Community Partner Links
Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center
In January of 2010, the Aquidneck Island Adult Learning Center (AIALC) engaged in a merger process to become a division of Newport Community School, continuing to provide, at more than 10 sites, comprehensive services including: academic assessment, literacy and numeracy instruction, workplace literacy, job readiness skills, high school completion and vocational training and counseling services. All AIALC programs have an underlying focus: the active recruitment of early school leavers and special populations; assisting adult learners to become literate members of the community; assisting adult learners to become economically self-sufficient; and providing a variety of services that offer opportunities to complete a secondary credential.
Audubon Society of Rhode Island
The Audubon Society of Rhode Island, the state's first environmental organization, invites you to discover the wonders of nature. Annually, more than 17,000 members and supporters along with tens of thousands visitors enjoy our fifteen refuges statewide, award-winning Environmental Education Center, and enthralling special events and fascinating programs.
Our Audubon was founded in 1897 to halt the slaughter of birds used in the day's fashions. Today, our mission promotes environmental education, conservation and advocacy.
The Audubon connects you with nature all year through recreational and educational activities, emphasizing birds while encompassing all native wildlife and habitats.
The natural world is both sanctuary and classroom. Audubon encourages you to enjoy nature, learn from it, and protect it. Join us and experience the discoveries that nature offers you.
Baby Steps
Baby Steps is a parent education program designed to help parents/caregivers of children from birth to 3 years of age gain a better understanding of child development as well as acquire the skills to raise happy, healthy children. Modeled after the “Baby College® of Harlem,” Baby Steps was established in 2009 through a consortium of educational and social service agencies in Newport. It includes educational sessions on child behavior and positive parenting; communication and language development; developmentally appropriate learning and cognitive development.
The goal of Baby Steps is to ensure that each child, by the age of 3, develops a full and vibrant vocabulary along with social skills that will effectively prepare him/her for pre-K or kindergarten. Another goal of the program is to ensure that parents/caregivers receive the education and support they need during the pivotal first three years of their children’s lives.
Bike Newport
BikeNewportRI.org is where all things bicycle in Newport come together! Advocacy, enterprise, education – it’s ALL here. Join us!
We are everyone in Newport who cares about improving bike friendliness, safety, access, courtesy, health, fitness, enterprise and planning.
There’s nothing that spells SUSTAINABILITY quite like bicycling. We sustain ourselves, our communities, our environment, our families and our finances. The more we bicycle the better we feel, the cleaner our air, the less congested our streets, the more productive our students and workers, and the happier our tourists.
Join us in the movement to make Newport, our beautiful City By the Sea, a model of bike smarts and bike friendliness.
Boys and Girls Club of Newport County
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Newport County was founded in 1956 to provide a safe haven for kids and teens where they could find encouragement toward bright futures.
City of Newport
City of Newport, Rhode Island Website
Established: 1639
Incorporated: 1784
Form of government: Council and city manager.
Council meetings: The second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m.,
the board of license commissioners follows the council meeting.Fiscal year begins: July 1
History
Rhode Island was founded on the basis of complete religious and political freedom, and in Newport, Quakers and Jews found a comfortable haven shortly after its founding. By the early 1700s, commerce, combined with a successful farming and fishing industry, brought great wealth to the community. Newport ships probably developed what became the first resort in British North America when, during the 1720s, sea captains brought passengers from the Carolinas and Caribbean who wished to get away from the heat, fever and humidity of their plantations.
Newport was one of the five most important settlements in the 13 colonies, sharing that distinction with Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charlestown. Newport was the "Birthplace of the Navy,” and with private and naval shipping combined, added to the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the community. Newport combines three communities in one — the settled community, the Navy (which bases its Naval Education and Training Center here), and the “summer colony.”
The city claims more standing buildings built before 1830, than any American community. Contemporary Newport has a variety of museum attractions, including the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the Newport Art Museum and the Museum of Newport History. There are windjammer cruises out of the port, excursion boats, harbor and city bus tours, scuba diving, surfing, spearfishing, summer theater, golf, tennis and fishing along with numerous yacht races. Its numerous restaurants serve up the best in Rhode Island seafood, and several are known for their continental cuisine.
