Hospital Donates $200K to D/C Mentor Program

CLEVELAND — University Hospitals will donate $200,000 over the next four years to the ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland to assist in engaging and mentoring high school students in 226 markets across the country.  

This Cleveland-based program addresses current downward trends in staffing for the design and construction industry. ACE structured the program to engage youth in dynamic educational opportunities with respected industry professionals alongside their peers. Continued advancement in the industry is then supported through scholarships and grants to further a rewarding career for students attending the program.

Mentors and professionals from leading architecture, engineering and construction firms will involve students in a 15-week program designed to offer tours of construction sites, office visits and hands-on projects, such as preparing mock contractor bids and developing three-dimensional models of building concepts.

Specifically aimed at introducing design, construction and engineering to youth, the program was pioneered by the ACE Mentor Program of America, a non-profit high school mentoring program to introduce students to specialized career paths. University Hospitals and Gilbane Building Co., co-sponsors of the local chapter, recognized the enormous success of the national program and brought the affiliate program to Cleveland in 2008.

“This commitment and generosity by University Hospitals will undoubtedly change the lives of many of our ACE students,” said Tom Laird, board chairman of ACE Mentor Program of Cleveland. “I know every one of our graduates and their families will forever be grateful for the opportunities these scholarships will provide.”

Volunteers from more than 29 local member firms have assisted in educating 60 high school juniors and seniors from the John Hay School of Architecture & Design and James Ford Rhodes High School since the ACE program was brought to Cleveland in 2008.