Grants bring job training, after-school activites to Newport

More than a dozen Newport nonprofits are among the organizations that will share nearly $270,000 in grants from the Newport County Fund at the Rhode Island Foundation. The funding will underwrite a host of activities ranging from job training and after-school activities to housing and food.

“From enriching the arts and educational opportunities for young people to underwriting critical health and job readiness programs, we are grateful to work with partners that are improving lives here in Newport County,” said Neil D. Steinberg, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “We thank the donors who make these partnerships possible.”

Aquidneck Community Table received $6,400 to hire staff, engage two local farmers to sell fresh produce, and organize community groups and activities at the new North Side Community Market at the Florence Gray Center this summer.

“Because this is Newport’s most food-insecure neighborhood, our focus is on providing residents affordable access to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, and at the same time we’re building community by giving people a place to get to know each other as they shop,” said Bevan Linsley, executive director.

The Best Buddies Newport County Friendship Project received $2,000 to expand its Newport School Friendship Project for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IOD) to the Paul W. Crowley East Bay Met School in Newport.

“We’ll match students with and without IDD in one-to-one friendships. This will improve the quality of life and level of inclusion for kids that often feel isolated and excluded,” said Heidi Kalinkowski, area director for Rhode Island.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County received $10,000 to expand its Essential Skills Program for underserved and at-risk youth to include 9^th-grade classes at Rogers High School and launch a pilot program for 25 10^th-grade students at Middletown High School.

“The program incorporates key skills like critical thinking and problem solving. The goal is to prepare youngsters for successful futures through career readiness activities and employment-based training,” said Joseph P. Pratt, executive director/CEO.

The Choir School of Newport County received $5,000 to enable the organization to recruit and retain 10 students from disadvantaged backgrounds for its Professional Choristers division. The grant will enable the school to provide piano lessons and loan participants high quality pianos for home use during a four-month pilot program.

“Having access to high quality piano instruction and practice pianos attracts the desired students and supplements and reinforces the choral curriculum while instilling the habits necessary for successful full-term retention to have the intended influence on a child's intellectual curiosity, intellectual development and self-motivated schedule and life habits,” said Peter Berton, founding executive director.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center received $10,000 to support the academic success of students in its after-school and summer camp programs, which serve students from all over Newport County. With only 4 percent of participants living above the federal poverty line, the enrichment programs are designed to level the playing field for the children the organization serves.

"We will provide more than 100 children with physical fitness programs, music, theater, nutrition education and homework assistance throughout the school year. Engaging experiential learning opportunities stem the summer learning slide in our 8-week Summer Adventure Camp," said Marilyn Warren, executive director.

The East Bay Community Action Program received $5,175 to support training programs at the East Bay Skills Alliance for low-skilled and unemployed or underemployed residents of Newport.

“We’ll train and prepare participants for an entry level position in health care, education or the hospitality industry and help them find work once training is complete. They will receive soft skills training, technical skills training, on-the-job experience, case management support, job search skills employment referrals,” said Dennis Roy, president and CEO.

FabNewport received $8,000 to launch a program that will give underserved youth in the city’s North End the opportunity to develop appreciation for design, making and creativity through a series of eight themed workshops and field trips. The program will end with a showcase of student work at the Florence Gray Center.

“Every workshop will have an art-based theme that will connect with the field trip. Our students often come from backgrounds in which the odds are against them. We believe these kinds of experience will grow their confidence and independence,” said Heath.

Friends of Ballard Park received $3,000 support its summer field trip program. Approximately 250 children are expected to participate in the organization’s Environmental Explorations Program, which includes trips to visit the 13-acre nature preserve to participate in hands-on, experiential learning opportunities.

“Over the summer, we collaborate with organizations like the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center and the YMCA to offer programs that address the 'summer learning slump,' promote socialization and keep children active,” said Colleen McGrath, executive director. “The youngsters quickly become taken by the natural environment and delight in catching insects, seeing ducks swim in the vernal pond or learning about why spiders make webs.”

