Family Service of RI Looking for Super Volunteers

Providence, RI – In  Memory of a Late “Super Volunteer” from East Greenwich Family Service of Rhode Island’s Walking School Bus program is looking for “Super Volunteers” in memory of one of its first volunteers who lost his life in an automobile accident.

“We are pleased to announce that we have stipends for eight ‘Super Volunteer’ positions available for the upcoming school year for the Walking School Bus,” said Family Service of Rhode Island’s Julie Casimiro.  “Super Volunteers” receive $500 per school semester for volunteering at least four times a week.

The Walking School Bus provides routes to and from school.  The initiative ensures that each child living within a mile of the school, who needs to walk arrives on time and returns home safely, even when a family member is unable to walk with him or her.  The Walking School Bus serves Bailey and Fogarty elementary schools in Providence’s South Side neighborhood.

“One of the first volunteers when the Walking Bus began in 2012 was Ian Cameron from East Greenwich,” she said.  “He started volunteering his time while he was home from college for winter break.  Though it was bitterly cold he volunteered with an unparalleled level of enthusiasm, passion and dedication.  We are pleased to name our  ‘Super Volunteer’ initiative in his honor.”

“On behalf of all of us who love Ian, we thank Family Service of Rhode Island for this opportunity to honor his memory,” said close friend Abby Kretsch, who helped created the Walking School Bus program when she worked at Family Service of Rhode Island. “He loved the Walking School Bus, so we are pleased that he will continue to be associated with it.”

Ian Cameron, who attended Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, was 24 years old when he died in an automobile accident, and was a student at Middlebury College in Vermont.  He did summer research at Brown University.

Anyone interested in becoming an Ian Cameron Super Volunteer should call 401-331-1350 ext. 3457.  Funding for the stipends is from the federal Safe Routes to School Program.

The Walking School Bus is reducing school tardiness and absenteeism. The program also promotes a positive community spirit as volunteers and school children walk through the neighborhoods surrounding the school.

The Walking School Bus is part of Family Service of Rhode Island’s “Providence Children’s Initiative,” providing a comprehensive, collaborative program to improve educational and social development outcomes for children and families in the South Providence neighborhood.

Family Service of RI is a statewide non-profit human service and educational organization.  More information is available at www.familyserviceri.org.

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