Lead Applicant
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The Rhode Island Innovation Fellowship is designed to stimulate solutions by Rhode Islanders to Rhode Island challenges. Breifly describe your idea.
Rhode Island's heritage tourism industry is a major economic engine in our state, but it overlooks our rich history under water. The Rhode Island Marine Archaeology Project (RIMAP) uses trained volunteers, led by professional maritime historians and marine archaeologists, to study Rhode Island's maritime sites and then share our results with the public. RIMAP's search for Capt. James Cook's Endeavour in Newport Harbor has generated worldwide media coverage, and in 2014 we entered into a partnership with the Australian National Maritime Museum to support our research. At the same time, RIMAP's search for the Endeavour offers an opportunity to develop a Rhode Island heritage tourism destination related to Cook and the Endeavour. We plan to take advantage of the multi‐year 250th anniversary celebrations of Cook's explorations, beginning in 2018. A Cook/Endeavour destination in Rhode Island will be unique because it can exist nowhere else in the world.
D. K. Abbass
rhodeislandmap AT yahoo DOT com
Jacques Achille
jachille AT risd DOT edu
Robert Albee
bobert222 AT juno DOT com
Partner with New Urban Arts, AS220, Smith Hill CDC, RISD, and potentially Hasbro to start teaching 3D modeling and design to high school students, especially those considered at risk or that simply do not benefit from standard schooling. Once we have gathered enough interest and started workshops, I would like to start making 3D modeling even more accessible. Most people, especially the young, work better if something is laid out as a foundation. In the 3D assets‐building world, almost every company and modeler has what is called a library. A library is a collection of 3D models that can be used as bases or parts of another project. I would like the first and future generations of our project to work with me on creating a large library of open source assets and tools to leave for the next generations to use and help make learning the process faster and more accessible to younger students.
Because the RI Legislature treats the People's money as their bottomless Piggy‐Bank, I propose helping Rhode Island dig itself out of debt by creating a Publicly‐owned State Bank, employing banking techniques and powers of "Fractional Reserve Lending" used by Wall Street and private banks for generating money. This would allow infrastructure projects to be funded at substantially lower cost, saving over 40‐50%, and allow more taxpayer money to go into programs and services citizens want and need. Rhode Island would earn interest that would normally go to private lenders: (RI's current debt service is 15% of the State's budget). A State‐owned bank is a major profit generator for the people. It wouldn't compete with banks for loans or commercial deposits, but would partner with them functioning like a Central Bank, similar to the Federal Reserve. It wouldn't risk any State funds or tax revenues. It's self‐funding and self‐sustaining!
F.I.T. Kids! will pilot the use of quality children's literature to address childhood obesity and health and education disparities in Rhode Island by teaching concepts of nutrition and health to families at the Medicine‐Pediatrics Primary Care Center (MPPCC) which serves an ethnically diverse low‐income population in South Providence. Books incorporate themes of healthy food choices, regular household routines including eating dinner as a family, adequate sleep and limited screen‐viewing time, all proven to reduce childhood obesity. Rhode Island ranks 2nd highest among states for childhood obesity in 2 to 4 year‐olds from low‐income families (16.6% in 2011) and has one of the largest achievement gaps between Caucasian and Latino students in the country. Over two‐thirds of minority children reside in the four cities of Central Falls, Pawtucket, Providence, and Woonsocket, where only 66% of mothers have completed high school and 54% of 4th graders read at or above proficiency level.
Kristin Anderson
kristinhlehr AT gmail DOT com
SecureNow is a Rhode Island company specializing in home security and home automation. We will hire 8 college students with a marketing/business background to promote SecureNow to homeowners. Using our "net zero cost" approach, each homeowner may obtain a home automation system at no cost, with energy savings that should eliminate any monthly service fees. The students, working part‐time, will be assigned a set number of area business referral partners who are compensated for any homeowner referrals. When a student signs up a homeowner, that homeowner also receives a financial rebate for any referral, helping to add to the customer base. By utilizing the referral program and through social media outreach, the yearly goal is 400 new home automation clients.
