Family Service raises $220K, honors Paiva Weed

Family Service of Rhode Island recently raised nearly $220,000, the highest amount in 10 years, at its Brighter Futures Award luncheon, where the nonprofit honored Sen. President M. Teresa Paiva Weed.
The amount raised on Oct. 30 at the Rhode Island Convention Center was nearly $30,000 more than the amount raised last year, organizers said.
Each year, the award is presented to an individual or organization making an outstanding contribution to the well-being of children. Weed was named for her advocacy for children. She is the first Aquidneck Island resident to receive the recognition.
The award is a print of a pastel drawing entitled “Three Dancing Children” by the internationally known artist Anne Mimi Sammis of Narragansett, Rhode Island.
Past recipients include Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist; Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone; U. S. Senator Jack Reed; and the Boston Red Sox, the Red Sox Foundation and the Pawtucket Red Sox.
The presenting, Diamond, sponsor was Capitol Securities. Platinum sponsors include: Malcolm G. Chace, Jr.; the DeRamel Foundation; GTECH; and Hasbro, Inc. Gold sponsors include NBC 10; Deepwater Wind; Dimeo; Hinckley Allen.
Silver sponsors include Bank of America; Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island; CharterCare Health Partners; Cooley/Group; Cornerstone Group; Christopher and Heather Crosby; CVS Health; Delta Dental of Rhode Island; Foundry Associates; H. Carr & Sons, Inc.; KLR (Kahn, Litwin, Renza); Sara Shea McConnell; National Grid; Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island; New England Laborers’ Tri-Funds; Joseph R. Paolino, Jr.; and Residential Properties.
The event is a critical fund raiser for Family Service of Rhode Island, a statewide human service and education agency.