NEWS
United Way of Rhode Island holds Annual Meeting
October 14, 2009
Providence – United Way of Rhode Island (UWRI) announced
during its annual meeting today that J. Michael Costello, managing partner
of Endurance Wealth Management, will take over as chair of the Board of
Directors.
Also, at the annual meeting held at the Providence Marriott, Brad S. Dimeo,
president of Dimeo Construction Co., stepped into the role of Chair of
the Resource Development Committee; FM Global received the 2009 Corporate
Partnership Award; and Channel 12 news anchor Karen Adams accepted the
John. H. Chafee Lifetime Community Service Award.
New Board of Directors Chair Costello succeeded John Warren, Chairman
and CEO of Washington Trust and Washington Trust Bancorp Inc. Dimeo, takes
over the reigns of the Resource Development Committee previously headed
by William Hatfield of Bank of America. Hatfield today was re-elected
to UWRI’s board as Secretary and will continue to play a leadership
role at United Way.
“Both Mike and Brad bring to their respective Board positions a
strong presence and a lot of experience as leaders in our community We’re
honored that such key members of our community are serving on our Board,”
said UWRI President and CEO Anthony Maione. “Today we say goodbye
and offer heartfelt thanks to John who did an outstanding job and tirelessly
volunteered for United Way. He was highly visible and always available
to help out by either engaging donors or advancing the work of the board.”
During the annual meeting, FM Global, Rhode Island’s largest private
company and one of the world’s largest business property insurers,
was honored with the Corporate Partnership Award. The Johnston-based company’s
2008 contribution to United Way topped $1 million, making it UWRI’s
top corporate donor.
“At FM Global, we believe supporting the United Way is the most
efficient and effective way to provide financial resources to where in
the community it is needed most,” said FM Global Chairman and CEO
Shivan Subramaniam. “We are proud to have supported the United Way
of Rhode Island for more than 75 years.”
“We are honored to salute FM Global. The employees, retirees and
the company give generously to United Way,” said Maione. “FM
Global is unique in that for every $1 an employee donates the company
matches it with $2.”
Zechariah Chafee, the son of late R.I. Sen. John Chafee, presented Channel
12’s Adams with the prestigious John. H. Chafee Lifetime Community
Service Award. The award is given to a person in the Rhode Island community
who has consistently shown dedication and action on behalf of underserved
people. For the past two years, Adams has donated her time as the host
of United Way’s campaign as well as given her time to help multiple
charities.
Other new appointments to the UWRI Board of Directors were Doris Blanchard
of Sovereign Bank and Rev. Matthew Kai of R.I. State Council for Churches/Tabernacle
Church. Kai also was elected as a new member to the United Way’s
Community Advisory Board.
In addition to Costello, Dimeo, Hatfield and Maione, other re-appointments
to the Board included Barbara J. Silvis, in a dual role as First Vice
Chair, Board of Directors, and vice chair, Community Investment and Public
Policy; Jennifer L. Wood, treasurer; and Christopher Medici and Donna
Sams, both vice chairs of Community Investment and Public Policy.
New appointments to the Community Advisory Board, in addition to Kai,
were Betty Bernal, American Cancer Society; Kas DeCarvalho, Kaslaw LLC;
and Sixcia Devine, Johnson & Wales Small Business Development.
During the meeting, President and CEO Maione told the more than 100 attendees
of United Way’s continued commitment to long-term change through
community investment while, at the same time, the organization has set
aside safety-net funds to assist with immediate need.
United Way set a campaign goal of $15 million with $7.6 million earmarked
for the Community Impact Fund (CIF). The 2008 campaign raised $14.8 million
with $7.6 million going to CIF. Contributions to CIF support the organization’s
mission to address Rhode Island’s most serious social problems at
their roots. The goal is to reduce the amount and severity of need in
Rhode Island.
In January 2010, United Way of Rhode Island will be awarding more than
$11.4 million in grants to be paid over a three-year period to 38 social
and human services programs throughout the state. There will be a third
merger and consolidation conference and grant money will be made available
to qualifying nonprofits, which choose to combine services or back-office.
This past year, Maione said, United Way reacted quickly to the economic
crisis by setting up UWRI’s Fund to Prevent Homelessness in Rhode
Island. United Way matched contributions $1-for-$1 and raised $240,000
to keep 300 families and 400 children in their homes.
In addition, UWRI commissioned a study of the nonprofit sector to assess
the affect of the economy on Rhode Island’s nonprofits. The study
found that demand for services increased by 30 percent while staffs were
reduced by between 10 and 20 percent. UWRI partnered with the R.I. Public
Expenditure Council (RIPEC) to publish a study on the state’s social
safety net services.
About United Way of Rhode Island
United Way of Rhode Island has been working to improve the quality of
life in Rhode Island communities for over 80 years. UWRI’s mission
is to mobilize the caring power of the community to improve the lives
of people in need and address the issues Rhode Islanders care most about.
United Way’s goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent
problems from happening in the first place. We believe that all Rhode
Islanders deserve the opportunity to have a better life, as when any one
of us succeeds, we all succeed. At United Way, we refer to this as advancing
the common good. For more information, visit www.LIVEUNITEDri.org.