Cliff Walk
The Cliff Walk along the eastern shore of Newport, RI is world famous as a public access walk that combines the natural beauty of the Newport shoreline with the architectural history of Newport's gilded age. Wildflowers, birds, geology ... all add to this delightful walk. In 1975 the walk was designated as a National Recreation Trail ... the 65th in the nation and first in New England. The walk runs 3.5 miles and about two-thirds of the walk is in easy walking condition. What makes Cliff Walk unique is that it is a National Recreation Trail in a National Historic District.
Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center
Since 1922, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center has provided a wide variety of human services and enrichmentactivities to meet the diverse needs of Newport County residents. The Center provides a daily breakfast program, a pre-school, before and after school programs, a literacy, math and science based summer camp, an entrepreneurship program for women, the area’s highest-volume food pantry, and a variety of supportive services.
East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP)
East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP) is a private, nonprofit 501 (c) (3) corporation that provides a wide array of health and human services to the residents of Rhode Island’s east bay including the municipalities of East Providence, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Little Compton, Tiverton, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport and Jamestown. As part of special contract obligations some of EBCAP’s programs serve residents outside of the east bay area.
The services provided by EBCAP include: Head Start Services and Early Head Start; family health and dental services including East Bay Smiles and the Molar Express; family development case management services including social service information and referral and basic human needs; food pantries; youth programs; the East Bay Coalition for the Homeless; Heating and Energy Services; the Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Feeding and Nutrition Program (WIC) and senior services including case management, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Foster Grandparents (FGP) and the Ocean State Senior Dining Program (meals in a social setting).
Mission: The mission of East Bay Community Action Program is to provide high-quality, comprehensive and accessible health and human services to assist people to achieve their fullest potential. Vision: East Bay Community Action Program strives to be recognized as the premier health and human services agency in the East Bay.
Fort Adams
Make history come alive for every member of your family. Just a short drive or a water taxi ride across Newport Harbor stands the largest coastal fortification in the United States. Visit this engineering and architectural masterpiece to see where the soldiers lived, enter the casemates, explore the tunnel system, and climb the bastions for breathtaking views. Consider renting the Fort with its 6-acre parade field or North lawn on the water for your special function. Watch for our upcoming special events including military reenactments, music festivals, and classic vehicle shows. From 1824 to 1950 Fort Adams housed generations of our soldiers, today it still stands ready for your enjoyment.
discover newport - The Newport & Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau (NBCCVB)
Discover Newport is a non-profit destination management organization dedicated to the promotion of the City of Newport and its eight surrounding townships in Newport and Bristol Counties Rhode Island including Barrington, Bristol, Jamestown, Little Compton, Middletown, Newport, Portsmouth, Tiverton and Warren as a premiere destination for business and leisure travel.
MENTOR Rhode Island
MENTOR is the unifying champion for quality youth mentoring in the United States. MENTOR’s mission is to close the “mentoring gap” and ensure our nation’s young people have the support they need through quality mentoring relationships to succeed at home, school, and ultimately, work.
To achieve this, MENTOR collaborates with its network of affiliate Mentoring Partnerships and works to drive the investment of time and money into high impact mentoring programs and advance quality mentoring through the development and delivery of standards, cutting-edge research and state-of-the-art tools.
MENTOR Rhode Island is an affiliate of MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership and an official technical assistance provider of the National Mentoring Resource Center, which is supported by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and managed by MENTOR.
Newport Art Museum
Newport Art Museum boasts a dynamic Education department with numerous programs including classes and workshops for youth and adults, week-long summer camps for kids, community-based programs and partnerships, homeschool at the Museum, family programs, rotating exhibitions, studio rentals, and an immersive career readiness program for high schoolers.
The Newport Art Museum School, housed in the Minnie & Jimmy Coleman Center for Creative Studies, presents a rare opportunity to learn art-making skills in the context of a museum and its community of art lovers and learners. Museum members receive a 15% discount on most of our courses and workshops.
Whether you are looking to kickstart your child’s lifelong engagement in the arts, learning a new skill yourself, or if you’re looking to enjoy the therapeutic qualities of creating your own artwork in a friendly atmosphere, we look forward to welcoming you into our School and Museum.
