Mentor R.I. holds annual fundraising campaign kick-off

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE): Mentor Rhode Island held its annual fundraising campaign kick-off on Tuesday night. One mentee described how his life took a positive turn after his mentor led him on a different path. 

“It’s huge, especially where I come from,” Rommy Morel, a mentee, said. “Central High School is a place filled with violence and gangs.” 

Commander Thomas Verdi with the Providence Police Department serves on the Board of Directors of Mentor R.I. He noticed Morel when he was just 13, walking home from a baseball game in South Providence all the way to the West End of Providence. 

“I said your mother isn’t coming? Your father? No,” Verdi recalled. “I said okay get in the police car.” 

Since that moment, they have been inseparable. Morel is now 22. 

“My mom and dad broke up at an early age so I don’t consider Commander Verdi a mentor, I consider him a dad,” Morel said. 

The non-profit works directly with school districts across the state and serves about 5,500 mentees. 

Jo-Ann Schofield said it’s important for them to not solely rely on public funding and grants. 

Back in 2018, the Warwick School District, dealing with a 6.5 million budget deficit, eliminated the program from its budget. 

“We are a small agency with about a $600,000 annual budget and we lost $102,000 in one swoop that we weren’t prepared for,” Schofield said. 

The Warwick School District restored funding in 2019. However, Schofield said it’s important to receive money from individual donors as well.  

“It life-changing for a young person to know there’s someone other than your family in your corner,” Schofield said. 

Morel is a perfect example of this. When he first met Verdi, he was falling behind in school and getting in trouble. He said Verdi constantly checks on his grades and has motivated him to make smarter decisions. 

“I’m in college and I’m getting good grades,” Morel said. 

Morel graduated high school with a 3.7 GPA and is now senior at Rhode Island College and on the baseball team. 

Schofield said if you are interested in being a mentor you need to pass a screening test, as well as being committed. 

©WLNE-TV/ABC6 2020