Our History
Dorcas Place incorporated
in 1981 as a private not-for-profit 501(c)(3) adult
literacy and learning center. While we are not a
faith-based organization, the organization was founded
by Mary Reilly, Sister of Mercy, and Deborah Thompson,
Mercy Associate, as part of an urban ministry program
in South Providence. Their vision to develop a literacy
program for single parents grew out of their work
with teen mothers in Providence's inner city.
Dorcas Place was named
after a woman in the new testament who dedicated
her life to feeding and clothing the poor. Dorcas
means "filled with good things", and Place
refers to the place within. The founders believed
that by nurturing this place within, "Dorcas
Place" would enable our students to become
powerful changers of their own and their children's
lives, and the community in which they live. They
were right.
Over the past 20 years,
Dorcas Place has sought to advocate for and with
low-income parents and other adults in order to
expand public and private awareness of, and response
to, the needs of this population. Our programs recognize
the direct link between illiteracy and the problems
of long-term welfare dependency, children growing
up in poverty, teenage pregnancy, child abuse and
neglect, crime and chronic unemployment.
Deborah
Thompson
Co-founder & Co-director
1981 - 1991
Mary Reilly, rsm
Co-founder & Co-director
1981 - 1991
Executive Director
1991 - 1999
OUR FOUNDERS
Dorcas Place was incorporated
in the State of Rhode Island on April 7, 1981.
The following are the visionaries who started it
all:
Mary Reilly, co-founder
Deborah Thompson, co-founder
Margaret Deignan
Elizabeth Fitzgerald
Barbara Archambault
Phyllis Araujo
Ruth LeBlanc
Mary Ellen McLaughlin
Board Leadership
In recognition and
sincere appreciation for their tremendous stewardship
over the past twenty-six years:
Angela Smith 1984-86
Eleanor Taft 1994-95
Susan Green 1986-88
Margaret Thomas 1995-97
Teresa Frydryk 1988-90
Helen Drew 1997-99
Joan Gelch 1990-92
Grant Keith 1999-2001
Diane Brandley 1992-94
Kristin Fraser 2001-2003
Mary Chace 2003-2005
Robinson Alston, Jr. 2006-2007
Arthur Schacht, 2007 to present |