Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education (RISE)

There are currently 125 children receiving support through RISE through two primary interventions: scholarship support and the mentoring program. Children may participate in one or both of these components. Scholarship Program RISE offers children of parents with a history of incarceration scholarships, in the amount of $4,000 per year, to private, parochial and charter schools. RISE students receive ancillary services to ensure their academic success. These include: uniforms, book, and assistance with the high school entrance exam and application process. RISE's Mentoring program matches children with a parent who is currently incarcerated with volunteer mentors. Mentors and their mentees spend at least six hours each month engaged in community-based activities together. There are  currently 95  RISE children matched with mentors. RISE offers monthly activities for mentor-mentee pairs. We are looking for dedicated and engaging adults to volunteer, the commitment is six hours a month for a calendar year.

The mission of RISE is to provide educational opportunities and mentoring to children of incarcerated parents in order to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, violence, and addiction that so often threatens them.