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David N. Cicilline became president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation on June 1, 2023.
At a time when conflict often overshadows collaboration and hinders progress, community foundations serve a unifying purpose. They possess the unique ability to mobilize generosity and financial resources, to build and activate networks of people, to provide an enduring safe harbor during times of uncertainty, and to celebrate and leverage differing experiences – all with the aim of solving critical community challenges.
Community foundations are a vehicle that anyone can use to turn their generosity into a powerful force for good.
As nonpartisan public charities, community foundations, like ours here in Rhode Island, accept charitable gifts of all shapes and sizes, invest those gifts in financial markets so that they grow over time, and use a responsible portion of the proceeds from those invested charitable dollars each year to make grants, provide scholarships, and support organizations and efforts focused on strengthening our communities and enhancing the quality of life in our state. The design is intended to provide a permanent source of funding to help improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders now and for generations to come.
More: Rhode Island awards $5.9 million in community development grants. Who got funding?
As the primary focus of my first six months as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation, I’ve been in the community and working alongside our able team and Board of Directors on a series of activities intended to meaningfully inform the way we work and how we can best serve the state going forward.
We are assessing the Foundation’s fundraising, grantmaking and programmatic efforts. We’ve travelled the state to see first-hand the impact of our investments – from Westerly to Woonsocket to Newport. We’ve studied and have been in conversations with peer foundations from across the country. We’ve spoken at length with many generous Rhode Islanders who have terrific ideas, and financial capital, to share. And we’ve sought the opinions of stakeholders and the public on the growing need in priority areas where we have focused grantmaking and beyond-grantmaking efforts for several years – health, education and economic security.
We’ve also heard the call to do more to address the state’s housing crisis, mitigate the persistent root causes of inequity, support climate action efforts and help communities form stronger connections to civic life.
In the months ahead, we will chart a course for the Rhode Island Foundation informed by all we’ve been learning, and we welcome further participation in this effort from the community we serve.
To capture your perspective, we hope that you will respond to a brief survey, available at www.rifoundation.org/survey. The survey is available for response in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
By engaging with us as we map the Foundation’s next steps, you will be actively sharing your thoughts on what matters most to Rhode Islanders and helping inform our work. Your feedback will help guide the Foundation’s grantmaking investments and our efforts beyond grant funding, from community engagement activities to the development of research and the convening of partners and policymakers. You’ll have a stake in our collective work to improve the lives of all Rhode Islanders.
More: The RI Foundation is giving $530K in grants to help animals. Here’s how it will be spent.
My team and I, along with our Board of Directors, approach the work we do with genuine humility. We do not have all the answers, resources, experience, or expertise to alone address the challenging issues we face as a state. We work best and have the most impact when we listen to, learn from, and collaborate with the community we serve.
This spring we’ll further discuss what we’ve learned at a series of in-person conversations about the Foundation’s future focus. At those events, we hope to hear more from you, and to talk about ways we can address shared priorities together as we strive to continuously improve and adjust to the needs of the community.
I am so honored to serve as president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation – and I look forward to the work ahead where, together, the things we hope for can become reality.
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
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According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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