Douglas Anthony
doug AT securenowusa DOT com
I will launch a statewide campaign to transform and improve neglected public spaces through community‐based public/private partnerships. "Restore Rhode Island" (RRI) will focus on areas of particular need including Woonsocket, South Providence, Central Falls, Pawtucket and West Warwick. Projects may be as diverse as park restoration, art installations, pedestrian improvements, community gardens, tree planting, river restoration ‐‐ even events such as street festivals, concert series and art shows. RRI will identify candidate areas through an open process that engages citizens in defining community needs and opportunities, and will develop partnerships among individuals, local organizations, businesses, municipalities, state and federal agencies, universities, non‐profit organizations and others. RRI will provide technical support, particularly grantwriting and funding development, and will track progress and outcomes. RRI will continue beyond the Fellowship period as an ongoing, growing program to benefit all Rhode Islanders.
Thomas Ardito
ecorestoration AT gmail DOT com
A new kind of textile industry must emerge in coming decades. We in Rhode Island, like elsewhere, will need locally and sustainably produced, recyclable, technologically enhanced apparel and textiles. Demands of ecology, economy, and space exploration call for the inventing and creating of new environmentally sound materials, exploring biomimicry, nanotechnology, and 3D‐printing. Much of this is already happening, but in disparate pieces, here and there, with only limited overlap and connectivity, and very little by way of development of consumer‐ready products. I would organize a multi‐disciplinary association of researchers and entrepreneurs to lay the scientific and technical groundwork that, in coming decades, could afford the establishment of hi‐tech textile production in Rhode Island, with potential boosts to the local economy, job‐growth, and education. I would also prompt interest in the scientific and creative fields necessary, through organized ansd sustained outreach to local high schools.
Karl Aspelund
Patrick Austin
koaspelund AT gmail DOT com
paustinmobile AT gmail DOT com
FreelanceRI.com: A website and organization that connects individuals and businesses with the freelance community of Rhode Island. With the ever growing opportunity to outsource work, there is a very real need to create a strong foundation of support behind the incredible wealth of talent available in our state. This project would allow Rhode Island freelancers to post their skill and portfolio and make it easy to be found (and hired). Videographers, photographers, writers, illustrators, web designers ‐ there are thousands in the state available for hire and this initiative would solve the problem of finding them. Additionally, with the introduction of an organized community for local freelancers, it gives an opportunity for these individuals to share success stories, connect with each other and encourage growth of business that, as of right now, is not available in any structured way.
Tomas Avila
Avilatomasalberto AT gmail DOT com
A key opportunity Improve Rhode Island's environment for economic growth so all Rhode Islanders can prosper. Specifically entrepreneurial development‐exists with the state's minority, immigrant, and low‐income populations. Though exciting new programs in the entrepreneurial system in Rhode Island have been developing over the past number of years, these tend to be concentrated in the high‐tech sector, with less focus on other types of businesses. To scale its entrepreneurial development system, Rhode Island should ensure that any resident has the opportunity to turn a smart idea into a successful and sustained small business. An entrepreneurial ecosystem that enables all types of entrepreneurs, from small bodega owners to craftsmen to software developers, from all ethnic and class backgrounds, would promote livelier places and healthier local economies in Rhode Island. Rhode Island's growing immigrant population represents an opportunity to strengthen the entrepreneurial sector.
Providence Paper Project, an open handmade paper mill, will be a craft‐driven sustainable business model for radically increasing local economies. It will sow paper/fiber‐derived businesses and arts with workshops using sought‐after equipment‐‐the kind of which are missing in the greater northeast‐‐
becoming a productive nerve center and arts tourism destination. Hand papermaking is a 2000‐year‐old technology whereby we create sheets naturally, without harmful chemicals. Historically also a Providence industry, papermaking is furthermore an innovative, interdisciplinary, and emerging artform in itself, though largely inaccessible. This project will revive and re‐position the craft in order to empower and employ Rhode Islanders across many sectors. Happily, we advocate environmental sustainability, as our raw materials are waste fibers: businesses' recyclables, farms' organic waste, and even invasive plants. With these rude materials, careful workshops, and specialized equipment, we can multiply hand papermaking in Rhode Island with countless conceptual and commercial applications.
