PROVIDENCE – Donna Childs and Ditra Edwards were named 2017 Innovation Fellows by the Rhode Island Foundation at a celebration on Wednesday at the organization’s headquarters.
Now in its sixth year, Childs and Edwards each will receive “genius” grants of $300,000 over the next three years to complete community-based projects aimed at improving civic engagement. The funding is made possible by philanthropists Letitia and John Carter.
In a statement, the foundation’s president and CEO, Neil D. Steinberg, said: “Donna and Ditra have impressive ideas for change making. Each of their projects will focus resources on our state’s most valuable asset – its people. We applaud Letitia and John Carter for their unshakeable confidence in Rhode Island’s potential and look forward to supporting our two newest fellows.”
Childs will use her fellowship funding and support to launch Civic Resilience, a technology-enabled credit bank which will track volunteer service, enabling users to save and trade service hours.
“Providing a ‘get’ for the ‘give’ will be a more effective approach to recruiting and retaining volunteers than is typical with cause-based campaigns. And the web-based interface and mobile app will make it easy for people to participate,” Childs, of Warwick, said in a statement.
Her first focus through Civil Resilience will be on volunteerism relating to climate and disaster resilience. In the banking model, volunteers will earn an hour of service for each hour they spend working. Earned hours can be saved, given or used as currency. Childs hopes volunteers will build career-enhancing skills through their work.
SistaFire RI, a statewide network of women of color training to actively engage their communities in important issues, will be headed up by Edwards, of Providence.
“Many low-income women of color in our state are highly isolated and face significant economic challenges,” she said in prepared remarks. “I believe women can play a key civic leadership role in every community if they have a place to grow, learn and take their early steps as leaders.”
Edwards plans to unite women of color across the state through a participant-led process using a multi-racial, cohort development model to foster shared leadership and engagement. Between 30 and 40 women are expected to complete SistaFire RI training in the organization’s first year, according to Edwards’ plan; they will then train hundreds of other women leaders throughout the state.
In its selection process, the seven-person judging panel, which was chaired by Steinberg, sought proposals describing pioneering work, exceptional leadership, a bold vision and risk-taking, as well as the potential to scale up statewide impact.
Panelists included: Elan Babchuk, director of innovation at The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership; Central Falls School Superintendent Victor Capellan; Theresa Moore, president of T-Time Productions; Aidan Petrie, co-founder and chief innovation officer at Ximedica; Rhode Island College President Frank Sánchez; Dan Shedd, president of Taylor Box Company; and Leslie Taito, senior vice president of corporate operations at Hope Global.
Previous Innovation Fellowship recipients include Raymond Two Hawks Watson for his work developing the state’s cultural tourism industry, Amy Bernhardt, David Dadekian, Adrienne Gagnon, John Haley, Daniel Kamil and Emily Steffian, Soren Ryherd, Lynn Taylor and Allan Tear.
Emily Gowdey-Backus is a PBN Staff Writer.
