PawSox Begin 2nd Year of Pioneering Partnership with "Mentor Rhode Island" at Pawtucket's Agnes E. Little Elementary School

The Pawtucket Red Sox today announced that they will continue their pioneering mentor program with elementary school students in partnership with MENTOR Rhode Island. Last year, the PawSox became Pawtucket's first partner of the organization that coordinates and operates mentoring throughout Rhode Island. For the second consecutive year, PawSox front office members will serve as mentors to children at Agnes E. Little Elementary School.

Each week, staff members visit the nearby school and spend an hour with individual children. Last year, the students were third graders. To provide continuity this year, the staff will mentor some of those same children, who are now in fourth grade.
"Whether we were sharing pizza, trying out a guitar, or taking a walk on the playground, the visits were so rewarding for us," said PawSox President Dr. Charles A. Steinberg. "You looked forward to the smile that awaited you, and you let the conversation go wherever the child took it. It's a wonderful way to gain insight to the lives of these thoughtful, sensitive young people in our community."
"The relationships formed from mentoring have a profoundly positive impact on students, and helps broaden their perspectives of the world," said Michael Gilmore, the school's principal. "We are excited to be kicking off another year of this partnership, and everyone from the teachers to the students are looking forward to seeing the PawSox Front office staff back in our building, as part of our school community."
Formerly known as the "Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership," MENTOR Rhode Island supports the services of various programs statewide that provide more than 4,000 mentors to more than 5,000 students. It also directly operates programs in five other cities and towns: Warwick, Woonsocket, Newport, Middletown, and Cranston. The program established in January of 2017 was their first in Pawtucket.
"MENTOR Rhode Island is thrilled to continue and expand our partnership with the PawSox and the Agnes E. Little Elementary School with the second year of our Pawtucket Mentor Program," said Jo-Ann Schofield, President and CEO of MENTOR Rhode Island. "The PawSox have been amazing and dedicated partners by providing the inaugural mentors for the children of their host community. Every PawSox staff member who served as a mentor last year has eagerly returned along with some additional recruits. We are hopeful other businesses will follow the PawSox' example and provide mentors to the program so we can expand to serve more students. We are so grateful for the PawSox making this program possible."
"We are grateful to Jo-Ann Schofield, to Michael Gilmore, and to the teachers and administrators in Pawtucket's city school system for the inspiring work they do every day," Steinberg said. "They make a difference.