NEWS

Cranston Chatter

Posted 2/24/21

By MERI R. KENNEDY Bulky waste pickup in March During the month of March, the city's Department of Public Works offers residents an opportunity to have bulky waste items picked up free of charge, with certain restrictions. Residents must call Waste

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NEWS

Cranston Chatter

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Bulky waste pickup in March

During the month of March, the city’s Department of Public Works offers residents an opportunity to have bulky waste items picked up free of charge, with certain restrictions.

Residents must call Waste Management at 800-972-4545 to schedule a free bulky waste pickup. Pickups are limited to one scheduled trip with up to three items per residential unit. Bulky waste does not include mattresses, construction debris, TVs or electronic goods, white goods or any household trash/garbage bags that would fit into a city-provided 65-gallon trash cart or overflow bags.

For more information, visit the city’s website, www.cranstonri.com.

Volunteers needed for vaccine rollout

The city of Cranston is seeking volunteers to assist with operations of the COVID-19 vaccination site at the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center.

Assistance is being sought from volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., through Thursday, April 8.

There are a wide variety of ways to help. The city is seeking doctors, nurses, EMTs and other qualified volunteers to help administer the vaccine. The city is also seeking volunteers to make calls to qualified recipients of the vaccine and help facilitate the vaccination site.

Interested parties may sign up to volunteer at cranstonri.gov/covid-19-vaccine-information or by calling the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center at (401) 780-6000.

Email account creation assistance

The Cranston Public Library will assist community members who do not currently have an email account in obtaining an email address needed to register for COVID-19 vaccination.

This service is available at the Central Library, 140 Sockanosset Cross Road, every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. Librarians will be available to help patrons create their first email account and navigate COVID-19 vaccine information.

Patrons are asked to call the Reference desk at (401) 943-9080, ext. 3, to register.

Patrons must have a cell phone and must bring that phone with them. If they do not have a cell phone, they may use the phone number of a trusted person for the email account creation.

For more information, visit www.cranstonlibrary.org.

Change in Senior Center program

Chair Exercise at the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center will be held on Fridays only until further notice. The hours are 9:30 to 10 a.m. in the Activity Room.

Tax time at CCAP

CCAP’s VITA Preparation Assistance Program provides free tax preparation for individuals and families earning less than $60,000.

Last year, CCAP’s VITA program filed over 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 file federal and state income taxes. IRS e-file is the most accurate, safest and fastest way to file a tax return. Refunds can arrive in as little as 10 days.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all returns will be done via drop-off. Call (401) 467-7013 for more information.

Medical education scholarships

The Chartercare Foundation is now accepting applications for undergraduate and graduate medical education scholarships for the 2021 academic year.

The scholarships will support studies in nursing, pharmacy, dental hygienists, physician assistants, public health, occupational and physical therapy, dieticians, etc. The scholarship is open to Rhode Island residents only, and the application deadline is March 31, 2021.

Please visit www.chartercarefoundation.org and click on “scholarships.”

Mortgage assistance program

Residents of Cranston at risk of losing their home as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible to receive up to six months of mortgage assistance.

The Cranston CDBG Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program assists low-income Cranston families earning under 80 percent of the median income.

For more information, call CCAP’s Social Services at (401) 467-7013.

Artist applications for Wickford Art Festival

Artist applications are now open for the annual Wickford Art Festival, which is slated for July 10-11, 2021. Produced by the Wickford Art Association since 1962, this year’s festival will aim to feature top artists from the state, region and nation, but will have a new look and feel due to changes since COVID-19 rocked the art and event industry. This year, Wilson Park, located within Wickford Village, will be the base for the festival in order to safely spread out artists, patrons and adapt to any necessary state guidelines in place come July.

For the first time, artists will be able to apply to this year’s festival through a new online application. Accepted artists will also be featured on a new virtual festival platform that will be heavily promoted throughout the entire summer through the end of September.

The Wickford Art Festival is a juried fine art show. Work will be juried on originality, workmanship and professional presentation. Jurors also consider total show composition.

For the first time, a limited number of talented artists who create fine functional art pieces – including ceramics, decorative fiber, furniture and jewelry – will be able to apply to the festival. Applications will be open through April 15.

For more information, visit www.wickfordart.org.

Cranston Y open for business

Call the Cranston YMCA, which is open seven days a week, to book an appointment. The Cranston Y is open for business with workout and swim times to help you and your family stay strong in spirit, mind and body.

