Former Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez provides 7th grader Matthew Potter a hug in the course of the A single Boston Day Hat Day giveaway at the James F. Condon College on Friday. (Stone/Boston Herald)

Pedro Martinez desires students to fully grasp that he utilized to “sit on the very same chair” as them, finding out from his teachers and parents, just before becoming a Red Sox legend.

“I understood the values of respecting education and attempting to find out and be the greatest you possibly could be. I want you guys to appear at me as a sign of hope for what ever you want to do,” the Hall-of-Famer told a packed cafeteria complete of excited students Friday morning at South Boston’s James F. Condon College.

Martinez and his wife, Carolina, are continuing their passion for education and providing back to the neighborhood via the Pedro Martinez Foundation by launching a sports mentoring initiative for young athletes in Boston and Lawrence.

The initiative will involve mentorship sessions with “major” athletes from across New England, Carolina Martinez stated. These sessions will function private coaching and access to educational events and sources all through the year. The foundation also will appear to participate in events, such as back-to-college provide drives, Carolina stated.

“We want to encourage you guys to continue undertaking superior in college, to continue undertaking superior in sports, to continue to listen to your teachers, to your parents,” she told the one hundred-plus students, donning Red Sox caps they received from the foundation.

The Pedro Martinez Foundation has been a neighborhood stalwart, each in Boston and in Martinez’ native Dominican Republic.

Final year, the organization served far more than 119,000 kids ages three to 18 in education classes, overall health and sports applications, mentoring and counseling, and far more, according to the foundation’s annual report. Pedro mentored students at East Boston Higher College and spoke at Lawrence Higher School’s graduation ceremony.

“Like I often say, I am a Bostonian,” Pedro told the media right after Friday’s higher-power occasion. “I think every person out right here is essential to me. For these students, for these youngsters that want function models and want somebody to appear up to, I’m far more than pleased to be a single of these guys.”

Ten runners will be representing the foundation in Monday’s Boston Marathon. Pedro and Carolina will be hosting a brunch Sunday at the Colonnade Hotel for the participants who raised funds earmarked for the new sports mentoring initiative.

Seven runners who ran for the foundation final year raised far more than $75,000.

Pedro stated he’s feeling mixed feelings about the ten-year anniversary of the 2013 marathon bombings. He highlighted his former teammate David Ortiz’s well-known rally contact the day right after bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was caught in Watertown, “This is our (expletive) city. And no one is going to dictate our freedom.”

“I’m incredibly pleased to try to remember the words that David utilized to inspire Boston, to inform everyone that Boston was a city that was going to be capable to bounce back – that is specifically what we did,” Pedro stated. “The other sad component is I do not want to see that sort of sh** any longer.”

Pedro Martinez speaks as Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper appear on in the course of the A single Boston Day Hat Day giveaway at the James F. Condon College on Friday. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)