On Zoom: Don Saracen, Lew Hassell, Richard Applebaum, Barbara Harris, Michael Geoghegan and Pete Brock.

 

Guest: Suzanne Cannon

 

President’s Report: Bill Applegate was on vacation, so Liz Messier stepped in. Liz had the honor of inducting three new members into our club. They are Tracy Boothman, Craig Creller and Carina Pinto de Chacon, all representing our newest corporate member, the Providence Public School District.

 

Announcements:

Don’t forget the Gold Bowls for the Providence Rotary Charities Foundation.

 

Our “Tent Supper” initiative is still underway. It’s not too late to sign up, we have two dinners coming up - Mary and Rob Brewster are hosting on March 20th and have one seat left, and Anthony Landi on March 27^th also has one. Reach out to either Mary Brewster or Liz if you can join one of those suppers. If you are unable to attend, please consider a donation. Thank you to many of you who have already done so. You can donate online as well as by check.

 

Art Norwalk reported on a very busy period for our Jane Babcock Childhood Literacy Initiative. Activities included delivery of books by local authors and illustrators to every classroom library in our two partner schools, reading to young students at Kizirian’s Reading Week by six club members and two local author/

illustrators and the first delivery of books and supporting activity materials to students at George J. West under our new partnership with Books Are Wings – see photo.

 

Finally, a reminder about our Rotary after Dark event to be held at the Barker Playhouse on Thursday, March 19 beginning at 6:30 for a pre-theater party with wine and goodies – to be followed by the Tony Award-winning musical – The 25^th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee. It is funny, heartwarming and not for kids! This is a free event; we have rented the entire theater and encourage you to bring your friends! I’m excited to say that so far, we have a group coming from Providence Metro, from the Pawtucket Rotary, hoping for some from Cranston and more. Let’s all try to attend to welcome our fellow district Rotarians!

 

Emily had $2 happy bucks for the great weather and because she is going to Barcelona in a month.

 

Larry Shetty was happy to be back after covering home and work while his wife was away for several months taking care of her father.

 

Anthony Hollingshead had $4 happy bucks for the induction of Providence School employees, his recent trip to Florida and for seeing past member, Connie Donnelly, who sends her regards to Club members.

 

Kris David thanked those who attended the Tent Supper at her home, for seeing Wicked at PPAC and the luncheon celebrating International Women’s Day.

 

Liz Messier was $10 happy for the outstanding District training for incoming Club presidents and the International Women ‘s Day Luncheon. She noted that women were not allowed into Rotary until 1987 after a Supreme Court decision.

 

Mary Brewster was $5 happy for a trip to Japan where she and Rob traveled the country with her Japanese speaking daughter and for getting home safely.

 

Bill Efthimiades was $5 happy because he’s in better shape than he thought!

 

Craig Creller had $5 happy bucks to thank club members and the literacy committee for supporting Providence students. 

 

Dr. Kevin Vigilante is a co-founder of RISE, a Rhode Island–based non-profit that provides scholarships, mentorship, and services to children of incarcerated parents.

 

Earlier in his career, he served on the clinical faculty at Brown University, where he was Director of Emergency and Ambulatory Services at The Miriam Hospital. At Brown, he developed innovative programs for vulnerable populations, including incarcerated women with HIV — experiences that shaped his long-term commitment to expanding opportunity for at-risk families and led to the creation of RISE.

 

The RISE program provides vital support to children from Providence’s most underserved neighborhoods, establishing a protective environment that helps shield them from the many challenges they face. By partnering with schools that are fully committed to RISE’s mission, the program aims to disrupt cycles of substance abuse, academic failure, and incarceration—offering these children a real opportunity to thrive.

 

Kevin shared compelling stories of transformation, illustrating how RISE’s efforts have profoundly impacted individual lives. The presentation was truly uplifting and left a lasting impression.