May Babcock
may DOT babcock AT gmail DOT com
Paul Badger
paul AT moderndevice DOT com
Joe Baer
josephbaer2 AT gmail DOT com
I propose to organize a workshop focused around helping people make projects or products that involve electricity and electronics. This facility would help artists, inventors, engineers, and hobbyists find like‐minded and expert assistance to develop, prototype and critique their projects/products. Finally, the shop would allow people to oversee the manufacture of their own products with industry‐standard advanced manufacturing techniques. Activities at the facility would include coursework on electronics and programming as well as instruction in electronic design automation (EDA) software. A well‐outfitted small electronics shop would support individuals and small companies to produce short‐to‐medium runs of electronic products in a timely manner.
The Providence river relocation and I‐195 project sparked many renewal projects and a variety of high‐quality cultural/recreational programs and large‐
scale events which have made the downtown scene more vibrant and attractive. Despite these gains, the ebb and flow of activity is directly linked to a major program or event which often leaves the downtown and river‐walk areas flat in appeal without a major draw. The streets are all too often quiet with little pedestrian traffic. I propose that we develop an array of urban outdoor recreational programs (kayaking, canoeing, birding, orienteering, hiking) and programmatically connect them to our history, architecture, cultural diversity, thriving food industry and other aspects of the city. A consistent day‐to‐day presence of small‐scale attractions will add much needed life and color to our streets with many attendant benefits.
Our vision is to establish a suitable and sustainable environment for all swim aquatic programs for children and adults. We plan to do this by building an aquatic center that will support five pools for various community programs. These programs will fit the needs of the economically disadvantaged, the elderly and children with disabilities, rehabilitation needs, the community, and the competitive swimmer. The aquatic center will be home to instructional swim programs that promote healthy and productive physical activities. We plan to offer free learn to swim classes to the economically disadvantaged to help promote an "after school" type program encouraging children to remain active in sports and off the streets. Additionally, we will provide community activities which include use of a waterslide to attract family swim, lap swim, and birthday party rentals. We also plan to host and promote competitive swim teams and swim meets both locally and nationally.
Raymond Baker
ray DOT baker AT live DOT com
Rhode Island, like many other states, faces a large gender gap in many ways including equal pay, amount of women owned businesses, and support for women in other areas of life such as housing and healthcare. Beyond gender inequality, Rhode Island also faces issues such as the "brain drain," when college students educated in the state frequently leave after graduation taking their talents and creativity elsewhere, one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and a struggling local economy. The Lady Project's mission is to connect, inspire and showcase awesome women doing amazing things in Providence. In working to achieve this mission it addresses all of these issues by supporting entrepreneurial women, by providing them with tools to succeed in the local workforce and start their own businesses, and by nurturing a passion for their Providence community through networking and showcasing other local organizations.
Sierra Barter
sierra AT pvdladyproject DOT com
We have developed a great new wind energy technology that allows wind energy to be harnessed in metropolitan areas ‐ directly connecting wind energy to people. Such a technology will tap an enormous market opportunity. Now imagine RI as the center of excellence for this technology; a showcase for how to harness wind at airports and city rooftops, as well as the leader in the design and manufacture of the components and systems to support it. Our idea would be to prominently locate a production unit in the state to showcase the capabilities of RI talent, technology and geography. We believe such a showcase would bring significant investment from outside the state, create a state industry and resulting jobs as well as significantly boost state moral and confidence.
