'One caring adult away'

In celebration of National Mentoring Month – and with renewed dedication to what Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership president and CEO Jo-Ann Schofield said is the belief “that every kid is one caring adult away from being a success story” – a rally and panel discussion was held last week at the Warwick Public Library.

“We can all look back and recognize someone who believed in us and told us we could do great things beyond our parents,” Deb Saunders, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State, said during the gathering sponsored by United Healthcare. “As a mentor, you are given the chance to be that person for a child. From personal experience, I know I have become a better person for being a mentor.”

Last week’s gathering was designed as an opportunity to spread the message regarding the need for mentors in Rhode Island, and to highlight the rewards the program offers.

The Mentoring Partnership began in 1990 with 10 volunteers as a partnership between Warwick Public Schools, MetLife and the Chamber Education Foundation. Now, the program includes nearly 300 mentoring pairs statewide and networks with about 60 other mentoring programs, such as the community-based Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Those on hand for the rally stressed the need for new mentors for children on waiting lists across the state.

“It’s really easy to be a mentor. There is no need for any special skills – just a willingness to help one kid once a week and pay it forward,” Schofield said. “If we received 30 mentors tomorrow, we could put them all to work immediately. We have a waiting list of kids. We could never have enough mentors.”

There is also an increased need for male mentors. Typically, there are more women who step up to be mentors, but with many young people lacking a positive male figure in their lives, the Mentoring Partnership would like to see more men involved.

“There are so many young boys on the waiting list for a match, just waiting for a few good men,” Shofield said.

Panelists included Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist; Saunders; Pilar McCloud, the founder of A Sweet Creation Youth Organization; and Lauren Conway and Russell Fry, the Big Sister and Big Brother of the Year, respectively.

Schofield and the other panelists said a successful mentor is simply someone willing to care about a child, and to give up an hour a week to sit with that young person and remind them someone is listening.

“Having someone consistently care about them makes mentees feel better about themselves and that confidence boosts sees some great results,” Shofield said.

Parents and teachers alike say they can see a difference in children once they participate in the program, both emotionally and academically.

Gist explained the benefits of a mentoring relationship in terms of a child’s education.

“It impacts their success in school, their attendance rate. Mentoring helps them stay out of trouble and improves graduation rates,” she said. “As commissioner, I’ve seen the deep, rich and world of expanding relationships and support systems a mentoring relationship can be for both mentor and mentee.”

Anyone interested in becoming a mentor or seeking additional information may contact the Mentoring Partnership at 732-7700 or visit its website, www.mentorri.org. More information on Big Brothers Big Sisters can be found online at www.bbbsos.org.

Both organizations also accept donations, and host several fundraising events throughout the year.