Five Questions With: Toni Marie Roderick-Gomes

TONI MARIE RODERICK-GOMES is executive director of the Mt. Hope Learning Center in Providence. / COURTESY MT. HOPE LEARNING CENTER
TONI MARIE RODERICK-GOMES is executive director of the Mt. Hope Learning Center in Providence. / COURTESY MT. HOPE LEARNING CENTER

Toni Marie Roderick-Gomes has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years, primarily in the Providence area. She joined the Mt. Hope Learning Center as executive director in June 2015.

PBN: For how long had the Mt. Hope Learning Center needed a new roof and through what philanthropic methods did it try to raise funds for the needed money?

RODERICK-GOMES: The Mt. Hope Learning Center purchased the building at 140 Cypress St. in Providence 18 years ago. At the time of purchase, the home had its original slate roof from 1907 and came with many issues that prevented the roof project from being completed; among them asbestos removal, labor and materials. The costs were estimated to be over $100,000. Annual fundraisers for the agency brought in less than $10,000. We applied to the city of Providence and The Champlin Foundation repeatedly, but we never received funding for the roof. It became quickly obvious that more help was needed. The agency considered taking out a loan to fix the house, but monthly payments would have been difficult to pay, considering our small annual budget.

PBN: How did Shawmut Design & Construction come into the equation?

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RODERICK-GOMES: As of 2016, we have a new board member, Jack Silva, the vice president of campus services at the Rhode Island School of Design. He works with Shawmut frequently on many construction projects at RISD and asked them if they could help. We met with the Shawmut team hoping they would donate labor and maybe some materials. We hoped that they would help us break the process down into stages; we knew we couldn’t afford to fix it all at once or even within a year. We were flabbergasted when they returned to us and said they were donating the entire project. We were amazed, to say the least. Shawmut brought their “A” game … subcontractors, management team, cleanup staff – within two weeks, we had a brand-new roof!

PBN: What can similar donations of time and money do for the greater nonprofit community?

RODERICK-GOMES: Donations of time and money are truly invaluable to the nonprofit community. Without them, it can become difficult to remain focused on the day-to-day needs of the community at large. Whether it’s volunteering for a one-time project or for ongoing services, volunteers can have a measurable impact, one hour or one dollar at a time.

PBN: Does the center have a plan to pass on the positive momentum to the community?

RODERICK-GOMES: Mt. Hope Learning Center will continue to work with our community members and partners to have a positive impact on our youth. The new roof will allow us to utilize our facility more and to offer additional educational workshops and STEAM-inspired (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities.

PBN: With the roof fixed, what is the new focus of fundraising at the Mt. Hope Learning Center?

RODERICK-GOMES: With the completion of the roof project, we can now focus on obtaining a van; the agency has been renting vehicles for field trips with our 21st century youth and other activities with our Young Women’s Group. We hope to obtain a van that will also serve as a STEAM-Mobile, providing STEAM-based educational activities for families throughout our neighborhood over the summer.

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