A special community partnership between College Mentors for Kids and F.A. Wilhelm Construction Company, an Indiana Construction Association member, is exposing kids to careers in construction. Students from the University of Indianapolis chapter of College Mentors for Kids paired up with Wilhelm Construction Company to teach kids about estimating, planning, safety and other topics of construction. Fifty-five second-through-sixth graders from Paul I. Miller School #114 and their UIndy student mentors gathered in the Schwitzer Student Center to learn what it takes to construct a building from beginning to end. To let the kids try out the processes, four Wilhelm Construction employee volunteers led the kids and mentors in making their own birdhouses. The activity capped off with the kids exploring a concrete pump truck and holding a Q & A with the pump truck operator. 

This educational activity allowed kids to learn about new careers and speak to professionals in the field who could share their personal experiences. Robert Ramey, productivity improvement manager with Wilhelm Construction, explained, "Our team is excited to be a part of the College Mentors program. Not only are we able to share our passion for building, we are able to pass that along to the next generation of leaders." 

F.A. Wilhelm Construction Company also provides monetary support to College Mentors for Kids, making the single-largest corporate gift in the company’s history to mark College Mentors’ 20th-anniversary and to launch the nonprofit organization’s first capital campaign since its founding. Wilhelm Construction will serve as the lead champion for College Mentors’ two-year, $2 million campaign. 

Phil Kenney, president of Wilhelm Construction, notes, "F.A. Wilhelm is honored to play a small role in the growth of College Mentor for Kids. Being an active member of the community is one of the fundamental principles of this company and we’re excited to continue the legacy."

Carly Smith, a sophomore at UIndy and a College Mentors for Kids chapter leader, shared, "We are so happy to have this opportunity to have Wilhelm Construction come talk to the kids. We think that it is important for the kids to know that they have a wide variety of opportunities in construction-related fields. Having Wilhelm Construction visit us shows the kids that there are no limits to what they can do and that they can achieve anything."