Newport Family and Child Opportunity Zone
The Newport Family and Child Opportunity Zone (NFCOZ) is a member of a network of ten COZ sites across the state. COZs follow the national community schools model, creating partnerships among families, schools, and the community to coordinate comprehensive academic, social and health/wellness services for students and their families, resulting in improved educational outcomes for children. Opportunities for families to get involved increase family participation in their child’s school and education. Supportive services are provided to families on site at the school, and extended learning opportunities allow students to try new activities, learn new skills, develop social and emotional competencies, and meet new friends.
CHAMPION CHILDCARE PROGRAM AT PELL 2022-2023 – REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Before and after school licensed childcare on site at Pell is available for students. Before school care opens at 6:30 a.m. and after school care closes at 6 p.m. For more information call (401) 236-2398.
Newport Community School
Newport Community School (NCS), in collaboration with local schools and community partners, provides educational opportunities to complement classroom learning and support academic success, personal responsibility and economic self-sufficiency in a vibrant engaged community.
Newport County Chamber of Commerce
The Newport County Chamber of Commerce is one of Rhode Island's largest business advocacy organizations formed to enhance the business, civic and economic vitality of Newport County and greater Rhode Island.
We are an independent, non-profit organization with over 1,100 member companies employing more than 50,000 workers throughout Newport County and greater Rhode Island. Our purpose is to leverage the region’s core assets to find solutions in the areas that matter most to the business and community; quality jobs, quality growth and quality of life. The Newport County Chamber has a wide variety of programs, publications, events, and business resources that directly improve the bottom line of members.
Newport County Prevention Coalition
The Newport County Prevention Coalition was organized as an effort to provide effective substance use prevention strategies, mental health advocacy, and treatment options to Newport County, Rhode Island. Since founded, our coalition has continued to strive to create a community that encourages healthy lifestyle choices and a deeper understanding of the complexities of mental health and substance use. As our coalition continues to grow, we continue to expand in representation; such as parents, elected officials, local businesses, and the medical community. How can we make your community healthier? Take a moment to reflect on this question. Is there a service that you believe your community is lacking that could truly make a difference? We want to hear your ideas. Effective change happens with the input from all community members!
Newport County YMCA
We build strong kids, strong families, strong communities.
Newport Friends of the Waterfront
Friends of the Waterfront, Inc., established in 1982 at Newport, RI is a not for profit 501(c)(3), public interest group with a mission:
To protect public access to the water;
To preserve historical uses, rights of way, and waterfront views; and
To help foster the development of Newport, RI's shoreline and harbor front areas in ways that maximize public access.
Newport Historical Society
The Newport Historical Society was chartered in 1854 to collect and preserve books, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to Newport’s history. The Society’s collections originated thirty years earlier as the “Southern Cabinet” of the Rhode Island Historical Society. By 1853, several prominent Newporters recognized the need for a separate organization specifically devoted to preserving the history of Newport County, and the collections of the Southern Cabinet were reorganized under the auspices of the Newport Historical Society.
The first quarters of the Newport Historical Society were temporary. Meetings moved from member’s home to member’s home, and lectures were held in rented halls. By 1884, however, the Society was suffering from growing pains. It needed a permanent space to house its collections. After some deliberation, the Society purchased the old Seventh Day Baptist Meeting House (1730).
This was arguably their first real artifact, and certainly one of the first examples of adaptive reuse of an historic structure with deliberate homage to the structure’s own integrity. It is a responsibility the Newport Historical Society has taken seriously and managed well since 1884.
It did not take long for the Society to fill its new quarters. In 1884, they advertised that “The Newport Historical Society have taken possession of their new quarters on Barney Street and are soliciting donations of historical material relating to Newport.”
The influx of gifts was gratifying, but the membership soon realized there were untapped resources that the current building, surrounded as it was by stables, paint shops, and other fire hazards, could not safely accommodate. In 1887, the Society purchased a site on Touro Street and in the fall of that year moved its building there.
As the holdings of the Society continued to increase, the need for more space and security became evident. Ground was broken in 1902 for a brick library building on the Touro Street side of the lot. The new building provided office space for the Society, a fireproof vault for historic documents, and a library. In 1915, the meeting house was detached from the library and moved to the rear of the lot. A three story brick building was constructed between the library and the meeting house. Brick veneer, a slate roof, and steel shutters were added to the exterior of the meeting house to make its exterior covering consistent with the adjoining structures, and to provide added protection from the weather and the threat of fire.