Robert Baxter
Bernard Beaudreau
rob AT sailcbc DOT com
bbeaudreau AT serverhodeisland DOT org
rve Rhode Island is working with Pawtucket School Department to submit a nationally competitive proposal for Operation AmeriCorps with the goal of connecting all 450‐500 high school seniors with one of five options upon graduation: 1) Post secondary college or technical schools; 2) Military service; 3) National service in AmeriCorps; 4) Employment; or, 5) Paid internship, apprenticeship or job training program. The goal is to reduce the number youth between the ages of 16 and 24 who are not in school and not working (disconnected youth) and launch youth onto successful livelihoods. Rhode Island has 16,150 disconnected youth of which an estimated 1,107 reside in Pawtucket. Pawtucket's Operation AmeriCorps project would involve a team of 45 federally‐stipend AmeriCorps individuals working full time and assigned to 11th and 12th graders to provide in school and out‐of‐school individual and group services to connect graduating seniors onto gainful post secondary career paths.
There is much discussion about sustainability and resilience in RI, yet none of the action plans to date have addressed a fundamental aspect of our ability to engage in economic exchange; that is the money we use to conduct business. There has been an ongoing conversation about creating jobs, and creating an environment that is inline with the needs of the private sector. Creation of this desirable environment can be catalyzed by implementing a complementary currency for Rhode Island. We will continue to see similar economic results until we do so. Tens of thousands of communities around the world have created their own complementary currency since 1980, with over ten thousand different complementary currencies coming online last year alone; proving the viability of this approach. It is documented that a complementary currency can increase local economic exchange by 13 TIMES. This is a truly powerful way of reinforcing current efforts to move our economy forward.
Ely Beckman
beckman DOT ely AT gmail DOT com
Our team will develop an inexpensive system of pre‐fabricated faτade ("ReClad") panels in order to rehabilitate poorly insulated buildings throughout Rhode Island. ReClad panels will add a new thermal barrier to these structures, thereby improving occupant comfort while reducing heating/cooling costs and overall carbon footprint. In the spirit of "mass customization," we will leverage digital design techniques to tailor the appearance of the panels to the specific historic features of existing structures and their context. However, the simple, repetitive structure of the panels themselves will also allow them to be fabricated locally at significant scale, then delivered to sites throughout the state and beyond. Following the principles of historic preservation, the ReClad system will include a buffer zone between itself and the original structure to ensure minimal impact on existing building fabric. Our team will use this attribute to add high‐value usable space along the building's perimeter, where practical.
Thomas Beresford
tberesfo AT gmail DOT com
Natural birth has become an increasingly popular demand with access to low intervention, holistic birth options in concert with cutting‐edge technology. Doulas reduce healthcare costs by reducing intervention and c‐section rates and improve maternal and fetal outcomes. Rhode Island has the infrastructure and resources for low intervention births; however, this potential is not well known and doula support is not widely available. I will collaborate with doulas and healthcare providers to enable high quality/low cost doula services to women and generate statewide data on their effect. My ultimate aim is to transform Rhode Island to a magnet and leader in New England with natural birth options hand‐in‐hand with top‐notch medicine. The research will aid in highlighting the cost‐saving effect of doulas and will facilitate insurance coverage, ultimately reducing overall healthcare costs in RI. This project will lead to increased jobs and demand from neighboring states to our top‐rated hospitals.
Bahar Bilgen
bahar AT brown DOT edu
Cartilage trauma in young and active people often lead to post‐traumatic osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis and a leading cause of disability affecting 27 million in the US. Current repair techniques have moderate success rates and inferior mechanical properties. Tissue engineering efforts based on the use of stem cells and artificial biomaterials have been unsuccessful in finding an effective clinical solution for cartilage trauma in the past decades, due to the inability to reproduce the native collagen ultrastructure. I aim to create an implantable biocomposite using adult synovial‐
derived mesenchymal stem cells seeded on decellularized cartilage matrices. The use of nature‐derived cartilage matrix as a scaffold for stem cells will ensure the preservation of the unique collagen architecture, which artificial materials fail to mimic. Recellularized cartilage matrix derived from human or animal tissue could restore tissue function after joint trauma and decrease the risk for osteoarthritis in RI.
