All Entries Tagged With: "growth strategies"
Artists for the Bay Show & Sale to showcase local art and jewelry on December 1
PROVIDENCE – November 15, 2016 – Save The Bay’s annual Artists for the Bay Art Show & Sale Opening Reception will be held from 6–8:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 1 at the Bay Center in Providence. Creative works by more than 45 local artisans, painters, sculptors and jewelers will be on display and on sale, with 50 percent of sales benefiting Save The Bay’s advocacy, education and restoration work. Guests will find a wide variety of artwork in the gallery ranging from elegant seascapes to beautiful handcrafted jewelry, priced from $25 to $500, making this a well-timed holiday shopping opportunity. Tickets are $35 and include an evening of live music and local food and beverages, including Fire Works Catering, Bottles Fine Wine, Foolproof Brewing Company, D’licious Desserts, Keel Vodka, Rhody Roasters Coffee and others. Tickets can be purchased online at www.savebay.org/art or at the door.
“The Artists for the Bay Show & Sale is in its eighth year and continues to support Save The Bay’s fundraising efforts in a celebration of local artists,” said Leanne Danielsen, Save The Bay events manager. “The opening reception is a very festive night when supporters can enjoy so many skilled artists, jewelers and artisans from all over the state.”
Artists for the Bay Show and Sale is generously sponsored by Avalon Trust, and supported as well by StoneRidge Senior Community, Starkweather & Shepley, and Mott & Chace Sotheby’s of Barrington. “The generous support of our sponsors is critical to sustaining Save The Bay’s mission to protect and improve Narragansett Bay,” Danielsen said.
“At Avalon Trust, we believe in actively supporting the causes that are important to our clients, employees and community,” said Avalon Trust CEO, Andrew Wallerstein. “We applaud the local artisans who donate their time and talents to Artists for the Bay and are honored to play a role in this wonderful event that supports Save The Bay’s vital work in making Narragansett Bay the regional treasure it is.”
Special Save The Bay coasters in several local pubs, restaurants and breweries, including Trinity Brewhouse, Bucket Brewery, The Avery, Malted Barley, Thee Red Fez and others, can be brought to the art show for a special gift. The Artists for the Bay Art Show & Sale runs through Jan. 31 with a closing ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 28 from 1 – 3 p.m. Community members are invited to the Save The Bay Center to look at and purchase artwork during normal business hours between Dec. 2 and Jan. 31.
Local artists and jewelers can continue to submit work for this juried show through Monday, Nov. 14. For more information, to purchase tickets and/or submit artwork, contact Leanne Danielsen at ldanielsen@savebay.org or 272-3540, ext. 140, or visit savebay.org/art.
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.
What’s Your Business’ Story?
NOUN, PLURAL STORIES.
1.a narrative, either true or fictitious, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse, or instruct the hearer or reader; tale.
noun
1.a person’s regular occupation, profession, or trade.
“she had to do a lot of smiling in her business”
synonyms: work, line of work, occupation, profession, career, employment, job, position;
2.the practice of making one’s living by engaging in commerce.
“the world of business”
synonyms: trade, trading, commerce, dealing, traffic, merchandising
Every business has one. It’s time to tell yours…
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.
