Dorcas Place Adult & Family Learning Center of Providence has received a $25,000 BlueAngel Community Health Grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island in support of our Rhode Island Welcome Back Center program. The Rhode Island Welcome Back Center is a unique initiative designed to help internationally trained health professionals in the community re-enter the local healthcare workforce in their medical fields. It is one of only eight Welcome Back Center programs nationwide. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island will now be joining the Rhode Island Welcome Back Center’s growing list of community partners.
First launched in 2002, the BlueAngel Community Health Grants program has helped enhance the quality of life of more than 120,000 Rhode Islanders by improving their access to healthcare services and information. Through the BlueAngel Community Health Grants program, Blue Cross Blue Shield partners with community-based agencies trying to break down barriers to healthcare access created by costs, culture, miscommunication, system structure, or lack of education. BlueAngel Community Health Grants are made possible by the Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island Community Health Fund, a corporate donor-advised fund of The Rhode Island Foundation.
This year, Dorcas Place will celebrate its 30th Anniversary as an adult education agency serving low-income, low-literacy/language adults through comprehensive education and workforce development programs. Dorcas Place offers a continuum of services, from basic literacy education to English language instruction through preparation for the high school equivalency (GED), transition to post-secondary education and job training and placement.
Thanks to a generous donation from Board alumnae Gail Mixer, gifts received for the 2011 Annual Fund before December 31, 2010 will be matched up to $25,000. Under the leadership of Board member Annual Fund co-chairs Mary Morse and Sean Welch, $10,000 has already been raised toward the match.
This comes on the heels of a successful 2010 Annual Fund, which provided essential unrestricted operating funds and ensured that we started the year fiscally strong. Thanks to the generous financial support from loyal individual donors and foundations, the total raised was $154,216, topping the $150,000 goal!
Here’s How You Can Donate: Direct contributions can be mailed to Development Office, Dorcas Place, 220 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907.
Online by visiting the secure website JustGive.org and select ‘Dorcas Place’ in the ‘Find A Charity’ database.
Workplace payroll deduction programs through the United Way of Rhode Island, the RI and Southeastern Massachusetts Combined Federal Campaign (code 30890) and the RI State Employees Charitable Appeal (code 5660).
With your help, we can exceed our $200,000 goal! For more information, please call Bethany Plummer-Ricci at 401-273-8866 or email bplummerricci@dorcasplace.org.
"...hold on tight to the opportunities offered by Dorcas Place.""
I humbly stand here before you to speak a little about my life and time spent here at Dorcas Place. Hello everyone! First, I would like to give you some background about myself. My name is Adil and I come from Morocco in North Africa. My native language is Arabic which made my life hard in the U.S. because I had never spoken English before coming here. I was illiterate in English. Luckily for me, someone introduced me to Dorcas Place. I used to ask for help everywhere I went such as the DMV, pharmacy, and you name it. Dorcas Place motivated me to be independent and do things on my own. It wasn’t easy at first but with great help from some amazing teachers, I am able to do everything for myself. They use all their knowledge in teaching to help adult students which is not easy. Moin was my level two teacher. Moin’s teaching style made it easy for me to learn because he made the class fun. I then moved on to level three. I found a great teacher named Suzanne. I have learned a lot from her. She works on every student’s weaknesses and improves them. My weakness was spelling. Believe me, it is very hard for me because in Arabic we write from right to left and have a different alphabet. I still have a difficult time writing in English, but I know with the help of Dorcas Place I can do it. Dorcas Place offers so many opportunities such as computer class. For some of us, it was the first time ever using a computer, but Sean made it simple. The Job Zone is another program offered by Dorcas Place. They helped me update my resume, and I am well on my way to finding a career that is good for me. For the past ten years, I’ve been a cabinet maker, both in Morocco and in the United States. My goals were once simple, but Dorcas Place has opened my eyes to many opportunities out there. Now I have so many goals, I don’t know which one to pick first. I now feel that I can do everything that I dreamed about before coming to this country. Finally, I would like to say to other students, hold on tight to the opportunities offered by Dorcas Place and you will see how much you can do. I know my classmates join me in thanking Dorcas Place and all that make this program possible.
©2004 Dorcas Place Adult & Family Learning Center, Inc. . 220 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907 . phone: 401-273-8866