Despite our aversion to the bone-chilling temperatures of the past few weeks and the fact that we truly consider snow to be a four-letter word, my wife and I aren’t going anywhere.
I grew up in East Providence – Terri, in Providence. We graduated from URI and are now raising our family about two miles from my hometown – less than a mile from hers.
We both have a commute to work of roughly six minutes.
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There are lots of Rhode Islanders like us – to whom “moving south” means South County, not South Carolina. Sure, the prospects of a warmer climate are tempting, but family is here. Sand Hill Cove may not be Sarasota Beach, but it serves us just fine.
There are so many benefits to living here. Boston is less than an hour away. If we are really looking to explore, the White Mountains of New Hampshire aren’t such a long drive.
So you can bank on our modest contributions to the Rhode Island economy for years to come.
But folks like us, it appears, are slipping out of the majority and into the minority.
Believe it or not, people do leave Rhode Island and have been doing so for years. According to a recent survey, a growing number of people have had it with the cold, the economy – or some combination of the two.
Every year, United Van Lines, the giant St. Louis-based moving company, releases its “Migration Study,” a compilation of statistics, detailing where people are moving to – and from.
The idea, of course, is that you’re better off as an “inbound” state, than an “outbound” state.
This year – the 27th the company has kept such statistics – North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida are among states enjoying inbound migration increases. In Florida, for example, 60 percent of the moves contracted to United drivers are inbound, not outbound. Out West, Nevada has been enjoying an inbound trend for most of the survey’s history.
Colorado and Utah were outbound states, but have recently been on a roll as inbound states.
Rhode Island and Massachusetts, for several years now, according to United Van Lines, are exporting more people than they are importing. In Rhode Island, nearly 56 percent of the moves conducted by the company were outbound, while the Bay State reached its highest outbound mark in 11 years – with nearly 59 percent of the moves exiting the state’s borders.
What does it all mean? Maybe not a whole lot. But when we hear about initiatives to keep our best and brightest students – or our young workers – here, we ought to take them seriously.
The easy commute and Sand Hill Cove work for my wife and I. But that’s not enough for everyone.
Fleet funds literacy program
While the coming weeks and months are sure to bring us lots of details regarding the Bank of America takeover of Fleet, it is encouraging to see that for the time being, at least, Fleet is maintaining its commitment to social service agencies in the Providence area.
Most recently, the Dorcas Place Adult and Family Literacy Center on Elmwood Avenue accepted a $30,000 grant and the promise of technical assistance from Fleet, allowing Dorcas Place to develop a financial literacy curriculum to be incorporated into its adult education program.
“We hope to offer this to all six levels of learners here at Dorcas Place,” said Brenda Dann-Messier, president of Dorcas Place.
Partnering with Fleet, Dorcas Place will develop its model for integrating financial literacy with a curriculum to improve student understanding and practical application of day-to-day financial responsibilities such as how to interpret a paycheck, develop a savings plan, open a bank account, maintain savings, manage credit, pay taxes and shop wisely.
Dann-Messier points out that many Dorcas Place students cannot begin to undertake the financial responsibilities necessary to provide for themselves. This new program, she said, will help them gain greater understanding and control over personal and family finances.
Dorcas Place also received a boost last week from the Rhode Island Foundation. The foundation is providing the agency with a $39,000 grant to be used to develop a career academy model for low-income adults who need a job, but lack workplace readiness skills.
Specifically, Dorcas Place will hire a curriculum specialist to work with existing staff to design the academies.
The academies will provide intensive literacy instruction geared to targeted industries with job growth potential. Of the top 10 industry sectors identified by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Dorcas Place may consider health services, finance and customer service/hospitality for its first two academies.
Quietly, and thanks to a generous community, the good work at Dorcas Place continues.
