All Entries Tagged With: "Community"
Save The Bay’s two-hour Seal and Lighthouse Tours set to begin on Nov. 19 in Newport
NEWPORT, R.I. – Nov. 8, 2016 – While the first of this season’s Save The Bay’s Newport Seal Tours will begin on Friday, November 11, the organization’s two-hour Seal-Lighthouse tours will launch a week later, on Saturday, November 19, combining the best of the Newport Seal Tours with a tour of one of Rhode Island’s most beloved historic lighthouses. The first Seal-Lighthouse Tour departs from Bowen’s Ferry Landing at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. As the two-hour tour cruises through historic Newport Harbor, guests will take in 360° views of seals resting on Citing Rock off of Rose Island and enjoy an off-boat tour of the beautiful and historic Rose Island Lighthouse. Seal tours are held most Saturdays and Sundays from November 11 through April 31, plus some public school vacation days, while Seal-Lighthouse Tours will be held on select weekends each month from November 2016 to April 2017, beginning on Nov. 19 and 20.
“These tours are longer than our typical one-hour seal tours, in that we add another hour to enjoy beautiful Rose Island Light. Passengers will get a guided tour of both grounds as well as the lighthouse, where they will have the amazing opportunity to climb up to the top of the light,” said Dan Blount, education spet and boat captain.
Save The Bay has offered seal tours for more than 15 years throughout the months of October through April, when harbor seals come into the harbor to feed. Unlike visits to a zoo or aquarium, these boat tours offer guests the exclusive experience of catching winter seals in their natural habitat. And unlike Save The Bay’s shorter seal tours, these two-hour cruises include the lighthouse tour component. Save The Bay marine experts will provide an educational overview of harbor seals, Rhode Island’s recently-named official state marine mammal, and an historical perspective on Rose Island Light.
The two-hour Seal and Lighthouse Tours are $42 for non-members, $32 for members, seniors and children ages 3-12 and $5 for children under the age of three. These tours depart from Bowen’s Ferry Landing, 18 Market Square, Newport, RI. Tour tickets can be purchased online at Save The Bay’s Seal Tour website, www.savebay.org/seals, or through the Bowen’s Wharf kiosk in downtown Newport. For additional information call 401-203-7325.
Women’s Leadership Council of United Way, in Partnership with RI College Advancement Division, Invites Community to Participate in Statewide Forum on Grade-Level Reading Panel of speakers to present Rhode Island’s plan to ensure 75 percent of the state’s 3rd grade students are reading at grade-level by 2025; Rhode Island KIDS COUNT data to be made available
Providence, R.I. (November 7, 2016) In a state where just one-third of students are proficient in grade-level reading by 3rd grade, the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) of United Way of Rhode Island(UWRI) is partnering with the Rhode Island College Advancement Division to host a statewide forum on grade-level reading, titled “75 by 2025.” The event will feature a panel of speakers who will present Rhode Island’s plan to ensure that 75 percent of all third graders are reading at grade-level by 2025, as well as group breakout sessions for attendees to identify strategies to improve education in Rhode Island.
The event, which is free and open to all who wish to attend, will be held on Friday, November 18 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Rhode Island College’s Alger Hall. Light refreshments will be served. Those interested in attending the “75 by 2025” forum are asked to register online by November 17.
The forum begins with a panel discussion featuring Victor Capellan, Superintendent of the Central Falls School District; Melissa Husband, Executive Director of the Community Action Partnership of Providence; and Caitlin Molina, Executive Director of Providence Talks, moderated by Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. As part of the discussion, the panel will unveil Rhode Island’s plan to dramatically improve grade-level reading among third grade students by 2025 and make KIDS COUNT data available. Each table of attendees will receive a copy of the latest 2016 KIDS COUNT Factbook.
Following the panel, attendees will break into small groups to discuss strategies and actions in support of the WLC’s work to improve education, focusing on four areas: the Hasbro Summer Learning Initiative, Chronic Absenteeism, High-Quality Pre-K Programming, and School-Based Interventions.
