On the evening of March 22, nine mentees and their mentors happily received brand-new laptops. The mentees are part of the University of Cincinnati Medical Mentor Program, or Med Mentors, which is a partnership between CYC, UC Medical students, and nearby schools, including Cincinnati Public Schools. The laptops were made possible by a generous gift from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
“Education is important.”
This simple statement, made by Dr. Lim at the Computer Program Kick-Off event, is the driving force behind the creation of Med Mentors. Founded fifteen years ago, the program has served more than 1,500 students, both college and elementary. Young students are exposed to cultural opportunities like Broadway shows, museums, and healthy cooking classes. Medical students step outside of the college and become better connected to their community.
See all pictures from the event.
The gift from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center will continue over the next three years, with new Med Mentor mentees receiving laptop computers each year. This kick-off event celebrated the first group of mentees to receive these wonderful tools. The children and their families were beyond excited, and gratitude shone in their eyes. Many students in CYC mentoring programs face extreme obstacles like poverty, families with limited access to education and instability within their homes. They lack access to resources that many take for granted, like a computer. Under the guidance of mentors, these computers will be an invaluable tool for access to educational resources, freedom to work on homework in locations other than the public library and experience with technology that will serve them well in any future career.
Read the UCHealth News article.
All activities of UC Med Mentors, a Cincinnati Youth Collaborative mentoring initiative, are funded by the Charles H. Dater Foundation, the Rue Foundation, and the UC Medical Student Association.
