McDonald Hopkins' commitment to mentoring takes center stage: Celebrating 8 years of partnership with College Now

For the eighth consecutive year, McDonald Hopkins is proud to support College Now and its mission to help students from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District navigate the path to and through college. Central to that mission is the Say Yes Cleveland scholarship, which helps bridge the financial gap for eligible students attending Ohio colleges and universities. A key component of the program is mentorship; each student is paired with a mentor to help guide them throughout their college journey.

That’s where we come in. McDonald Hopkins employees have continued to step up year after year, volunteering their time and insight to support students as they transition into higher education and beyond. The program has gained strong momentum within the firm, with participation continuing to grow.

This March, the firm once again partnered with WKYC (Cleveland's NBC affiliate) to spotlight College Now’s mentorship program and encourage others in the community to get involved. Throughout the month, a commercial, filmed in our Cleveland office, has been airing across the region, showcasing our mentors and sharing why this work matters. In addition, on March 11, attorneys Madison Massie and John Polinko joined the host of Lakeside Today to talk about why mentorship matters to them, and on March 18, Dave Kall, Cleveland's Managing Member, talked about how important our commitment to giving back is. 

Madison told host Katherine Boyd, in part, "it's a very important cause that I feel personally connected to because I was a first-generation college grad myself, and I think that navigating a very difficult time like college, it's important to surround yourself with mentors," she said.

John Polinko said one of his professors in law school became a mentor to him, and he wanted to be that for someone else. "I am forever grateful to him for what he did for me, and it's my hope that I can emulate that for my mentee," he noted.

Dave Kall said giving back is integral to the firm.

"If we don't have an educated workforce, we are not going to have businesses stay or relocate to northeast Ohio," he said. "We believe we are a destination firm and what that means is it's important for us as attorneys to give back to the community."