Grantee Highlight – Adopt A Class

June 2026

Adopt A Class (AAC) is transforming what’s possible for students across Greater Cincinnati by connecting classrooms with caring mentors who open doors to future careers, confidence, and community. Through its Career and Life Skills Mentorship Program, AAC empowers K–8 students to explore college and career pathways while building the soft skills that help them thrive. More than 4,800 volunteer mentors from over 250 partner companies “adopt” classrooms and stay with them throughout their tenure, creating consistent, meaningful relationships that help students see their potential reflected in the adults who show up for them month after month.

This year, AAC will bring literacy‑focused career exploration to more than 2,500 K–2nd‑grade students across 57 schools in 17 districts. Each month, mentors spend an hour with groups of young learners, using books, characters, and stories to spark curiosity about different careers while practicing essential life skills like teamwork, listening, and self‑confidence. Local authors—including Danise DiStasi—visit classrooms and donate books, adding excitement and representation to each lesson. Beyond the classroom, mentors guide students on career‑connected field trips to employers, colleges, and training programs, helping them imagine futures they may never have known existed.

“At Adopt A Class, we believe that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see.’ By connecting our youngest learners with dedicated mentors and providing the literal wheels to get them into the community, we are doing more than just discussing careers—we are showing students that these spaces belong to them. This exposure is the spark that turns a child’s curiosity into a lifelong sense of agency and hope.” Said Sonya Fultz, CEO for Adopt A Class.

Funding from ACT will support bus transportation for these field trips, ensuring that 960 young students can experience firsthand what various careers look like in the real world. These visits are often the first time many children step onto a college campus or into a workplace, and the impact is profound. Research shows that mentorship significantly increases school engagement, college enrollment, and leadership development—outcomes that are especially critical in Hamilton County, where more than 44,000 children are living in poverty. By pairing students with caring adults and expanding their exposure to diverse career paths, AAC helps break cycles of learned helplessness and replaces them with possibility, agency, and hope.