Former Ohio State basketball and football standouts Ivan Harris and Chimdi Chekwa have continued the Buckeyes' way of Paying It Forward. They recently founded Bucktime Tutoring in Columbus, while Harris is also the CEO of a new group home for boys called Returns, Inc.
Harris, who earned a degree in sociology at Ohio State, said he started the tutoring organization because of the importance of education. At one time, though, he was just like any other kid — not enthused about school.
“I didn’t understand. I just wanted to go hang out with friends and do kids stuff. Now I know how important education is. I’m very blessed.”
Bucktime offers tutors for grades K-12 throughout the state and also offers recruiting mentorships with former Ohio State athletes. The group currently has 20 tutors.
“I always wanted to do some type of tutoring program,” Harris said. “Chimdi also wanted to do something. Mark Johnson, one of my good friends, he’s the one who put everything together. We want to get out and talk to kids. They are our future. We want them to succeed in life.”
