MENTOR Rhode Island

What is a Legacy Mentor?
A Legacy Mentor is a volunteer who has served in one of MENTOR Rhode Island's school-based programs for ten or more years - and is still mentoring! We're so excited to recognize these folks at our Annual Campaign Breakfast tomorrow morning!

📣📣Giving Tuesday is one month from today! 📣📣
Save the date, and keep a look out for how you can help support youth around Rhode Island this December 3rd!

MENTOR Rhode Island is proud to be hosting The Power of Play! Learn to channel your inner child as a way to build and strengthen relationships with the youth you serve. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0uc-urpzwsHdW4oGHu_sb2rWRCnbFCq0MC

A very happy Halloween from the MENTOR Rhode Island staff, along with mentees from our Juvenile Justice Initiative program, who enjoyed pumpkin decorating, treats, and games yesterday! We are so thankful to our mentors, including those from Island State Police , for making Halloween special!

In just seven days, we'll be recognizing these amazing mentors who have served ten or more years volunteering for our communities! 🥳✨🤩Let's give a round of applause to these fantastic folks in the comments! 👏👏👏

We are so proud of our partnership with Providence Bruins, which allows youth, volunteers and families to experience the magic of sports!

Ghouls just wanna have fun!
MENTOR Rhode Island staff go above and beyond to prep our office for a Halloween party for youth in our Juvenile Justice Initiative program! 🎃🧟‍♀️👻 It takes little things like this to help our youth feel a sense of belonging. Everyone deserves to have a fang-tastic Halloween! 🧛‍♂️🦇

On November 6th, MENTOR Rhode Island will honor mentors like our Board Chair, Brendan Ahearn, who have served over ten years as mentors in our programs! We'll induct these inspiring leaders into the new Mentor Hall of Fame as part of our kick-off to the giving season. Want to join us? RSVP at https://mentorri.dm.networkforgood.com/forms/annual-campaign-2024-2025

Inspire: "to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something; to create a feeling, especially a positive one, in a person."
Ross Bouchard, Program Development Manager, took time to inspire programs to grow and enhance their work in an informational session about the National Mentoring Resource Center. Want to learn more about the NMRC? Visit https://mentorri.org/enhancing-a-mentor-program/

As comes to an end, let's continue to focus on the importance of mentoring as a way to share traditions, experiences, and knowledge within communities. Mentoring relationships are not only great ways to help future generations thrive but are also ways to ensure that intergenerational learning continues.

We are so inspired by our dear friend Deb Gormley! Congratulations for being recognized with The Washington Trust Company 's Distinguished Woman Banker Award! Deb has spent years connecting MENTOR Rhode Island throughout the community, and empowering youth to reach their highest potential.

With a career spanning almost 50 years, Deb Gormley personifies the title of Community Banker. As the current head of Retail Banking at Washington Trust for the last 15 years, Deb is responsible for retail sales and service delivery across the bank’s branch locations and customer solutions center, as well as digital banking services and branch administration. Her depth of knowledge in the banking industry, her commitment to customer service, and her overall grace and kindness have led to her success as a leader, mentor, cherished colleague and friend to all who know her.

When she joined Washington Trust in 2010, Deb brought with her more than 35 years of banking experience and a deep understanding of the local market. Under her leadership, the Bank’s branch network has grown significantly, adding 12 new locations, expanding the total to 28 branches across the state. Her contributions have not only shaped the success of the company, but also set a high standard of excellence for her team.

Ned Handy, Washington Trust Chairman & CEO says that “One of Deb’s strongest assets is her people skills. She has been able to lead and motivate her staff even in the most challenging of situations. Her rise from a Teller to our Chief Retail Banking Officer serves as an inspiration to all those who aspire to grow in their career – hard work, dedication, relationship building and a deep commitment to the customer will pay off”.

In addition to her industry knowledge, Deb is known for her mentorship and dedication to professional development. She is genuine in nature and excels in recognizing and nurturing talent, inspiring her staff with positivity, empathy, and encouragement and generously offering professional guidance. She’s has been instrumental in developing the next generation of banking professionals, sharing her knowledge and instilling a strong focus on customer solutions and customer care, even in challenging situations. She encourages her team to understand each customer's story to better provide the personalized service they need at that time.

Highly respected in the regional marketplace, Deb’s commitment to community service has never wavered throughout her career. She supports both MENTOR RI and the Domestic Violence Resource Center of South County by serving as Event Chair for each organization’s largest fundraiser each year, channeling her leadership and efficiency into the event design and ex*****on, and leveraging her wide network to garner support for the missions of these important organizations. She has built a legacy of belonging and compassion for colleagues, customers, and the community.
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What we value is you.™

For our participants to truly engage with our content, it's important to connect with everyone in the room! Christopher Margadonna, Master Trainer and Senior Director of Training and Program Development, ensures that every training begins with community building. Want to learn more? Visit https://mentorri.org/professional-development-training/

We're thrilled to shout out our new Marketing Intern, Diane! Diane is currently attending school at Island College (RIC). Today, Diane presented her ideas for her Creative Marketing Class capstone project to MENTOR Rhode Island staff! Great job Diane - we're so excited to see how you grow over the semester!

This week, MRI welcomed and trained twenty innovative mentoring programs, funded through the City of Providence and MENTOR Rhode Island's initiative, Relationships at the Center. This initiative aims to reduce youth violence and increase social-emotional health, school attendance, and the overall wellbeing of our youth. We are so grateful to , for funding this initiative, and to all twenty recipients for the passion and care they have for our youth and city!

Mentors make a difference everywhere! Do you have a mentor that helps guide you in your career and life?

We are so thankful to Mayor Brett Smiley and City of Providence for partnering with us to help fund twenty programs and serve over 1000 youth in Providence! We can’t wait to share more with you about this movement in the coming days.

Today, I’m proud to join MENTOR Rhode Island and Councilman Juan Pichardo to announce a $990K ARPA investment to expand youth mentoring in the City of Providence! This funding will empower 20 community organizations to serve over 1,000 youth, providing critical support and opportunities for our city’s future leaders.

More info here: https://www.providenceri.gov/mayor-brett-smiley-announces-nearly-1-million-to-support-youth-mentoring-programs/

This season, it’s important to focus on the role of regular and meaningful attendance in student success. It’s not just about showing up, but rather showing up consistently and staying engaged through the learning process. Mentors can have a huge impact on student commitment by helping them set goals and stay on track. Learn more about how you can help youth around you stay motivated in school at https://bit.ly/4dAqKRg