With the highest commitment to the safety of the staff and members, all Y programs are currently scheduled by appointment. One-hour workout blocks in the cardio and free weight area as well as 45-minute lap swim sessions in the pool are offered seven days a week. The Y is also offering limited in-person group exercise classes and a robust schedule of virtual classes.

Registration is also open for youth and adult swim lessons. Call the branch at (401) 943-0444, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and weekends, 7 a.m. to noon, for more information.

Existing members can register via their online account at www.bookaspot.org.

For more information about reopening, membership renewal and reactivation and program registration, visit www.gpymca.org or call the branch.

ARTS Scholarships available

Applications are now available at www.ppacri.org/artsscholarships for the 2021 ARTS Scholarships Program. This year marks the program’s 25th anniversary! Since 1996, the program has awarded 700 arts scholarships.

The ARTS Scholarships 2021 program, sponsored by The Textron Charitable Trust and the PPAC Annual Fund Donors with support from WPRI 12, awards up to $500 in financial assistance to each of the 30 talented Rhode Island students selected as recipients. Qualified students must be age 11-14 by June 1, 2021, and reside in and attend school in Rhode Island.

These scholarships offer young artists an opportunity to participate in local summer arts education programs that will broaden each student’s experience in their chosen area of study.

Pagano Foundation scholarships available

The Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation, now in its 10th year, will again be offering $6,000 in college scholarships to graduating seniors in Cranston.

The Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation Scholarship is a nonrenewable $1,500 award to be granted to two students from Cranston High School East and two students at Cranston High School West to help defray the costs associated with attending a four-year college.

The awards are meant to assist those students who best represent the values of academic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service and well-rounded individuals with a drive to succeed.

The Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation was established in memory of the late James Pagano, a 17-year veteran of the Cranston Fire Department and a devoted family man, loyal friend and respected gentleman whose life was senselessly cut short by gun violence. The mission of the foundation is to make charitable grants to individuals, groups and organizations that improve the quality of life for children, and foster character building and a strong foundation for their future. Its work is made possible by the generous contributions and involvement from the community.

For information about the scholarship, visit www.jimpaganofoundation.com or follow the foundation on Facebook.

Learn to Earn L.I.F.E. training

CCAP’s Learn to Earn L.I.F.E., or Learning Information For Everything, Training Program is a 60-hour paid life skills workshop that will cover topics not always taught in school. It is a virtual program with interactive projects and activities and is designed for participants between the ages of 14 and 24. Participants are paid $11.50 an hour.

Learn about daily living, self-care, positive relationships, housing, work and study skill as well as career education planning, goal setting and customer service. To register, call the Cranston Skills & Youth Center at 562-8325.

Cranston partners with Tree-Plenish

Tree-Plenish has partnered with over 85 schools and communities, including Cranston, to help build sustainable communities through youth engagement. The group plans to plant 300 trees on April 24, 2021, to offset the schools’ paper usage during one academic year.

Tree-Plenish mentors’ students through a step-by-step process to achieve their ultimate goal – hosting their own tree-planting event. With the help of Tree-Plenish, students calculate their school’s paper usage. In order to reach their goal number of trees, students rely on residents of the community to request trees to be planted by volunteers in their yard.

Tree-Plenish is led by 15-year-old Kalliana Marek, who is part of several environmental groups in Rhode Island including the Sunrise Movement and the RI Citizens Climate Library. She may be reached at kalliana.marek@gmail.com or through www.tree-plenish.org/cranston.

Throughout the winter and early spring, students and schools will plan their tree-planting events. Students started in December to market their event to the community, with the goal of getting residents to request a tree to be planted in their yard on the day of the event. This tree request process continues until about one month before the event is to take place to allow time for the trees to be ordered and delivered. Students also reach out to their community to recruit volunteers to help plant trees on the day of the event.

These events are a perfect opportunity for members of the community to stay connected and involved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tree-Plenish has created specific guidelines to protect both the residents of the community as well as the volunteers for the event.

Residents of the community are able to help support the event starting now. They can request a tree to be planted in their yard or sign up to volunteer to plant trees on the day of the event. The more homeowners that request trees, the faster the students are able to reach their goals. If homeowners are unable to request a tree or volunteer their time, they can also make a monetary contribution on the Tree-Plenish website.

Catalina, the public relations lead at Tree-Plenish, explains why she joined the Tree-Plenish team: “Throughout my high school career, I noticed the excessive amount of paper teachers, students, and administrators used. As a youth passionate about affecting change, I thought there must be a way we could give back to the community the resources we had taken. Tree-Plenish does this by empowering the youth in each community to stand up and make a difference.”

