R.I. Foundation makes $78K in community-oriented grants

RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION President and CEO Neil D. Steinberg, right, announces a series of community grants Thursday in front of the Rocky Point amusement park arch, which will be restored with a $5,620 grant. With Steinberg to acknowledge that grant as well as seven others are, from left, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, R.I. Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit, Rocky Point Foundation President John Howell and Warwick Public Library Director Christopher La Roux. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION President and CEO Neil D. Steinberg, right, announces a series of community grants Thursday in front of the Rocky Point amusement park arch, which will be restored with a $5,620 grant. With Steinberg to acknowledge that grant as well as seven others are, from left, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, R.I. Department of Environmental Management Director Janet Coit, Rocky Point Foundation President John Howell and Warwick Public Library Director Christopher La Roux. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Foundation awarded eight grants totaling $78,280 to fund individual projects in towns across Rhode Island on Thursday.

Neil D. Steinberg, the foundation’s president and CEO, said: “Our work today would not be possible without the visionaries who came before us, the donors who generously invest in Rhode Island and the community leaders who put these resources into action.”

The grants, part of the organization’s continued celebration of its centennial anniversary, were awarded to organizations in Coventry, Cranston, East Greenwich, Johnston, West Greenwich, West Warwick and Warwick.

The Rocky Point Foundation received a $5,620 grant to restore the Rocky Point arch. In conjunction with the Warwick Department of Public Works and Central Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, the Foundation will remove rust and lead paint from the 60-foot high structure.
John Howell, president of the Rocky Point Foundation, said the restoration of the arch is a priority for the community and hopes to restore a significant piece of local history.
A $12,300 grant was awarded to the Warwick Public Library for a project that would provide library materials to homebound residents. The library estimated 1,000 mailings within the first year to residents who are unable to travel due to age or disability.
Chris La Roux, the library director, said: “Within our community are many people who are homebound, either because of age or infirmity. We want them to be able to enjoy the library’s offerings and be made participants in the whole Warwick community.”
The City of Cranston was awarded a $15,000 grant for the Cranston Discovery Network, a mission to document and celebrate significant events in the city’s history. Together with the Cranston Herald, the Cranston Public Library, the Cranston School Department, the Cranston Senior Center and the Cranston Historical Society, the Cranston Discovery Network will design and install a series of historic markers throughout the city.
Mayor Allan Fung said he looks forward to bringing the past to life. “The Cranston Discovery Network will publicly open the eyes and minds of the residents of our community to the people, places, and events that have made a mark on our history, our heritage, and at times the physical fabric and form of our city,” he added.
The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council received $10,000 to organize a fall festival at Cricket Field in Johnston that will highlight the park’s new amenities, bring awareness to the river and wildlife, and showcase the adjacent historic mill village.

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“This grant provides the opportunity to bring residents back into the park, make connections within the community, and connect more Rhode Islanders to the natural resources found in right in their own backyard,” said Alicia Lehrer, the Council’s executive director.
A $15,000 grant was awarded to Coventry’s Parks and Recreation Department to construct a “Tot Lot,” or playground for young children and children with special needs near the Coventry Public Library.
“This project will bring together the library and the parks and recreation department in a unique collaboration designed to better serve the families of our community,” said the library’s director Lynn Blanchette.
The East Greenwich Housing Authority and its affiliated nonprofit Cove Homes Inc. were awarded $1,500 to construct, manage and maintain three Little Free Libraries in the town’s three affordable housing developments.

Marcia Sullivan, CEO of Cove Homes, said: “By partnering with the East Greenwich Library, we look forward to engaging our young people and their families in important early literacy programs.”
A $14,860 grant was awarded to Thundermist Health Center to create a community 12-tree orchard on town-owned land close to its campus on Main Street in West Warwick.
The West Greenwich Land Trust received $4,000 to install four informational kiosks in its Pratt and Fry Pond conservation areas. Visitors will be able to learn about the properties’ history, wildlife, trails and topography from the kiosks.
The largest funder of nonprofit organizations in the state, the Rhode Island Foundation awarded a record $41.5 million in grants last year.

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