August 2005 edition of Cincinnati Magazine

“I’ve done a lot of living and learning. How can I share my knowledge?”

For some, the good feeling they get from making a difference drives their decision to MENTOR CHILDREN; others become mentors personal reasons. Walter Ingram, executive director of Next Level Mentoring Program, Inc., in Florence, says he’s merely repaying the efforts of individuals who helped him.

“Someone mentored me and kept me on the right track,” says Ingram, who founded Next Level after running a pilot program for students in Boone and Kenton counties last school year. Working with 8th through 12th graders, the faith-based initiative is designed to help minority youth, primarily African-American students, with college aspirations. “My own personal experience lit a fire in me to try and do something,” he says. “[Students] need to have some organization that’s geared toward their success.”