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Rhode Island
Rhode Island Foundation Honors Nonprofits with Best Practice Awards – Newport Buzz
The Rhode Island Foundation has recognized three outstanding nonprofit organizations with its annual Best Practice Awards, celebrating their innovative initiatives and commitment to community service. The awards, sponsored by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, acknowledge exceptional practices in Collaboration, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Innovative Programming and Service Delivery.
David N. Cicilline, the Foundation’s President and CEO, commended the recipients, stating, “These organizations emerged from a highly competitive process and an impressive group of nominees. There is something valuable in each of their remarkable examples that can help every nonprofit achieve more.”
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, a steadfast supporter of the award program since its inception in 2012, expressed pride in the continued success of the initiative. Carolyn Belisle, BCBSRI Managing Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, said, “The Best Practice Award-winning organizations exemplify everything we value in our state’s nonprofit sector, as they continue to create opportunities for a healthy, vibrant, equitable RI for all.”
Each of the three recipients will receive a $5,000 grant in recognition of their achievements.
Amenity Aid, Warwick – Innovative Programming and Service Delivery Award: Amenity Aid, based in Warwick, was honored with the Innovative Programming and Service Delivery Award for its groundbreaking initiative to distribute personal hygiene products to households in need. The organization is the first of its kind in Rhode Island, providing essentials like soap, period products, deodorant, and toothpaste through a statewide network of direct service agencies. Liz Duggan, founder and executive director, outlined the organization’s ambitious goal for 2024 to assist 110,000 Rhode Islanders across diverse populations, including those who are homeless, low-income, veterans, immigrants, refugees, LGBTQIA+ youth, and victims of violence or abuse.
Community MusicWorks, Providence – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award: Community MusicWorks in Providence received the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for its outstanding commitment to establishing and maintaining diversity and equity while fostering an inclusive culture. The organization is actively implementing a strategy to become fully inclusive and antiracist, including regular staff meetings, seminars for staff and board members, and the establishment of a racial equity task force. Sebastian Ruth, Executive Director of Community MusicWorks, emphasized the deep, internal shifts among staff and board members to prioritize work to dismantle racist structures, resulting in lasting impact.
Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, Providence – Collaboration Award: The Collaboration Award went to the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center in Providence for its collaborative effort with Providence Public Schools and the Community College of Rhode Island. In the summer of 2023, the organizations launched a high school cohort Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) course to address a compelling problem affecting an underserved community. The Nursing Education Center set up a dedicated CNA training lab, Providence Public Schools recruited students, and CCRI provided instruction. The program allows students to complete CNA classes and clinicals in a shortened period, with the opportunity to register for the credentialing exam at the end of the course. Bonnie Rayta, Director of the Nursing Education Center, highlighted the critical support for students from diverse backgrounds and the success achieved by giving them a chance and an opportunity.
These awards showcase the impactful and innovative work of nonprofits in Rhode Island, furthering the Foundation’s commitment to fostering positive change in the community.
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WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
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Rhode Island
Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than $500K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/Scott-Naso-022526-1-079e2e33c43a473590695ebdb06147b3.jpg?ssl=1 "Single Dad Says Grandparents’ Rights Trial Has Cost Him More Than 0K, but He'll Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to Keep Daughter Safe")
As the two-year anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, widowed single father Scott Naso is sounding an alarm to fellow parents across the country — and especially in Rhode Island, where he lives with his now 4-year-old daughter, Laila.
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