Bahar Bilgen
bahar AT brown DOT edu
Michael Bilow
rifound AT ish DOT net
Paul Block
Paul DOT Block AT PsychologicalCenters DOT com
Produce school textbooks in basic curricula such as mathematics and science by collaboration for electronic distribution as "e‐books" on the free open source model, like Wikipedia. Hardcopy textbooks are a major cost for school systems, yet few if any electronic textbooks focus on elementary and secondary education because there is no commercial motivation to cannibalize the market for expensive printed books and replace them with free e‐
books. Only recently have industry‐standard formats (such as PDF, EPUB, and MOBI) that are widely supported matured to make such a project practical so that any given textbook could be viewed on any platform from a Windows or MacOS desktop computer to an Android or iOS smart phone. Now that generic tablets are available for as little as $40, they can be cheaper than a single textbook. Ten years from now, this idea will seem obvious in retrospect.
68% of employees of employers eligible to self‐insure for health coverage receive health care this way. Business has decided; the same principles should apply to states. I will work with an advisory group to finalize a proposal for community‐controlled, state self‐insurance, translate this policy proposal into a legislative submission, work with the advisory group to encourage the bill's submission and advocate for its passage, including triggering a public discussion of the policy questions and implications involved. Specific policy considerations to be engaged would include the possibility of truly prioritizing public health and affordability of healthcare; aligning stakeholder responsibilities and interests with those of patients and of the state; creating conditions that actually support patient‐centered care and enable pay‐for‐value contracting and management of health care services; and determining how to use available funds in ways that most efficiently promote public health, not just reimburse treatment of illness.
The Rhode Island Challenge I want to help address is improving our economy! My idea is "Yes We Can RI", a set of processes that foster positive, forward movement and change RI attitudes! Why this idea? Eighteen months ago I joined Newport's North End Committee with the goal to increase year‐round jobs by creating a third prong to Newport's economy, complimenting tourism and Naval operations. Our Newport Economic Development Director hired consultants to assess the feasibility of a Newport Innovation Hub. This September the assessments were presented showing the concept is viable, timely, received well and identified several unique Newport benefits. Since many people I have spoken to love the concept but believe it will take too long, are doubtful of RI expertise or believe Rhode Island just cannot pull this off. After years of high unemployment understandably Rhode Islanders are negative but we need Rhode Islanders to go POSITIVE.
Louisa Boatwright
L DOT boat AT cox DOT net
I propose to use music and movement classes to assist in the development of language learning skills in young children. The target audience would be children ages thirty‐months to sixty‐months old in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The development of speaking, reading, and writing skills follow the same process as the development of music literacy. Children go through a stage of language babble, experimenting with speech sounds. In music, they go through a stage of music babble, experimenting with sounds. Gradually with proper guidance from adults, the children begin to approximate words in language and first imitate words, then use them in phrases and sentences. By establishing a foundation of language‐listening and speaking vocabularies utilizing music and movement, children enhance their ability to learn to understand, create, read, and write language.
Michael Boday
mboday2 AT gmail DOT com
Small and medium size businesses are the heart of an economy. Rhode Island is known for its crafts, ethnic and other retail businesses. Customer traffic flow to those businesses mean everything to keep them alive. Most of those businesses don't get that kind of traffic. Location is essential. My idea is to create a centralized retail marketplace/warehouse on a high traffic location, with great visibility and easy access, where these businesses could come together to expose and sell their products. These products could be stored and sold from the marketplace. Local businesses could also take advantage from the marketplace's website where all the products would be available for sale online. Orders that will come in to the marketplace can be shipped right from there or from the actual store. Local stores could deliver their products to the marketplace/warehouse or have them shipped there from their suppliers.
