Tom Hurvis has been a long-time sponsor of scholarships and internships for inner city youth.

The current strengths of Providence St. Mel, its curriculum, its success, and its discipline, are seen as anomalies when compared to typical inner city schools.

The Providence Effect is a film about Paul Adams III and the inner city Chicago school he founded and brought to prominence.

The documentary also depicted how its school president, Paul Adams III, was able to introduce a model that gave both poor and wealthy students the same opportunities.

The idea was that inner-city black and Hispanic children can compete with anyone on an intellectual level given access to equal academic opportunities.