at or below the poverty level,
Adopt A Class targets Schools with the highest concentration of poverty. - 17 - 20% are either homeless or have no permanent address.
- The vast majority are eligible for free breakfast and lunch.
- 15% to 25% of the student population have some type of disability, i.e.; learning, physical, emotional
For the past three years, RKPT has partnered with the sixth grade class of St. Boniface School located in the North Side Community of Cincinnati. Our business volunteers visit the school and their partnered student at least twice during the school year to get acquainted and assist in a reading assignment. The students visit our office for a tour of our law firm and enjoy a Christmas party, complete with plenty of food and a Christmas gift for each student. In the Spring, RKPT volunteers deliver an Easter Basket for each student along with a box lunch at the school. A field trip is scheduled in the month of May and has consisted of a tour of the Reds' Stadium or a trip to the Cincinnati Museum Center to view the current IMAX movie.
The students and business volunteers both benefit greatly from this program. The students are able to see and experience things they wouldn't otherwise be exposed to. While visiting our office, they experience for the first time simple things that we take for granted, such as riding an elevator or going through a revolving door. It opens their eyes to possibilities they may never have thought of before. It's always a pleasure and rewarding feeling to our business volunteers that we may have made a difference in a child's life.