Frank Borges
Justin Bowen
Lindsey Brickle
Stephan Brigidi
bullszi AT live DOT com
jbowen AT ricomputertechs DOT com
lindsey DOT brickle AT gmail DOT com
sbrigidi AT rwu DOT edu
I would like to start a 6‐12 Month Training Program to prepare individuals for the Department of Labor and Training Telecommunication system limited installer, technician, and contractor exam. All new and old commercial and residential buildings needs to be wired for Cat5e/Cat6/Coaxial/Fiber Optic Cable in the walls, ceilings, and floors for Low Voltage applications. Things like the internet, HD video security systems, burglar alarms, fire/ carbon monoxide detectors, Home Health Monitoring, Home Theater, Home Automation, Intercom Systems, Multi‐zone audio, and Smart Appliances. I would teach Building Code, National Electric Code, Commercial Building Telecommunications Wiring Standard, Commercial Building Standard for Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces, and Residential and Light Commercial Telecommunications Wiring Standard with hands on to prepare for the contractor exam. There is no school that currently does this and would create jobs indefinitely for years to come as the trend continues to more HD streaming and higher service provider speeds.
The creation of the Providence Innovation Center would provide a space that combines high‐growth resources and facilities to foster collaboration between pods of people from major corporations with would‐be entrepreneurs from all communities and in all sectors: low‐tech to high‐tech; micro to macro; reaching the most underserved and diverse populations in the State. The Center will join imagination and innovation to challenge conventional business practices. A similar idea serving as a model for the Center has had great success and measurable impacts. In New Zealand, EPIC Building was created in the wake of the devastating 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, when business recovery and growth were urgent. The idea for a Providence EPIC Building has already garnered support from the EPIC team in Christchurch. The design plans, developed by Google have been offered for use to the Center to lower the costs of development.
I am interested in creating a new approach to tourism‐hospitality in Rhode Island in order to attract outside visitors to our State. My intention is build a new comprehensive website as the central marketing piece, that embraces the five major regions: Newport & Bristol, Providence & Warwick, Blackstone Valley, South County, and Block Island. I will then develop an outreach advertising plan to stimulate a curiosity and and enticement about the resources of our State in key markets, domestic and abroad. The tourism industry is vastly lacking proper exposure and this is my sole focus: to improve communication through targeting strategic markets. I intend to work with the heads of all agencies to become a central conduit to the State Tourism effort, in order to work together to showcase the existing assets. Nothing needs to be invented, but an ambitious and effective marketing effort. This is my plan.
Journey Through Faith is a community center that is designed to teach and guide individuals and families with the goal that they live a life of peace and love through Jesus Christ. The mission is to implement various programs that will help the community build a solid foundation that will assist them in obtaining their goals and living a better life. The center will begin with day care and after school programs. Our day care will be free with the help of private donations, grants and donations from the parents. The after school program will be offering tutoring, mentoring and coaching along with social activities through which we hope to keep the children out of trouble and focus their energy on being productive citizens in every aspect of their lives. This would excite the community because it would bring purpose and direction to individuals and families especially those who struggle with different issues in their lives.
Taylor Britto
tayb324 AT yahoo DOT com
Establish a clearinghouse for survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury specifically. With the numbers of people affected by TBI growing each year, from concussions to significant TBI's, the lack of support and direction for survivors and family members in RI is a critical need. I envision an establishment which would connect with the survivor and family immediately. They would provide information and guidance, ie., how to navigate the healthcare and state benefits system, education about TBI, guidance on "next steps" in the continuum of care. We would provide resources and options. When the survivor is in a recovering state, we would be the link to best help them continue in their recovery. More services need to be established in the state of Rhode Island for two areas affecting TBI survivors: 1. When the survivor is physically well but still needs care to become independent; and 2. When the survivor is able to be independent ‐ and needs to know "what's next?"
