Citizens’ program urges community service

Patti Cloutier has been given a community-service sabbatical from Citizens Bank, where she is a communications manager for the consumer-finance division. During her time off, she will assist the outreach and tracking supervisor at Tides Family Service by tracking adolescent students twice a day, at home and at school. Cloutier also will perform informal counseling, and will assist in school and court advocacy.

PBN: What is the community-service sabbatical at Citizens Bank?
PATTI CLOUTIER: The program gives Citizens Bank employees the opportunity to apply for a three-month leave to work in a paid position within a nonprofit in the community. Each person who receives the sabbatical makes a significant impact on the lives of people served by local nonprofits. I have always been interested in helping at-risk children, which is how I was connected to Tides Family Service in Woonsocket.
PBN: Who have you been working with at Tides Family Service and what have you been doing?
CLOUTIER: I have been working as a “tracker” in the Tides Family Service program for three weeks now. I work with two other trackers and a supervisor. It is an outreach program, so we are out in the community of Woonsocket with 20 different kids who have been referred through truancy court and the [R.I.] Department of Children, Youth and Families. Every day, we work with kids to make sure they go to school, call them if they are absent and try to understand what is wrong, if anything is, as well as support them with after-school programs and help with homework. I have a cell phone on me at all times and am in constant contact with the kids. On Saturdays we have recreational activities and in all, we try to develop an individual relationship with the kids.
PBN: How has your work experience at Citizens Bank informed your community service at Tides?
CLOUTIER: In my role as communication manager at Citizens Bank, I am a liaison between my division and the consumer, so I have developed an understanding of communication between different types of people. As well, I have been very involved through my work at Citizens with mentoring programs and other community groups, which is what attracted me to apply for the sabbatical. I am on the board of directors for the Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership, as are a number of other Citizens employees. I also sit on the grant-review committee for the United Way and I have been a mentor for the past eight years in a school-based mentoring program. •

No posts to display