Tiverton and Little Compton Residents will Benefit from RI Foundation Grant

Tiverton and Little Compton residents will benefit from more than $200,000 in grants, the Rhode Island Foundation has announced.

The grants, through the Foundation’s Newport County Fund (NCF), will underwrite a host of activities ranging from after-school activities to relationship violence prevention.

“From enriching arts and educational opportunities for young people to underwriting critical health and environmental programs, we are proud to work with partners that are improving lives here,” said Neil Steinberg, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “We are grateful to the donors who make this assistance possible and the local advisors who keep us closely connected to the community.”

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. Among the organizations receiving funding to serve Portsmouth residents are:

The Katie Brown Educational Program received $5,000 to provide relationship violence prevention instruction to approximately 200 Tiverton Middle School and Tiverton High School students.

“We encourage participants to strive for a dynamic of equality and respect in their interactions. We help them understand how to recognize the presence or potential presence of violence in their relationships, to create safe, respectful, and healthy relationships, and to choose alternatives to violent behaviors,” said Claire McVicker, executive director.

The Little Compton Historical Society received $10,000 to create a major special exhibition and publication exploring the enslavement and forced indenture of Little Compton residents from the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 19th century.

“More than 250 men, women, and children of African American, Native American, and European descent were forcibly enslaved or indentured in Little Compton over the course of 140 years,” said Marjory O’Toole, managing director.

“If Jane Should Want to be Sold: New Stories of Enslavement in Little Compton, Rhode Island” will portray the dramatic differences between the old stories of local slavery as written by historians from past centuries and the new, and sometimes very personal stories, that are now emerging from primary source documents.

“Almost without exception, their stories have been erased or misrepresented in the local historic record, sometimes accidentally, sometimes purposefully. This project will restore their voices to Little Compton’s local history as accurately and objectively as possible and will invite the public to explore and reflect upon them,” she said.

The Star Kids Scholarship Program received $2,500 to support after-school and summer academic tutoring for students who have the ability to be successful in school, but are struggling academically and may not have the support system at home to help with homework and projects.

“Star Kids are placed in academically competitive settings, where the level of expectations and student achievement is high. Our objective is to provide the additional supports the child may need to be successful within that competitive program,” said Matthew Netto, state director.

The tutors are certified teachers who assist with reading and comprehension skills, math facts and application, and developing sound writing techniques.

Those grants are just 3 of 33 totaling $202,433 that the Foundation awarded. Little Compton and Tivertson residents are served by many of the other organizations that received grants.

Day One received $10,000 to expand its work serving young and adult victims of sexual violence. In 2013, the organization has served 715 individuals from Little Compton and Tiverton and nearby communities.

The East Bay Community Action Program received $9,040 to provide tuition assistance to 15 students in its certified nursing assistant training program.

The Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England received $5,000 for its Urban Outreach program, which introduces at-risk girls in grades K-8 from Newport County communities to scouting and the benefits of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

Junior Achievement of RI was awarded $4,000 to support economic education and hands-on learning experiences for students in Tiverton public schools. The program will be offered in classrooms and after-school settings by volunteers from the business community.

The Little Compton Community Center received $5,000 to expand the year-old Teen Volunteer Corps of Little Compton to include a teen center at the facility. The corps engages youngsters ages 14 to 17 in volunteer activities in Little Compton and greater Newport County.

Stay at Home in Little Compton received $10,000 to underwrite the cost of providing local senior citizens with transportation to the Little Compton Community Center, the Little Compton Wellness Center the pharmacy and grocery shopping.

Visiting Nurse Services of Newport and Bristol Counties received $5,000 to train staff on how to work with patients with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers.

In making the funding decisions, the Foundation worked with an advisory committee comprised of Newport County residents including John Ellis, William Harvey, Kristen Humphrey, Victoria Johnson, John Murphy and John Trifero.

Since 2002, the NCF has invested more than $2.8 million in funding programs and services for residents of Middletown and other nearby communities. 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. In 2014, the Foundation awarded $34.8 million in grants to organizations addressing the state’s most pressing issues and needs of diverse communities. 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 www.rifoundation.org.