Briefly describe the mission and objectives of your organization.
The Palmisano Foundation, the charitable arm of RNGD, fosters educational and career pathways for our youth to reach their full potential and live thriving and successful lives.
What motivated your organization to engage in a partnership with Son of a Saint?
Our partnership with Son of a Saint exemplifies the power of collaboration in driving positive change within the communities we serve. By working together, we can reach even greater heights and make a lasting impact on the lives of those we serve.
How does your partnership with Son of a Saint align with the core values and goals of your organization?
Son of a Saint’s mission aligns with the Palmisano Foundation and RNGD’s commitment to build a brighter future for our youth. We share common core values of social innovation, mentorship, shared ownership, building authentic relationships, and collaboration to transform lives.
What has been the most unique or impactful component of your organization’s partnership with Son of a Saint?
Son of Saint’s collaborative approach, consistent follow-through, and their unwavering commitment to create innovative career and educational pathways to ensure mentees realize their full potential. Son of a Saint also recognizes the growing interest of mentees to pursue two-year trades in architecture, engineering, and construction. And their vision to create a win-win partnership with the Palmisano Foundation has created an impactful experience that will help develop a pipeline of jobs for RNGD and our trade partners.
What does mentorship mean to your organization? How do you promote mentorship within your organization?
Mentorship at our organization is a cornerstone of professional and leadership growth. We believe in empowering employees to take ownership of their career paths by connecting with internal peer mentors who inspire and challenge them, regardless of team boundaries, and providing guidance to broaden their perspectives, enhance skills, and prepare employees to advance in their careers.
What does investing in the future of New Orleans look like for your organization?
Investing in resources and fostering strategic partnerships with our non-profit partners to drive systematic change and build the next generation of thinkers and doers to make New Orleans a better place to live and work.
Do you have any words of advice or encouragement for Son of a Saint mentees?
Always push the boundaries of what is possible and believe that you can achieve your goals with a clear vision, purpose, work ethic and building authentic relationships.
Keep your commitment or promise no matter the difficulty or whether anyone else notices.
Always challenge yourself out of your comfort zone and commit yourself to a lifetime of personal growth and learning.
What do you envision for the future of your organization’s partnership with Son of a Saint?
1. Foster job skills and provide a career pathway program for mentees to obtain employment straight out of high school or college education within the architecture, engineering, and construction industry (AEC).
2. Educate the mentees about the array of AEC career opportunities that will inspire them to become the next generation of builders and realize how they can make a positive impact within their communities.