Arbella Employee Give Back: Nativity Prep

 

Since my first day on the job, I have heard from everyone how generous Arbella is and how much the Arbella Charity Foundation does for their employees and their community. It didn’t take long for me to see that firsthand. When I saw the posting for the Employee Giving Program, I knew it was a great opportunity and I jumped on the chance. When I won, I wanted to give the money to a place that had a great mission and was doing good things every day. For me, that choice was easy: Nativity Prep.

Located in downtown New Bedford, MA, Nativity Preparatory School is a small, independent school for boys in low-income families to have a chance to get a great education both inside the classroom and out. The school is funded privately by local sponsors who support the school’s mission.

I first heard about this school through my college roommate, Richie Manzi, who completed his degree in Education Studies at Saint Anselm College in 2013. Instead of joining the ranks of young teachers in public schools, he chose to do what is essentially two years of voluntary service in a tough city. He works with seven other teachers and a principal, who are all young college grads, to teach these young men not only how to do well in school but important life skills as well.

Richie and the other teachers are with the students for twelve hours every day- from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The purpose of this is to give the kids a safe and productive environment off the streets so their parents can work regular hours without having to worry about their kids. Every afternoon after class there is a range of activities from sports to study sessions to help the boys thrive both academically and as individuals. Needless to say, Richie and the others develop special relationships with the students not only as teachers, but as mentors, coaches, and friends.

When I told Richie about the generous program offered by Arbella and how I won and chose his school, he was elated. All of the teacher coach the different sports that they offer during the year and Richie coaches baseball. He had told me before about how their equipment was old and used, and how he had even brought many of his old things from home for the boys to use. I told him I donated the money with their athletics program in mind to get them nicer, newer, and safer equipment. He immediately agreed.

I went down last week to present the check in front of the students and teachers who were all assembled for their spelling bee. After it was finished, the Headmaster Steve Petty spoke to the students and told them about the special gift that being given to them.

“Think about this,” he said. “A year ago, I didn’t even know Mr. Manzi. And I’m sure he had never heard of us. But he cared enough about the school and all of you to tell his friends about it, so much in fact that you were the first choice for this gentleman to donate to. And that’s because of all of the hard work you do every day.”

It was a pretty cool moment. After his words, I presented the check to Yannick, the 8^th Grade Class President. He was very grateful and was the first of several boys to approach me, shake my hand, introduce themselves and say thank you. It really reflected the culture that Richie and the other teachers have instilled in these young men.

 
Richie and another teacher have already spent some of the money; the list of new stuff includes basketballs, kickballs, batting gloves, helmets, mouth guards, water bottles and more. And they’ve only spent about a quarter of the money! It’s definitely going to be a huge boost to the school and it’s all because of Arbella’s generosity and a little bit of luck on my part to be able to win.