CINCINNATI -- Design/build firm DEI continues its tradition of reaching out to the community by once again "adopting" a class of fourth graders from Winton Hills Academy, a school located in a low-income area here.

For the past two years the firm has dedicated both corporate funds and employee time to the Adopt-A-Class program.

As part of its commitment, each student is paired with a DEI employee for the duration of the school year as their pen pal to encourage letter writing and mentoring. Additional activities include career awareness and education, holiday festivities, and team building.

As a team-building exercise, Coach Rowena Gillam, DEI's own inside sales representative and select-soccer coach, and her daughter Kayla, donated their time and soccer equipment to educate both co-workers and students on the basics of soccer.

DEI staffers participated in Coach Gillam's warm-up exercises for the kids and then later separated into teams for an exciting fourth graders vs. adult scrimmage. Complete with coaches, spectators, and prizes, the kids proved more nimble than the DEI staffers and walked away with a 5-3 win.

"Every time I visit our adopted class, I am inspired by the kids' excitement and enthusiasm," says DEI Marketing Manager Tami Linton. "Ms. Dellecave, the fourth grade teacher, is an amazing person and she does a wonderful job of working with us to plan activities and inform of us of special needs. She also makes sure we know how much her class appreciates our efforts. It reminds me that something as small as a soccer game can make a big difference to a child."

Adopt-a-Class is a nonprofit organization that pairs local businesses with schools to provide them with things like books, field trips and mentorships between students and employees.

"We feel this is a worthy cause and I'm happy that our employees want to get involved with the community. Not only does DEI donate money to fund activities, but our employees have shown interest in providing Christmas presents and becoming mentors on their own time for these students. DEI truly has a great group of people working here and I feel lucky to be part of it," said DEI President Ned Compton.