The collections of the Newport Historical Society have continued to grow, and have, in fact, outgrown every structure provided for them within a decade or less of the ground-breaking. The result is one of the finest local historical society collections in New England. Its manuscripts, portraits, silver, furniture, decorative arts, and genealogical collection are nationally recognized.
Newport Partnership For Families
Due to the financial investment from the Rhode Island Foundation, Newport Partnership for Families was founded in 1990 to develop and maintain a coordinated network of collaborating partners that measurably strengthens families and enhances the quality of life in Newport, Rhode Island. NPFF has been successful in coordinating services and programs among Newport organizations to eliminate duplication and fill service gaps, providing a framework for public and private agencies and members of the community to work together to promote the health and well-being of everyone in the city of Newport.
Guiding Principles: The Partnership and its members advance the organization’s mission to strengthen families and improve quality of life in Newport by:
• Working collaboratively to coordinate and leverage resources and expertise.
• Committing to using data to make decisions, monitor progress, and adapt strategies to maximize impact.
• Holding each other accountable to the individual and shared outcomes to which we have committed
• Striving to understand and respect our partners, acknowledging and managing conflict when it inevitably arises
• Engaging residents to best determine community needs and to identify solutions
• Valuing and celebrating the diversity within our community, and welcoming diverse voices at our tables
Newport Public Education Foundation
The Newport Public Education Foundation (NPEF), established in 1991, is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to improve the performance of Newport public school children by enhancing their educational opportunities and by building broad-based community support for quality public education.
We have done this in the past by providing teachers with grants to enhance their classroom activities, assisting the Newport Public Schools in rallying volunteers to read in the classrooms under the BOLD (Books Open Life’s Doors) program, and leading the campaign to raise more than $1 million for furniture, equipment and technology to ensure overall program enhancements at Newport’s historically preserved and renovated Thompson Middle School. We plan to continue in this tradition and expand into programs that support our teachers, students and schools.
In response to the needs of our changing district, NPEF has recently updated its strategic direction. We will focus on five key ideas:
To support programs and services that address district-wide educational needs and enhance student learning
To foster community volunteerism in the schools
To encourage a community dialogue addressing school district-wide educational issues
To raise funds to support our current programs and to establish a strong financial foundation that will permit future expansion
To ensure broad community participation in the organization and to create an organizational structure optimizing execution of all goals.
Newport Public Library
The Newport Public Library seeks to strengthen the community by providing opportunities that support lifelong learning, encourage inspiration, imagination, and enjoyment, and connect people to each other and to the rest of the world.
This mission will be carried out by providing members of the community with services that will:
assist them to continue to grow and learn throughout their lives whether enrolled in a formal program of instruction or not,
provide the materials and programs needed to support their recreational reading and information needs,
provide a means for residents to interact in the community and to participate in public discourse about community issues,
provide information resources needed to answer their questions,
enable members of the community to find, evaluate and use information effectively,
assist people in their exploration of the cultural heritage of the community.
These services will be provided in a clean, comfortable and safe environment that will make members of the community proud of their library. Some key services will be made available online 24/7.
Newport Restoration Foundation
Founded in 1968 by Doris Duke, the Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF), a non-profit institution, was formed with the express purpose of preserving, interpreting, and maintaining landscape and objects reflecting Aquidneck Island’s 18th- and 19th- century architectural culture.
It fulfills its mission in the following ways:
Being a leader in historic preservation in Newport County and Rhode Island
Preserving a collection of the arts of cabinetmaking and building trades of the Newport region, along with art and artifacts from Doris Duke’s life in Newport
Utilizing its collections for educational programs
Since its founding, the NRF has restored or preserved 83 buildings. Today, the NRF continues to own a collection of 76 historic buildings, including 71 homes that are rented as private residences and maintained by a full-time crew of carpenters and painters. This is one of the largest collections of period architecture owned by a single organization anywhere in the country. More importantly, the majority of these structures are being lived in and used as they have for more than three centuries, making them a vibrant part of the community.
The NRF also owns and operates three museum properties:
Rough Point, Doris Duke’s Newport mansion
Whitehorne House, featuring the Doris Duke Collection of 18th-century Newport Furniture
Prescott Farm, an example of early American landscape and architecture
The NRF continues to be actively engaged in educational efforts, scholarly research and historic preservation.
