By EMMA BARTLETT Thirty years ago, Cranston's Richard Fleischer and his wife, Joyce, welcomed Anna, 4, into their family. Not long after they adopted Sarah, 2. As one of their first parenting endeavors, Richard visited the store to pick up diapers for
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Thirty years ago, Cranston’s Richard Fleischer and his wife, Joyce, welcomed Anna, 4, into their family. Not long after they adopted Sarah, 2.
As one of their first parenting endeavors, Richard visited the store to pick up diapers for Sarah. However, when he arrived, the expense of the items alarmed him. His thoughts soon wandered to how less-fortunate families managed to afford diapers and decided the issue was too large to ignore – he had to do something. From there, the idea for Project Undercover took shape.
This Warwick-based organization started as a small group of volunteers partnering with the Girl Scouts of R.I. to organize an annual diaper drive. The drive continued for 15 years but expanded to reach even more individuals since 45,000 Rhode Island children live in poverty. In 2010, Project Undercover became a nonprofit.
Today, Richard continues playing a large role in Project Undercover, as the nonprofit works to supply 1,000,000 diapers and 180,000 pairs of socks to children each year. The organization now helps 7,000 Rhode Island children annually and does all this through a statewide network of 30 CAP and Family Service agencies.
Recently the board of directors welcomed Richard’s daughter Sarah Fleischer, now 31 years old, to their board. Sarah, like her father, has a strong background in volunteering efforts.
Both Anna and Sarah were born in India.
Sarah attended Edward S. Rhodes Elementary School, Park View Middle School and School One in Providence. As a student at Rhode Island College, where she earned a degree in political science, she decided to visit her native country to learn about her past. However, she did not want to go as a tourist and thought about how she could help while she was there – this resulted with her working at an orphanage.
“For me, personally, I knew I was in position of privileges and knew I could help children,” said Sarah.
Sarah then went on to volunteer in Tanzania where she worked as a teacher since the country was in high demand of educators.
Diane LeValley, the Project Undercover executive director stated in a press release that, “Sarah is exactly the kind of person we are looking for to help grow the agency. She’s enthusiastic with a very diverse volunteer experience working with children including orphanages in both India and Tanzania as well as local agencies here in RI. She will be a champion for children in need.”
Fleischer currently works as a teacher’s assistant in Providence. Recognizing her background as a woman, person of color, and the privilege she has, Fleischer wants to use this advantage to advocate for those around her.
“I hold a very unique position and have the power to make a difference,” she said. “These families need a voice and someone who's willing to speak up for them.”
Sarah’s personal connection to Project Undercover also played a role in why she wanted to play a larger role in the nonprofit. Knowing that the diaper drive had started because of her, Sarah knew from a young age that she wanted to get involved.
“I slowly started talking to my dad about it and figuring out what the need was and how I could help,” said Sarah.
Sarah also talked about her goals as a new member of the board.
“I hope to achieve being a voice for millennials and carrying Project Undercover to the next step,” Fleischer said.
Taking Project Undercover to the next step is just around the corner since the nonprofit continues to grow. Companies (such as Huggies) have reached out to Project Undercover about reaching the communities in need. Since the nonprofit has access to the families, they can take the donations from larger businesses and reach those who can benefit from the socks, diapers and underwear. And the donations haven’t stopped with those specific items. Ocean State Job Lot donated thousands of blankets and Walmart provided household items for families.
“I believe the impact of Project Undercover is just that it is focusing on families that need the most help but don’t necessarily know where to get it or who to ask. I believe it is making a big difference with communities that are overlooked,” Fleischer said.
In her role on the board of directors, Fleischer is optimistic in what the future.
“I’m very excited to be a part of the nonprofit and excited to see where things go.”
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