A Letter to the Adopt A Class Community on Racial and Social Justice
Dear Adopt A Class Community,
Over the past several months, we have experienced and observed many serious and tragic events taking place in our country. During that time, we have continued to stay focused on our mission while searching for how to best respond.
Adopt A Class is rooted in a vision whereby all students in Greater Cincinnati have access to caring adult mentors who expose them to a breadth of life and career experiences guiding them to their full potential. Through this engagement, adult mentors foster a culture of teamwork and increased knowledge of our community’s needs and challenges faced by our youth.
As a result of COVID-19, Adopt A Class has taken this extraordinary time to brainstorm new opportunities for our program to address the challenges head-on. We have crafted solutions that will improve our program, create more opportunity, and do our best to bring joy and connection to our community in inventive ways.
In the coming weeks, staff members will be working with our teams and teachers to ensure we are ready for the start of the school year. As you have probably heard, districts are preparing their plans for students to return to the classroom through blended learning. Our staff continues to be in constant communication with district representatives and we will assist teams and teachers in planning the best approach to sustained group mentoring for students. Know that we are committed to customizing approaches to best meet the needs for each team and classroom.
Our program serves as a catalyst for change; we work to leverage our mentor relationships to support those less fortunate including those impacted by racial injustice, which in turn allows our mentors an opportunity to engage more deeply whether that be through activism or additional volunteer engagements in our community.
Adopt A Class has zero tolerance for racism, bigotry and hateful acts.
Our staff and board of directors stand in solidarity with the communities we serve in challenging ourselves, and our partners, in acting to advance equality and opportunity for Black people, all people of color and those living in poverty in our community.
As part of our effort, we are taking the following actions:
Improve our training model to advise and educate mentors specifically in areas such as cultural competency.
Provide the opportunity for our mentors and students to continue to have conversations about racial equity & social justice.
Maintain a corporate culture that is open to diverse perspectives, unique voices, and understanding of the challenges that different populations face.
Continue to recruit a diverse Board of Directors and Staff representative of the stakeholders we serve.
While we will continue to face more challenging times in the coming months, we know that together we will be able to continue our mission and vision of serving students and impacting the community. Our commitment is steadfast, and we look forward to continuing to spark change in the Communities we serve.
Sincerely,
Sonya Fultz
Chief Executive Officer
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