Tree-Plenish is a student-led nonprofit organization striving to build sustainable communities through youth engagement. Together with students in Cranston, Tree-Plenish hopes to drive Cranston towards a sustainable future.

Cranston RSVP seeking volunteers

The RSVP Program at Cranston’s Department of Senior Services is seeking volunteers to help to deliver brown bag lunches to seniors in the community, run errands for seniors and transport local homebound seniors to medical appointments.

You must be 55 years of age or older to volunteer and a BCI is required. Mileage reimbursement is given to cover travel costs. AmeriCorps Seniors will also provide insurance protection with three types of coverage – excess accident medical coverage, excess volunteer liability insurance and excess automobile liability insurance.

If you are interested in becoming an RSVP volunteer, contact Karen Porto at (401) 780-6159 for an interview.

Need help with your mortgage?

RI Housing’s Hardest Hit Fund Rhode Island (HHFRI) program is offering zero-interest, forgivable loans to eligible Rhode Island homeowners who became unemployed or underemployed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are struggling to make their mortgage payments. Loan proceeds may provide eligible homeowners with up to six months of mortgage payment assistance and a mortgage will be recorded on the homeowner’s property.

Learn more about the loan program and eligibility at www.rihousing.com/hhfri.

CCAP Portal now available

Need a hand with your rent or utilities? CCAP’s new Online Application Portal can help.

As part of its continuous effort to provide the best possible service, CCAP is pleased to announce the launch of the new application platform at www.apply.comcap.org.

With a goal of expanding access to CCAP’s social services programs, the application portal will improve clients’ access to up-to-date housing and utility assistance program information and allow clients to upload documents and electronically sign applications.

For questions about the new portal, email info@comcap.org or call (401) 467-7013.

CCAP Emergency Housing Assistance

The Comprehensive Community Action Program’s Emergency Housing Assistance program assists individuals/families living in Cranston, Coventry, Scituate and Foster with back rent, security deposits, mortgage assistance, late fees associated with back rent or mortgage, moving costs and utilities. Funding is limited. For more information, call CCAP at (401) 467-7013 or visit www.comcap.org.

Zoom-ba program

The MS Dream Center will offer a virtual Chair Zoom-ba Program sponsored by Maguire Disability Law, with the class being instructed by Michelle Calise.

Classes will be offered nationally on Mondays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m. for people with MS and their loved ones. There is no fee to participate and classes can accommodate up to 100 on a first come, first serve basis.

Please contact Anne at anne@msdreamcenter.org to register for the classes and to complete a signed liability waiver, which is required of all participants.

The MS Dream Center provides a dedicated resource and support facility in which people living with multiple sclerosis, and their care partners, may engage in a wide variety of interactive social and educational activities, workshops and therapies. The MS Dream Center’s goal is to bring awareness to the disease and reach out to those living with it, empowering them and offering important respite opportunities for care partners.

Troop 22 looking for Scouts

Boy Scout Troop 22 Cranston is looking for new Scouts. Following all the BSA and state of Rhode Island safety protocols, the troop is meeting, hiking and camping. It has a full schedule of activities planned for the 2020-21 program year. Troop 22 is affiliated with girls’ Troop 13-G, which is also looking for new members. Both units meet at the Edgewood Congregational Church, 1788 Broad St., at 7 p.m. on most Thursdays.

The program is for youth ages 11 to 18. For younger children, Troop 22 also has a relationship with Cub Scout Pack 2 Cranston. Anyone interested is invited to call Paul Kelley at 595-6726 for more information.

Mindful Mondays

Mindful Monday is a weekly drop-in meditation group open to all teens 13 to 18 years old. Brief meditations are facilitated by CCAP’s Community Response Program team members. The program will be held on Mondays, on Zoom, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Jennifer Pelkey at jpelkey@comcap.org or (401) 318-2555.

Did you know?

In 1895, George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, came up with the modern concept of daylight saving time. He proposed a two-hour time shift so he’d have more after-work hours of sunshine to go bug hunting in the summer. This year we will change our clocks ahead on March 14. (Source: Daylight Savings Fun Facts)

To submit your news from the community, email Meri R. Kennedy at CranstonChatter@aol.com. This includes virtual events which should be submitted 2-3 weeks ahead of the event. Photos in jpg format are accepted and news can include community events, promotions, academic news and nonprofit events. Email today and see your news in our column in the Cranston Herald.

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