At this week’s Big Brothers Big Sisters BIG Breakfast, one question stood out: Who invested in you? The answer may hold the key to Cincinnati's next generation of leaders.
Who believed in you before you believed in yourself?
Maybe it was a teacher who recognized your potential. A coach who pushed you harder. A boss who took a chance on you. Or someone who simply made a phone call, opened a door or told you that you were capable of more.
I found myself thinking about that question Tuesday morning at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati BIG Breakfast at Hard Rock Casino.
The event, presented by Cintas, brought together business and community leaders around a powerful theme: ‘Who Invested in You? Building the Next Generation of Leaders.”
The conversation featured Mel J. Gravely, executive chair of Triversity Construction; Harry Snyder, president and CEO of Great Oaks Career Campuses; and Amy Spiller, state president of Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky. Michelle Hopkins of WCPO's Cincy Lifestyle moderated the discussion.
The premise was simple. None of us gets where we are entirely on our own.
And that got me thinking about a BIG idea for Cincinnati: What if every young person had someone who believed in their future?
What if we treated mentorship not simply as a charitable activity, but as one of our region’s most important investments in economic development?
Mentorship Shouldn’t End at Graduation
One of the most compelling initiatives at Big Brothers Big Sisters is a program called Big Futures.
It addresses something we don't discuss nearly enough: the complicated years between being a teenager and becoming an independent adult.
Big Futures supports young people ages 14 to 24 as they navigate high school, higher education, employment and adulthood. It combines individualized coaching, mentoring, workplace experiences and community connections.
The program is organized around four essential areas: financial education, postsecondary pathways, personal and career development, and wellness and resiliency.
Think about what that means.
A young person might have the talent to become an engineer but has never met one. Another might have the ambition to start a business but doesn't know how to open a bank account, build credit or write a business plan.
Someone else might have the skills to succeed in college but needs encouragement to apply.
Talent is everywhere. Access to opportunity is not.
And sometimes the difference between potential and progress is one person willing to invest their time.
Cincinnati Has Been Building BIG Futures for More Than a Century
Here’s something worth remembering. Big Brothers Big Sisters began right here in Cincinnati.
In 1903, local businessman Irvin F. Westheimer noticed a young boy sharing scraps of food with his dog. Westheimer invited the boy to lunch, learned about his family's circumstances and began helping him and his mother.
That single act of compassion helped launch a mentoring movement that eventually spread across the country.
More than 120 years later, Cincinnati is still helping shape the future of mentorship.
And the results deserve attention.
92% high school graduation rate among participating youth
40K+ Mentoring hours provided in 2024
826 children served in 2024
Those numbers represent more than program outcomes. They represent young people developing the confidence and skills to build meaningful lives.
And that’s good for all of Cincinnati.
The BIG Idea: Make Mentorship Part of Every Company's Talent Strategy
We spend millions of dollars attracting businesses, recruiting workers and preparing students for careers.
But what if every major employer in Cincinnati made a commitment to help young people discover what those careers actually look like?
Imagine a 16-year-old spending time with an architect, a journalist, a financial advisor or a chef.
Imagine a 19-year-old learning how to negotiate a salary, manage a budget or build a professional network.
Imagine a 22-year-old having someone to call when that first job doesn't work out.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is already demonstrating how this can work through programs such as Beyond School Walls, which connects high school students with corporate mentors and real-world career experiences.
The organization has also recently announced more than $3 million in investments to expand its GameChangers program, which places professional mentors directly in schools. The expansion is expected to reach 350 additional young people this fall.
These initiatives offer a compelling model for connecting youth development with workforce development.
My BIG idea is to take that thinking even further.
What if Cincinnati's business community collectively committed to creating 1,000 new mentoring and career-exposure opportunities for young people over the next year?
Not another committee. Not another report.
A measurable commitment to opening doors.
Companies could provide mentors, workplace visits, job-shadowing experiences, financial literacy workshops and introductions to professional networks. Organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters could help ensure those opportunities are meaningful, structured and sustained.
And we could measure success not just by participation, but by the futures those relationships help create.
Who Are You Investing In?
I left the BIG Breakfast thinking about the people who invested in my own journey, and about the responsibility we have to do the same for others.
Mentorship doesn't always require a grand gesture. Sometimes it begins with a conversation, an introduction or an hour of someone's time.
But that hour can change the direction of a life.
Cincinnati has an extraordinary history of entrepreneurship, generosity and community leadership. We also have thousands of talented young people who will determine what this region becomes next.
The question isn't whether they have potential. The question is whether we're willing to help them realize it.
Here's the challenge to Cincinnati's business community: Don't just ask who invested in you. Ask who you're investing in next.
Because the next great Cincinnati leader might be waiting for someone to open the door.
And that is a BIG idea worth pursuing.
Learn more about Big Futures, becoming a mentor or supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati at BigsForKids.org.
– Jackie Reau