Norman Bird Sanctuary
Established under the will of Mabel Norman Cerio in 1950, the Norman Bird Sanctuary constitutes the largest area of preserved open space in Newport County. A wildlife refuge, NBS encompasses over 300 acres and seven miles of trails that wind through diverse habitats. Nearly 30 acres are maintained as hay fields. Woodlands are the most prominent plant community, and four ridges provide spectacular views of the surrounding ocean and ponds. Located next to the Visitor's Center and gift shop, the Sanctuary's 19th Century Barn Museum features natural history displays and a children's area with interpretive murals and hands-on exhibits.
Preservation Society of Newport County
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island's largest cultural organization, preserves and protects the best of Newport County's architectural heritage. Its 11 historic properties and landscapes - seven of which are National Historic Landmarks - trace America's architectural and social development from the Colonial era through the Gilded Age. In keeping with its mission, the Society strives to offer its members and the public a comprehensive view of each property's architecture, interiors, landscapes and social history.
The Society is headquartered in a three-story Romanesque Revival mansion at 424 Bellevue Avenue, constructed in 1888 as a summer residence for William H. Osgood of New York. Its last private owner was Herbert Claiborne Pell, former U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and Hungary. After several incarnations as a school building, the property was purchased in 1992 by the Preservaton Society, which conducted an extensive restoration and renovation of the building for use as its administrative headquarters.
The Preservation Society of Newport County is accredited by the American Association of Museums, a recognition of excellence within the museum community. AAM accreditation is a seal of approval that promotes ethical and professional practices.
Redwood Library
The Redwood Library and Athenæum is the oldest lending library in America, and the oldest library building in continuous use in the country. Founded in 1747 by forty-six proprietors upon the principle of "having nothing in view but the good of mankind," its mission continues over 250 years later.
The Company of the Redwood Library was established in 1747 by Abraham Redwood and a group of his friends and associates. One of the country's earliest "public" libraries -- that is, open to the public though not "free"--Redwood is the oldest surviving lending library in the country. Redwood remains a "membership library" (open to the public) supported by Proprietors, who own shares and pay an annual assessment, and Subscribers, who pay fees. The Original Collection of 751 titles has grown to a collection numbering more than 160,000 volumes.
In 1833 the Library's name was changed to The Company of the Redwood Library and Athenaeum to reflect its expanding role as an educational institution. Today the Library is open without charge to qualified scholars and researchers and to those making use of the collections. Lectures, exhibitions, fine arts displays, and other educational activities are part of Redwood Library and Athenaeum's continuous offerings to the community.
Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation works with public, private and nonprofit partners to create the conditions for businesses in all sectors to thrive and to improve the quality of life for our citizens by promoting the state’s long-term economic health and prosperity. We offer business assistance, access to funding and red tape reduction for companies of all sizes.
As a quasi-public agency, we are the official full-service, economic development organization for the state of Rhode Island.
We serve as a government and community resource to help businesses expand in, and relocate to, Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Fish & Wildlife
Our mission is to ensure that the Freshwater, Marine, and Wildlife Resources of the State of Rhode Island will be conserved and managed for equitable and sustainable use. The Division of Fish and Wildlife protects, restores, and manages the fish and wildlife resources of the state. We have a staff of 43 employees, including biologists, technicians, fish culturists, heavy equipment operators, and skilled workers. Our facilities include: the main office, three biological field offices, two development stations equipped with workshops and heavy machinery, and four freshwater fish hatcheries.
The Division is responsible for operating and managing twenty-four wildlife management areas totaling over 46,000 acres. We also operate over 200 boat launching ramps and shore fishing areas located through the state.
The Division is responsible for setting seasons, size limits, methods of taking, and daily limits for the harvest of all wildlife as well as all recreational and commercial fisheries in the state. We are are divided into three separate sections: Marine Fisheries, Freshwater Fisheries, and Wildlife Management. Each section is responsible for specific program activities. These activities include fisheries and wildlife research and management, freshwater fish hatcheries and fish stocking programs, habitat restoration, public access, land acquisition, education and information, public angling and hunting programs, and commercial fisheries management.
Rhode Island Kids Count
The mission of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT is to improve the health, safety, education, economic well-being, and development of Rhode Island's children with a commitment to equity and the elimination of unacceptable disparities by race, ethnicity, disability, zip code, immigration status, neighborhood, and income.
