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Luxottica Retail, Cincinnati Youth Collaborative and Cincinnati Public Schools Receive State Excellence Award for Mentoring Program
MASON, Ohio. On Wednesday, May 14, Luxottica Retail, in partnership with the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) and Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) Withrow University and Withrow International High School, will hold a graduation celebration for students and mentors who participated in the award-winning Lux-Tigers mentoring program at Luxottica's North American headquarters in Mason, Ohio. Considered one of the most successful models of workplace mentoring, last week the program was recognized by the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations with the Excellence Award "for creativity, execution, achievement and overall excellence of a specific program."
As part of the graduation event on May 14, Luxottica executives will award two participating seniors $4,000 for college scholarships and all participants will be recognized for their program achievements during the academic year.
"Luxottica Retail, CYC and CPS are so proud of the accomplishments of the students and mentors who participate in this powerful program," said Keith Borders, Vice President of Associates Relations and Diversity for Luxottica Retail. "We are grateful for the Excellence Award from the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations and hope this recognition inspires other companies and schools to consider adopting this successful program model. We are happy to share our learnings with others and look forward to building on our success next year and beyond."
"Cincinnati Public Schools works hard each day to properly prepare students for success throughout their lives," said Rosa E. Blackwell, CPS Superintendent. "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Luxottica Retail and CYC to offer students at Withrow University and Withrow International not only a scholarship, but also a chance to experience what it's like to work in corporate America. I am certainly proud of these students and appreciate the mentors who have helped them grow both personally and professionally."
Adds Simone Bess, Vice President of Mentoring for the CYC, "The Cincinnati community is fortunate enough to have a corporate partner like Luxottica that understands the value of community engagement. This partnership has been successful only with the commitment of Luxottica Corporate leadership and their phenomenal workforce. They actualize the concept of giving back and giving of themselves to better the lives of young people in this community."
About the Lux-Tigers Mentoring Program:
In 2001, Luxottica's Diversity Community Committee partnered with the CYC and Withrow High School to pioneer a new mentoring model to expose mentors to students' school experiences and expose students to career opportunities by bringing them to the workplace. Every month, 45 Withrow students visit Luxottica's headquarters in Mason to meet with their mentors to share lunch, conversation and a planned activity ranging from attending public speaking classes to filling out college and scholarship applications. Students learn practical skills from professional role models who share similar interests and cultural/ethnic backgrounds. In addition to the monthly mentoring meetings, Luxottica involves these students in other dimensions of the company's "culture of giving back" to the Cincinnati community. For example, students participate in Luxottica's Hometown Days—a week of hands-on community service during which Luxottica associates provide free eye exams and vision care to those in need. In 2007, 100 percent of seniors involved in the program enrolled in college.
About the Excellence Award from the Ohio Associate of Nonprofit Organizations:
The Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations (OANO) sponsors the Excellence Award to recognize the creativity, execution, achievement, and overall excellence of a specific project of program completed by an Ohio nonprofit the previous year. Two awards were granted in the three regions (northern, central and southern Ohio) for both a small nonprofit (operating budget of $1 million and under) and a large nonprofit (operating budget in excess of $1 million). A selection committee comprised of community foundations, a United Way agency and past-award winners selected the winners from more than 100 award applications.
About the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative:
A leader in youth development programs since 1987, the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative creates, facilitates and supports positive educational, social and economic programs to benefit the region's youth, principally Cincinnati Public School–age and young-adult populations. Focusing on two primary areas—Mentoring and College Access—CYC brings together people, institutions, and other community resources to help youth graduate from high school, enter post-secondary education, or obtain employment. Additional information on CYC can be found at www.cycyouth.org.
About Luxottica Retail:
Luxottica Retail is the North American retail segment of NYSE- and Milan-listed Luxottica Group. Luxottica Group, based in Milan, is the world leader in design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of prescription frames and sunglasses. Luxottica Retail comprises nearly 5,000 retail locations throughout North America, including LensCrafters, Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical and Sunglass Hut. EyeMed Vision Care is the managed vision care business of Luxottica Group in the U.S. Additional information is available at www.luxottica.com.
About Cincinnati Public Schools:
Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) – a district with 62 schools serving a diverse population of more than 34,000 students in grades preschool to 12 – prepares students for life through rigorous academic programs, numerous enrichment opportunities and strong community partnerships. The district has maintained the Continuous Improvement ranking, the third-highest available, from the Ohio Department of Education for the last three years. In addition, its graduation rate has increased from just over 60 percent to more than 80 percent since 2002. Three of its high schools – Walnut Hills High School, Withrow University High School and Clark Montessori High School – are all ranked among the top 1,000 public high schools in the United States according to national magazines. CPS is currently in year six of a $1 billion Facilities Master Plan to renovate or build new school facilities for the entire school district. To learn more about Cincinnati Public Schools, visit the district online at www.cps-k12.org.
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