Theresa Brophy
tsny0501 AT yahoo DOT com
My idea is to create the not‐for‐profit Rhode Island Design Collaborative to service non‐profits, community groups and under‐served neighborhoods by providing pro‐bono design services for neighborhood scale improvement projects. These services will help communities commit visions to paper and begin to gain support, raise funds and ultimately build projects that will help communities thrive and stimulate economic development. Utilizing design professionals tapped from the rich resource that is the Rhode Island design community to help provide these services, my idea can have a far reaching positive impact on the economic, environmental, cultural and social lives of communities throughout the state. By providing often cost‐prohibitive design services on a free‐of‐charge grant basis, we will help communities see new opportunities, show them ways of re‐imagining under‐utilized spaces and places, engage stakeholders, make the most of scarce resources and put neighborhoods and non‐profits on the path to building community strengthening projects.
Timothy Brown
timernestbrown AT gmail DOT com
Intention. Compassion. Grief. Purpose. What is the link?: the children and families in RI who are living with a life‐limiting illness and the community surrounding them. These children suffer with the emotional and physical pain of being chronically ill. This suffering is far reaching. Families must cope with a myriad of emotions that arise with the realization that their child will likely die before they will. They juggle multiple healthcare providers, operate complex medical equipment, and deal with significant financial burdens. Siblings are frequently "forgotten." With no existing community palliative care program in RI, families do not have a place where they feel understood and chronically ill children are struggling with finding a purpose in life. The vision is to 1) establish a platform for which families can come together to help each other and those around them and 2) provide the community with an opportunity to give back.
Tara Brown
tbrown14 AT gmail DOT com
We seek to create a Center for Vibrant Thinking, wherein we employ discussion, brainstorming, artistic expression, adventure, and short courses in practical skills as a basis for human connection and a return to sensory experience of the world around us. Our students will be a varied and vibrant group. We'd love to serve young and old by providing a place where they might dip their toes into all sorts of water and explore their interests, and we'd like to offer these courses at little or no cost to the participants. We believe that new artists, artisans, and farmers(just to name a few) are worthy of investment! We'd like to offer short courses in permaculture and organic, start‐where‐you‐are farming, no rules artwork and performance, natural horsemanship, fine metalworking, movement, and safe adventure. Our center would work with local schools, scouting organizations, veterans Morgan morganbrunketurner AT gmail DOT and their families, and, in particular, the spouses of veterans with injuries and PTSD(a grossly underserved group).
Brunketurner
com
The biggest challenge facing Rhode Island is the quality of our public schools. We are 6th in the country in per pupil spending, and yet one in four students does not graduate from high school. As a result, Rhode Island is consistently ranked in the bottom 10 worst business climates in the country. Rhode Island Is Ready (RIIR) seeks to improve the quality of our public schools by doing something that has never been done before‐‐grassroots organizing of parents, teachers, and students together so that they are at the center of school reform. RIIR will bring these stakeholders together through organizing and advocacy campaigns to identify challenges and develop local solutions that best fit the needs and values of each community. RIIR believes that this model of collective action will lead to better policies, more engaged communities and ultimately stronger public schools in Rhode Kate Bubrick
kate AT riisready DOT org
Island.
Hurricanes, ice storms, and floods. Water contamination and mass shootings. Whether for natural or manmade events, few Americans prepare for disasters because: òThey assume the existing infrastructure is sufficient. ÒIt is a scary topic. ÒExisting guidance is incomplete/hard to understand. òPlans are rarely accessible when needed. Despite enormous public investment, no one has surmounted these barriers. Until this happens, large scale community disaster planning is impossible. I propose making Rhode Island the first state in the country to have the majority of its residents plan for disasters. A two‐prong strategy would "gamefy" the disaster planning and response process via a comprehensive app on the person's smart phone, tablet, or computer. A major public engagement campaign would bring this tool to families and encourage them to use it. Through the game, the individual/family engages in the planning process, thinking through and entering information that would be entered into their plan.
