‘Burning to Keep Others Warm’

Orangetheory Fitness Cranston has joined forces with the Comprehensive Community Action Program, or CCAP, for a blanket, socks and gloves drive.

“Burning to Keep Others Warm” will be an in-studio event running through Feb. 17 during studio business hours. Orangetheory Fitness members, as well as residents of surrounding areas, are invited to drop off new, or good quality used, blankets, socks, gloves and mittens at the Cranston studio location at Four Chapel View Blvd, next to Shaw’s. The items collected after the two-week promotion will be donated to CCAP and delivered to neighbors in need.

In addition to donating items, the studio staff and Orangetheory Fitness members will have the opportunity to “build a blanket” during breaks between classes. Materials will be provided and members will be invited to join others in working on blankets before or after their classes. The blankets will also be donated to CCAP.

Items can dropped off at Orangetheory Fitness from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and 7:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 830-2812.

Tax time at CCAP

Comprehensive Community Action Program, or CCAP, is now offering its VITA Preparation Assistance Program, which provides free tax assistance services for individuals and families earning less than $54,000 a year. The program runs through May 1.

Last year, CCAP’s VITA program filed more than 1,000 federal tax returns, helping Rhode Island families receive $2 million in refunds without any cost. The program’s volunteers are trained and certified by the IRS and will help taxpayers file federal and state income tax returns.

CCAP’s tax preparation services are offered on the lower level of the agency’s Cranston headquarters, 311 Doric Ave. Call 467-7013 to schedule an appointment.

United Way 2-1-1

The United Way of Rhode Island’s 2-1-1 Outreach RV will be at the Cranston Public Library’s Central Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, on the first Monday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. The Outreach RV provides a free, confidential resource for assistance with housing, food, child care and other needs. For more information, visit uwri.org.

Ms. Wheelchair RI 2019

On Feb. 8, there will be a competition for Ms. Wheelchair RI. All contestants must be at least 21 years of age, use a wheelchair 100 percent of the time in public, have a great personality and be willing to be an advocate in Rhode Island and beyond.

This is not a beauty contest but rather a competition of advocacy and education.

The event will be held at the Imperial Room at 1 Rhodes Place in Cranston. For more information, contact Tina Guenette Pedersen at her work charity at mswheelchairri2018@yahoo.com.

Trivia fundraiser for CHSE Band

A trivia fundraiser for the Cranston High School East Band will be held Friday, Feb. 8, at Lemongrass Restaurant, 1138 Post Road, Warwick. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and trivia begins at 7 p.m. Teams will compete for prizes including top score and best team name. There will be a 50/50 raffle and a chance to win a mystery gift card paired with a bottle of wine. Tickets cost $30 per person and include a full dinner buffet. A cash bar will be available, and the event is for those 21 and older. All proceeds will go to the Cranston East Band. To purchase tickets, email cealumniband@gmail.com or call/text Sara at 536-0264.

Celebrate Lincoln’s birthday

The town of Lincoln, Rhode Island, was named in honor of our 16th president in 1871. Visit Arnold House, Arnold House, 487 Great Road, Lincoln, on Saturday, Feb. 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and learn about President Lincoln’s visits to the Ocean State and the history of this land that became Lincoln. Tour the museum and enjoy birthday cake. For more information, call 728-9696 or visit historicnewengland.org.

For the Love of Laughter

Cranston Christian Fellowship, 1114 Scituate Ave., will present “For the Love of Laughter,” a free comedy night, starting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 9. Dave Sinclair will host the event, which will feature Rhonda Carey and Mary Ellen Rinaldi. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit ccfchurch.net or call 944-6604. 

Gentian Garden Club programs

The Gentian Garden Club will meet Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at the North Scituate Community House, 546 West Greenville Road, Scituate. The program, “Native Plants and the Aiken Trail Development,” will be presented by club member and former president Jackie Marro.

Marco has worked with the Bennington Museum in Bennington, Vermont, for the last 10 years, creating a number of trails and gardens through the Hadwen Woods at the museum. The Hadwen Woods and George Aiken Wildflower Trail showcases the native wildflowers and ferns that George Aiken loved, propagated and wrote about in his book, “Pioneering with Wildflowers.” Marco will also introduce attendees to Sydney Eddison’s book “Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older.”

Additionally, the club’s Youth Activity Team will meet at the North Scituate Public Library, 606 West Greenville Road, Scituate, at 4 p.m. on Feb. 13 for a program titled “Pressed Flower Valentine Cards and Bookmarks.”

For more information about the club and its programs contact membership chairperson Nancy Laurie at 647-6966 or email gentryway@cox.net.

