United Way Awards $150,000 to Olneyville Programs that Support Kids, Families
Providence, R.I. (August 8, 2019): Continuing its commitment to the community it calls home, United Way of Rhode Island (UWRI) has awarded $150,000 12 organizations that support children and families in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood. The grants were awarded from UWRI’s special Olneyville Community Fund, and the total invested is an increase of more than 60 percent over last year.
“We are part of the community fabric of Olneyville and proud to be in a position to help make a positive difference in the lives of our neighbors,” said Angela Bannerman Ankoma, EVP, Director of Community Investment, United Way. “There is amazing work being done by organizations across this neighborhood that will now reach more children and more families – it’s very exciting!”
UWRI established the Olneyville Community Fund in 2008 when it relocated its headquarters to the neighborhood – considered one of Providence’s poorest – from the city’s East Side. Since, UWRI has used the fund to invest more than $1 million to improve services for residents, increase the capacity of community-based organizations, and enhance public spaces. The 12 organizations to receive 2019 grants and their funded initiatives are:
- Back to School Celebration of RI ($5,000): To provide school supplies and backpacks to neighborhood children.
- Center for Resilience ($7,600): A partnership with William D’Abate Elementary School to study the impact of social-emotional development and learning.
- Clinica Esperanza-Hope Clinic ($10,000): Increasing access to critical healthcare services for lowincome, uninsured Olneyville residents.
- Kings Cathedral ($5,000): Support for Share to Care, a program providing food, clothing, and financial learning resources to individuals living in poverty.
- Manton Avenue Project ($20,000): Funding for out-of-school time learning programs that partner students with professional artists and bring youth voices to the public stage.
- Meeting Street ($10,000): Support for a six-week, classroom-based kindergarten readiness program for 36 Olneyville children.
- Olneyville Neighborhood Association ($10,000): To offer free native language literacy and English speaking classes to local residents.
- ONE Neighborhood Builders ($23,000): Funding for Central PVD Resident Leadership Academy to provide local residents with the knowledge and skills to become effective neighborhood advocates; support for the work of the Olneyville Collaborative.
- Providence Community Library ($17,570): Supporting The Olneyville Preschool Hub, a bi-lingual program for young children and their parents to discover the library as a place for learning; grant for Spanish language and Latin American cultural education classes for area nonprofit staff.
- Swearer Center at Brown University ($1,830): To fund an afternoon chess program for students at D’Abate Elementary, taught by volunteers from the Brown University chess team.
- The Wilbury Theater Group ($15,000): To develop a more connected community in Olneyville through access to performances and adult education programming in public speaking and theatre education.
- Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council ($20,000): Funding for programs that reach hundreds of children in-school and during out-of-school time: Fish in the Classroom, River Adventurers, and Red Shed Bike programs.
- YouthBuild Preparatory Academy ($5,000): Support for the organization’s strategic planning process to better position YouthBuild to prepare young people for success in life.
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United Way of Rhode Island is changing lives and strengthening our communities by investing in proven programs that work over the short-term, and are scalable over the long-term. For more information, visit www.LIVEUNITEDri.org.