2007 Philanthropy Guide: <br>Making connections creates community

THE COVER of the first PBN Philanthropy Guide, published Oct. 29, 2007, bears an image of one hand reaching for another. /
THE COVER of the first PBN Philanthropy Guide, published Oct. 29, 2007, bears an image of one hand reaching for another. /

The cover of this section – our first-ever Philanthropy Guide – illustrates why the topic is a relevant one.
Yes, philanthropy fills needs for people who fall through the cracks, providing health services, shelter, clothing and food in many cases.
But the image of one hand reaching out to another carries more meaning than that. It is a sign – both literal and figurative – of the struggle to make connections with one another, to create and sustain community.
The nonprofits that we profiled in this section – as well as the corporations and individuals that support them (and oftentimes strike out on their own with social service programs) – are more than stopgap solutions to larger problems. They are tangible signs that our community will not forget the less fortunate in our midst.
For example, as the Ocean State’s lack of affordable housing has been recognized as a problem, many agencies and community development corporations have worked on solutions – often, it seems, house by house. But to many concerned citizens, that just wasn’t enough.
So, in conjunction with Rhode Island Housing, the United Way of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Foundation campaigned for the passage of a $50 million bond for the construction of more affordable housing. The bond passed, and already is being leveraged for more, private, investments.
In March 2006, CVS Caremark Corp. launched a national, corporation-wide program directed to help children learn, play and succeed. It encourages all children – including those physically and mentally disabled – to be physically active and be active learners, while helping provide those rehabilitative services necessary for the children to feel a part of the greater community. Last year, CVS allocated $1.5 million for the program in Rhode Island alone, in addition to organizing an Easter Seals fundraising walk.
These are only two of the stories of connections being made in Rhode Island, and they only scratch the surface. But they are two of the reasons why community is such an important thing.

Mark S. Murphy, Editor

Other stories from the 2007 Philanthropy Guide
Cash, goods or volunteers? All are helpful, by Patricia Resende

Legal pitfalls abound for charity liquor tastings , by Bridget Botelho
Smaller nonprofits struggle with fundraising, by Patricia Resende

Grantmakers look beyond charity to social change , by Mary Lhowe
With added pressure, colleges turn to more donors, by Thomas Brendler
CVS reaches out to children with disabilities, by PBN staff writer Katherine Miosky

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Giving by large corporations up 4.8% in 2006 , by Laurence Arnold, Bloomberg News

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