About 40 students from various high schools in Buffalo toured General Motors' Tonawanda Engine Plant as part of the "Success Looks Like Me" program.The program provides low-income youth of color with opportunities to interact with successful adults, including Engine Plant Manager Steve Finch. A 1976 graduate of Hutch-Tech, Finch says looking at the students, he sees the future.
"Who knows which one of them might someday be in my shoes? I really wanted to just give them some encouragement, let them know that they can do it, that it's possible," Finch told WBFO.
Along with overseeing the GM Plant, Finch is board chairman of the Buffalo chapter of the United Way and sits on the boards of the Buffalo Urban League and the AAA. He has been with GM for 34 years
"There's nothing special, I don't think, about me or my story. I think probably some of them will have greater options opportunities. All they have to do is make sure that they take advantage of them," Finch said.
The youth program is put on by the Cultures of Giving Legacy Initiative, a fund of the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.