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT engages in information-based advocacy to achieve equitable public policies and programs for the improvement of children’s lives.
Rhode Island Samaritans
Everyone at The Samaritans of RI is devoted to suicide prevention and ensuring our programs are offered without cost to residents of our state.
Since our beginning in 1977, our board members, employees and volunteers have been comprised of local residents and students who live, work, study and volunteer in Rhode Island.
By our mission, all core programs are provided free of charge. We offer universal, lifetime support, without regard to medical/behavioral health status; third party reimbursements or ability to pay.
With costs for administration and fund development at a mere 12%, our focus remains – to serve Rhode Island’s hopeless, alone, suicidal, their caregivers and those who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Rhody Squash School Partnership
RhodySquash is pleased to partner with the Newport Public School system to enroll 5th graders into our program of squash, academic mentoring and community service. Student tryouts are scheduled to begin in October, 2010 and our first class enrolls in January, 2011.
Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation
The Rose Island Lighthouse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that first banded together in 1984 to save the badly vandalized lighthouse. The project captured the imaginations of skilled contractors, engineers, architects, suppliers, and thousands of supporters who volunteered their time, materials and money to fully restore the lighthouse and put it back on the charts–a feat joyously accomplished with the relighting of its six-second flashing white light on August 7, 1993.
Six years later, the Foundation fulfilled yet another dream when it purchased the rest of Rose Island to save it from commercial development, thanks to the negotiating expertise of Peter Merritt and the generous contributions of the Prince Charitable Trusts, the Alletta Morris McBean Charitable Trust, plus the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, which holds a perpetual, deeded conservation easement on the property.
Now that the Foundation owns this property, we are responsible for living up to the terms of the conservation easement – To protect and maintain the open space, bird nesting habitat, remarkable historic structures, and the unforgettable educational opportunities they afford.
Now we invite you to work with us, and together we will watch over this precious land to benefit future generations
Sail Newport
Sail Newport, Inc., founded in 1983, is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization. Sail Newport is home to New England’s largest public sailing center and is considered Rhode Island’s premier public sailing site.
Award winning instructional programs, fleets of rental boats and a prime one-design sailing facility equipped with hoists are just some of our features. The Dr. Robin Wallace Youth Sailing Center is the headquarters of Sail Newport’s Youth Sailing Program serving hundreds of children each season. Dinghy docks, ramp-launching, summer and winter storage, on-shore facilities and ample free parking round out Sail Newport’s assets to recreational sailors. Located at picturesque Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Sail Newport offers easy and affordable access to sailing.
Sail Newport’s purpose is to promote and operate affordable public sailing instruction, rental programs and to create opportunities to attract new sailors to the sport.
Sail Newport - Pell School Sailing
Beginning in September 2017, Sail Newport partnered with the Newport Public School System for Pell 4th-graders to learn to sail as part of their regular school day, tying in parallel elements from the STEM curriculum including science, technology, math, and sustainability.
This innovative 16-week program provides hands-on experiential learning both on and off the water. Students use the Newport Harbor, Narragansett Bay, and Fort Adams State Park as their real-world classroom for a few hours each week. A land-based curriculum is also integrated.
Touro Synagogue
For over two centuries, the small synagogue standing on top of a hill on a quiet street in the New England seaport community of Newport, R.I., has occupied a unique place in American history -- not only as a part of the American Jewish experience but also as a symbol of religious freedom for all Americans. It is here "that the right of the individual freely and without governmental restraint to follow the dictate of his own conscience in religious worship could be exercised without danger to the state."
URI Master Gardiner Association
In the 1970s Master Gardener programs began to appear at land grant universities across the country. The purpose was to train volunteers to assist the County Agriculture Agents in educating homeowners about the latest gardening practices. Federal funds, allocated by the US Department of Agriculture, and also state funding through land grant universities, supported this new Cooperative Extension program.
Rhode Island's Master Gardener Program began in 1977. Nineteen volunteers trained and became horticultural information volunteers for the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension. Since that time, more than 2700 people have graduated from the training program. More than 300 volunteers are active in bringing gardening and environmental information to Rhode Islanders, primarily through the Hotline and community outreach programs.