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| Last updated on June 16, 2008 |
Since 1990, the Chamber Education Foundation has coordinated mentor programs to help students of all ages achieve their goals. Mission: To create, implement and support a statewide career mentoring delivery system for children, youth and adults.
Description:
Because of the success of these programs, Alan Shawn Feinstein made a generous contribution to help create the statewide Feinstein Mentor Network. The Mentor Network, affiliated with the National Mentoring Partnership, is dedicated to increasing the number of mentors for children and adults throughout Rhode Island, supporting school-based and community-based mentor programs.
Origin of "Mentoring"
"Mentoring" comes from mythology: Odysseus asked his friend Mentor to counsel his son Telemachus.
Being a mentor is about communicating in a meaningful way. It's about being yourself and sharing your experience and your perspective on life. As a mentor, you'll form a one-to-one relationship with a student or adult learner who needs your support and attention. You'll be a positive role model and a trusted friend. And, as with any friendship, you'll get a lot out of it too.
History:
The Chamber Education Foundation is a private, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization established in 1987 to act in the collective educationally-related interests of Warwick area businesses. A division of the Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, the Education Foundation was created in response to members' growing concerns about the employability of Warwick youth, as employers shared with each other their frustration with teenagers' lack of workforce readiness, whether they were students, graduates, or (especially) high school dropouts. Reacting proactively, the Chamber of Commerce organized an Education Committee headed by immediate past president John Howell, which led to formation of a partnership between the local business community and the Warwick school administration.
Chamber member and educational consultant Dr. James J. McCormick was asked to spearhead development of this new school/business partnership initiative. At the request of then-superintendent Elliott LeFaiver, business community involvement began with a dropout-prevention effort at one Warwick Junior High School. Its success in helping to improve student achievement and the ability to apply classroom learning to real-world situations led to several other school/business partnership programs throughout the district, each designed to connect ongoing instruction to careers and skill applications in the world of work. Today, the Education Foundation remains true to its origins, with a wide range of programs serving youth at all grade levels (K-12), as well as adults in need of workforce readiness training. The goal of both the youth and the adult initiatives is to help to develop competent, well-prepared graduates with skills and qualities needed for productive adulthood. Arlene McNulty provides leadership as the Foundation's President and CEO and John Howell continues his involvement as chairman of the Foundation's Board of Trustees.
Governance is provided by an elected, volunteer Board of Trustees, whose officers meet quarterly to conduct the business of the organization. Membership on the Board is generally at the president/CEO level of Rhode Island companies committed to promoting workforce development, economic development, and educational excellence. The Foundation considers its "primary customer" to be Rhode Island employers, whose ability to succeed is linked to the quality of their present and future workforce. As a business organization dedicated to improving workforce quality, the Chamber Education Foundation operates in a mode of continuous improvement in fulfillment of its mission: To create, implement and support a statewide career mentoring delivery system for children, youth and adults.
Contact people:
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Arlene McNulty, President, 401-732-7700, (email)
Merilee Pratt, (401) 732-7700, (email) |
Office fax number: (401) 732-7715
Address:
Web Site: http://www.mentorRI.org
Directions:
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Route 95 to exit 10A. Go east on Route 117 for approximately 1 mile. Building is on right (next to Walgreen's) |
Miscellaneous Information
| Handicap accessible? |
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Yes
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| Interests Served: |
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Solutions for Children, Youth, Families
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| Does your agency accept court-appointed volunteers? |
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No
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