Hearing screenings, hearing aid cleanings

On Feb. 13 from 1:30-4:30 p.m., free hearing screenings and hearing aid cleanings will be available at van Eeghen’s Pharmacy, 650 Oaklawn Ave., Cranston. Hearing aids can be from any manufacturer. Participants in the screening will receive a $10 pharmacy gift card. To schedule a screening or cleaning, call Atlantic Audiology at 942-8080. ‘Inquiring Minds Want to Know’ at CHSE

Cranston High School East will host its next “Inquiring Minds Want to Know” student breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 15. Principal Sean Kelly is expected to provide a “State of the School Address” during the event, after which students will have the opportunity to ask questions. The focus of the breakfast is to engage students in discussions about the school climate and forge connections between students, staff and administrators.

Eco-Depot in February

Rhode Island Resource Recovery invites Rhode Island residents to safely dispose of household hazardous waste – anything labeled with a skull and crossbones, or words like “toxic,” “poison,” “flammable” or “combustible” – on Saturday, Feb. 16, from 8 a.m. to noon at 65 Shun Pike in Johnston. Eco-Depot is available to Rhode Island residents only, and to help reduce time spent in line, appointments should be made in advance. To make an appointment, visit ecodepotri.org or call 942-1430, ext. 241.

CHSE Indoor Percussion and Color Guard Competition

Enjoy the sights and sounds of more than 20 indoor percussion and color guard groups as Cranston High School East hosts a New England Scholastic Band Association competition for the fourth consecutive year. The event will be held in the Cranston East gymnasium on Saturday, March 16. Doors open at 3 p.m. Color guard performances begin at 4 p.m. and percussion performances start at 6:30 p.m. There will be an intermission between the performances, and raffles and a full concession stand will be available. Admission costs $10 for adult and $8 for seniors and students. Children age 5 and under will be admitted free of cost. For more information, visit the “CHSE Indoor Percussion & Color Guard Competition” event page on Facebook.

Statewide Business After Hours

A Statewide Business After Hours event will be held March 26 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston. Chamber of Commerce members and non-members from across Rhode Island are invited to attend. The event will feature more than 120 display tables and attendees can enjoy food provided by Russell Morin Fine Catering while making business connections that will last. Display tables are available for chamber members only. For more information, contact your local Chamber of Commerce.

Academic News & Notes

Dr. Douglas H. Sherman Jr., senior vice president and provost at New England Institute of Technology, has announced that the following Cranston students achieved dean’s list status for the quarter ending Dec. 15, 2018: Erick Abreu, Anthony Amore, Chantee Andrews, Jennifer Aristy, Mohamed Bader, Angel Baez, Roger Buteau Jr, Ella Caldarone, Stephanie Carroll, Nicholas Castelli, Cheyenne Copple, Sherri Dayacap, Ivan De La Cruz, Denise DeBlasio, Livio DeLaCruz, Nathan Fox, Skyler Fry, Richard Gemma III, Hope Kelley-Clark, Angelina Marra, Raymond McCarty, Edward McConnell Jr, Robert Meunier, Daniel Olsen, Michael Papasidero, Kenneth Perry, Jennybert Polanco, Benjamin Richtarik, Marissa Roberson, Benjamin Shumaker, Celine Then, Benjamin Waters and Riley Wicks.

Sara Lancellotta, a Cranston resident, has been named to the dean’s list at Providence College for the fall 2019 semester. She is a member of the class of 2022.

Tuesday Tech Tutor at William Hall

Cranston Public Library’s William Hall Library has added a new technology assistance program service for patrons. Tuesday Tech Tutor tackles terrible technology troubles that patrons may encounter. Library patrons may drop in anytime between 4-6 p.m. every Tuesday to have a librarian help navigate new technology skills or solve computer problems. No appointment or registration is necessary.

“We have many people who need assistance with things like attaching documents to emails, downloading ebooks, printing and more,” branch librarian Adrienne Girard said. “I am so happy we’re able to provide this new service to our patrons.”

For questions or more information, call William Hall Library at 781-2450.

Baby Book Boogie

Hosted by the Cranston Public Library’s Oak Lawn Branch, Baby Book Boogie will be held every Friday morning.

Children ages 0-2 and their caregivers are invited to help a book come to life through music and movement. We will also sing and dance along to favorite childhood songs. Registration is not required, but they will give out free tickets half an hour before the program opening at 10 am. The program is limited to 25 children and their caregivers.

The Oak Lawn Library is located at 230 Wilbur Ave. For more information, call 942-1787.

Tree Planting Program

The city of Cranston has announced its 2019 Neighborhood Tree Planting Program, which is free to all eligible property owners. The program is being offered through the Rhode Island Tree Council. An information packet, application and waiver forms can be found on the city’s website, cranstonri.com. For more information, contact the Rhode Island Tree Council at 764-5885 or the city’s Officer of Constituent Affairs at 780-3123.

Did You Know? 

Why is Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14? According to history.com, Lupercalia, an ancient Roman fertility festival that fell between Feb. 13 and Feb. 15, is thought to be the reason. (Source: history.com)

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