Our City of Adopters

October 4, 2010

One of the true superheroes of our city’s public school system presents an unlikely profile: Bill Burwinkel is neither a teacher, principal or public school parent.  In fact, he’s not even a high school graduate.

But seven years ago, Burwinkel observed a then-failing public school system and recognized that communities share responsibility for school neglect and failure.  He believed a vibrant education system was the better alternative, and decided to roll up his sleeves and begin working to help fix the problems.

Burwinkel’s efforts produced one of Cincinnati’s largest and most successful mentoring programs named “Adopt-A-Class”.  Begun in 2003, AAC paired businesses, community organizations, high schools, and colleges with students from elementary public schools.  Adopters threw holiday parties and celebrations for their students, and delivered needed classroom supplies.  Bonds grew, mentorships developed and deeper commitments evolved as adopters hosted career fairs, student service projects, and offered job-shadowing opportunities.

Burwinkel, a 60-year-old Cincinnatian and CEO of National Marketshare Group, Inc., began AAC initially as an opportunity to donate extra consumer items his retail brokerage company had accumulated.

Having pulled himself up by the bootstraps to start his own company, Burwinkel believed “giving back isn’t an option; it’s an obligation.”  Burwinkel chose a nearby public school to offer the extra supplies and paired many of his employees with one classroom of students.  Within a year, Burwinkel matched 671 students with 17 sponsoring companies, all of which continue as Adopt-A-Class partners six years later.

AAC started in just one school, but today has expanded its army of adopters.  Today, more than 170 businesses and community groups mentor more than 6,000 students at 17 area pubic and parochial schools.  High profile businesses, professional sports teams, police departments, and university athletic teams participate by offering positive role models to those neediest members of the community.

“Adopt-A-Class has become an indispensable piece of our community learning centers,” says Darlene Kamine, who oversaw the public school district’s community learning center strategy for 10 years.  “Adopt-A-Class embodies the vision of connecting our schools to the community in the ongoing effort to make our schools neighborhood hubs.”

For many new volunteers, the program offers a comfortable — yet impactful — way to get involved in improving the lives of young people.  Once a connection to the students is in place, more meaningful relationships and deeper commitments often result.

One of the many devoted champions for Adopt-A-Class is Judy Oden, an employee at a local developer, who has coordinated her co-workers’ mentoring relationships.  Her sponsoring company has arranged Easter egg hunts and graduation parties; organized coat drives and school supply donations; and regularly sends volunteers to tutor students.

“It’s good for our own company morale,” says Oden.  “The real gift is seeing the student’s faces light up when we visit the school.”

Burwinkel regularly witnesses transformations in company cohesiveness.  “It made my company feel like more of a team,” he says.  “I had one employee tell me after our first student holiday party that he began to feel the true meaning behind Christmas for the first time.”

Adopt-A-Class is just one example among many organizations in Greater Cincinnati connecting students and mentors.  In a city where only 1 in 5 residents have school-aged children, the growing base of volunteers has helped fuel broad civic support of the school system, including an overwhelming 60 percent to 40 percent margin in support of renewing last year’s school levy.

In the case of Adopt-A-Class, the education and inspiration is just as much for the adopters as for the students.  “As more than 6,000 adopters have now discovered for themselves, our public schools aren’t places to fear or avoid or ignore,” says Burwinkel.  “They’re places to rally behind, cheer for, and invest in.”

About the Author

P.G. Sittenfeld is the Director of Community Engagement for The Community Learning Center Institute – a Cincinnati based organization that leverages the use of schools as neighborhood hubs providing additional academic support, health resources, and recreational and cultural opportunities. Sittenfeld has written for The New York Times, TIME magazine, and The Cincinnati Enquirer. He serves as a division co-chair for the United Way of Greater Cincinnati’s 2010 Annual Campaign; a board member of the Freestore Foodbank; a board member of CincyPac; and a member of the CincinnatiUSA Chamber of Commerce HYPE advisory committee.