The Newport Gulls received $2,250 to send 30 underprivileged children to attend its summer camps with players and coaches in Middletown, Newport and Portsmouth. The Gulls will work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport and the Newport Little League to identify needy children age 6 to 12 that come from families experiencing financial hardship.

“The goal is to keep students active during the summer months while school is not in session develop habits that will last after the completion of camp. Our camps give children a way to stay on the ‘right’ path until they return to school in the fall,” said Chuck Paiva, president and CEO.

The Newport Music Festival received $6,000 to support a suite of new musical programs and concerts, including a free summer concert series in partnership with the Newport Art Museum. The Festival will also bring a musical performance by Grammy-nominated Imani Winds to children at Newport's MLK Center.

“The scope of this musical programming signals the start of a new era of greater access and inclusion for us. These performances are intended to broaden, deepen and diversify community participation,” said Pamela Pantos, executive director.

The Newport Partnership for Families received $5,000 to support educational enrichment activities for Newport students during the summer vacation in partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center.

“During summer vacation, many students find themselves without access to mind stimulating activities and by end of the summer, many students perform, on average, one month behind from where they left off in the spring,” said Sharon Carter, director. “Reducing ‘summer slide’ by helping students maintain their literacy skills will enable them to begin the academic year ready to learn with equivalent or improved literacy skills.”

Newport Working Cities received $10,000 to cultivate a data system which will enable residents to connect with necessary resources across the city to break the barriers of poverty and maintain long-term employment. A shared data system will support efforts to increase opportunities that prepare local teens for careers, identify local policies that hinder employment and fill gaps in local training and employment opportunities for teens and adults. Newport Working Cities is a coalition of local organizations that have joined together to reduce poverty in Newport.

“This grant enables partners to make informed decisions and collaborate on the steps necessary to share data, streamline practices, increase efficiencies and reduce duplication of services,” said Kathryn Cantwell, Initiative Director. “Working effectively collaboratively over a sustained period of time will enable us to achieve a collective impact that no single organization would achieve on its own."

The St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Joseph's Conference, of Newport received $7,500 to provide financial assistance to individuals and families facing emergencies including eviction, utility shut-offs, lack of home heating oil, need of prescription drugs and clothing.
“We receive referrals for financial assistance from the McKinney Shelter and Transitional Housing, Community Housing Resource Board of Newport County, East Bay Community Action, United Way, Newport County Mental Health, Seamen's Church Institute, Red Cross and the community at large,” said Denice Burgess, president of the organization, which helped more than 400 households last year.

The Washington Square Services Corp. in Newport received $10,000 to provide intensive case management services to homeless men and women at the McKinney Cooperative Shelter. The shelter served 130 individuals over the course of 2017.
“The lack of affordable housing is challenging for many Newport County residents. Addressing the needs of this population and helping them transition from homelessness to permanent housing is vitally important,” said Deborah Johnston, executive director.
The Women’s Resource Center of Newport County received $9,950 to support the continued development of the North End Leaders Project. This year’s projects include recruiting two additional North End residents interested in servicing on a city board of commission and supporting the development of a North End Neighborhood Association.

“We are very excited to be able to continue to engage the residents of the North End in building their community and encouraging them to become involved in the life of their neighborhood and their city,” said Lori DiPersio, executive director.

The NCF offered grants of up $10,000 in seven key funding areas: arts and culture, basic human needs, children and families, economic security, the environment, healthy lives and housing. In making the funding decisions, the Foundation worked with an advisory committee comprised of residents from every community in Newport County.

Established in 2002, the NCF has awarded more than $4 million in grants for programs and services for residents of Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth and Tiverton. The NCF is one of one of several committee-advised funds at the Foundation established to fulfill the desire of donors and serving specific issues or geographic areas.

The Rhode Island Foundation is the largest and most comprehensive funder of nonprofit organizations in Rhode Island. Working with generous and visionary donors, the Foundation raised $38 million and awarded $43 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities in 2017. Through leadership, fundraising and grantmaking activities, often in partnership with individuals and organizations, the Foundation is helping Rhode Island reach its true potential. For more information, visit rifoundation.org.