“This event is a great opportunity for all Rhode Islanders to come together and lend their leadership to the community around an important goal—improving the lives of youth across our state,” said Lisa Guillette, Chair of the Women’s Leadership Council, and Executive Director of Foster Forward. “We know that, according to research, students who lack proficiency in reading by third grade are four times more likely to drop-out of high school and that’s a troubling trend we can only reverse by working together.”
UWRI’s Women’s Leadership Council is an all-volunteer group that harnesses the power of women and our communities to improve childhood literacy and help youth succeed in the classroom and in life.
About United Way of Rhode Island
United Way of Rhode Island (UWRI) has been working to improve the quality of life in Rhode Island for nearly 90 years. Together with its partners, UWRI is changing lives and strengthening our communities by investing in proven programs that work over the short-term, and are scalable over the long-term. For more information, visit www.LIVEUNITEDri.org.
Polaris MEP Announces 2nd Round of Applications Open for Manufacturing Innovation Challenge
PROVIDENCE, RI – Polaris MEP (Manufacturing Extension Partnership), a division of the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation, announces today the second round of applications are open for the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge, a competitive opportunity for RI manufacturers supplying the defense industry to access over $1 million of available funding, expertise and hands-on design and product development talent. Awards are currently available to qualifying RI manufacturers with a defense focus. Applications can be found at www.polarismep.org/challenge. Deadline is November 23, 2016 at 12:00 pm.
In August of this year, 32 manufacturers were awarded nearly $700,000 after the first Manufacturing Innovation Challenge application period. “We are incredibly excited at the progress and already immediate results of the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge program to date,” said Christian Cowan, Center Director for Polaris MEP. “Manufacturers in the first round are accessing world-class experts from multiple disciplines to grow their companies through industrial design, innovation and education. We look forward to the next round of applications being as competitive and impactful.”
The second round of applications are open for Phase One Strategic Assessments. In this Phase, manufacturers get access to a top team of experts who evaluate the manufacturers’ current innovation landscape. This deep dive into the company involves over 75 hours of expert consulting led through strategic design facilitation. The deliverable is innovative ideas and actionable recommendations for business growth.
Manufacturers who complete Phase One can then be eligible for Phase Two Growth Implementation projects, to be awarded again in early 2017. With ideas and recommendations in hand from the prior phase, companies may access funding to support implementation plans for business development and innovation.
More information and the application can be found at www.polarismep.org/challenge. For questions, contact Polaris MEP at 401-270-8896 or email MIC@polarismep.org.
The Manufacturing Innovation Challenge is a program of Polaris MEP, in partnership with Commerce RI, and made possible by a grant to Commerce RI from the Office of Economic Adjustment and U.S. Department of Defense.
The Exploration Center and Aquarium’s November Theme focuses on “Habitats Around Narragansett Bay;” Aquarium open on Veterans Day with Veteran discount
NEWPORT, RI – After weeks of pumpkin picking, hayrides, and spooky happenings, it’s time to celebrate November at Save the Bay’s Exploration Center and Aquarium at Easton’s Beach Rotunda, 175 Memorial Boulevard in Newport RI, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The November theme at the aquarium is “Habitats Around Narragansett Bay,” because as the climate changes it’s a great time to explore all the corners of our ecosystem.
The Aquarium will also be open on Veteran’s Day, November 11, with half-price admission and discounted family memberships for active-duty military and veterans. Family members always enjoy unlimited free admission to the Exploration Center & Aquarium for two adults and four children, as well as member rates on seal tours, summer camps, Save The Bay swag, and other goodies. Family membership days are generously sponsored by Corvias Solutions.
“The Exploration Center and Aquarium has done extensive specimen collection over the summer. We have new amazing creatures, and many of our older specimens are breeding, giving visitors the opportunity to watch hatchlings grow. Just because Rhode Island is getting chilly, doesn’t mean life isn’t active at the aquarium,” says Adam Kovarsky, Save The Bay’s Exploration Center manager. Kovarsky has planned a full schedule of habitat-centered activities for November: including “Story Time: Octopus’s Garden”, “Create your own Habitat” craft, and a “Habitat scavenger hunt.”
For more information about the Exploration Center and Aquarium, visit www.savebay.org/aquarium or call 401-324-6020.