Alison Buckser
dalisonb AT yahoo DOT com
A major challenge for implementing the Housing First strategy for abolishing homelessness is that there are not enough safe decent apartments in the price range of people on disability incomes. To address this challenge we will employ homeless/formerly homeless people to build in‐law apartments for people willing to be Intentionally Caring Landlords to those with limited incomes and special needs. We will modify homes for in‐law apartments to be used by trained and supported Intentionally Caring Landlords willing to take in a boarder. We will recruit these Intentionally Caring Landlords through faith and civic organizations and form an association for them for ongoing training, support, and development of best practices. We will also recruit and train volunteer wrap‐around supporters to support both the boarders and the Intentionally Caring Landlords, working collaboratively with professional social services.
Scott Budnick
scottbudnick AT gmail DOT com
I want this grant to use to buy a providence property to own repair and provide homes for several of my homeless brothers and sisters of Rhode Island Michael Burkinshaw tazztlc1975 AT gmail DOT com
i am also homeless and disabled and determind to make this idea take flight
Jessie Butash
jessie DOT butash AT cumberlandschools DOT org
The Open Door Initiative provides educators the chance to look outside of classroom walls for professional development tailored to a self‐selected focus area. This Initiative is an opportunity for educators to visit classrooms of colleagues around the state and observe through a self selected lens. Participants will be asked to identify an area of strength in their teaching practice and volunteer their classroom as a model in the strength area. Once their classroom door is opened, the educator will be invited to visit a classroom that is incorporating a strategy they would like to learn more about. This initiative is about personalized professional growth and is designed to accelerate teacher practice. It's time to open our doors and share the amazing things happening around our state allowing all students access to high quality teachers.
Bruce and Walter, a trained visual system engineer and an architect, wish to better coordinate Rhode Island's awareness and adaptation to sea level rise concerns. We wish to do this through a single resource portal that coordinates design discussions in state and visually attaches them to a sea level rise visualizations that can be considered from human scale all the way up to statewide scale. Sea level rise prediction models provide opportunities to anticipate the need to redesign, adapt, or move housing for coastal residents. Coordination between scientists, architects, policy makers, and sociological planners suggests a better process of identifying and planning for solutions implementation would benefit all involved. As professionals communicate within their circles via specialized language and time‐tested social protocols, emergent technologies suggest a well‐designed visual approach to sea level mitigation issues management would reach a common ground for discussion faster than is typically reached via text‐centered messaging approaches.
Bruce Campbell
bcampbel01 AT risd DOT edu
Providence Human Capital Development is a student‐run, student‐owned learning center. The first floor apartment: a center supporting Providence students/parents. The purpose: 1.) With guidance, students acquire credit through existing online programs used within the Providence Public Schools. Though utilized within the school, it is impossible for sufficient daily access resulting in high failure rates. 2.) College and Career counseling/readiness. A computer lab where students access resources for continued opportunities. 3. PHCD would be a mortgaged property operated by PHCD. Students would manage the tenement learn RI Housing Law, life skill, home ownership, maintenance. Rents would help PHCD self‐
sustain. PHCD would buy a property near Broadway, house the lab for credit recovery, college and career lab, and provide a real world opportunity for students to learn independence and transition. Student stewardship of PHCD will generate community buy‐in. This project would allow Providence residents to own/rent out Providence homes.
Julia Carlson
Kenneth Castellone
julia DOT carlson AT ppsd DOT org
hes133 AT etal DOT uri DOT edu
The Seafood industry is a 2.7 billion dollar industry in the U.S. In 2012 Rhode Island's total sales were $1.3 million and growing. Problems impeding further growth in this industry are numerous ranging from government quotas to logistics in exporting. This project offers some help to fishermen and brokers who lose catch and hundreds of thousands of dollars each year due to logistic operation inefficiencies (Customs' holds and on board vessels) during shipping. This project aims at furthering the current development of a system, through the use of enhanced RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Smart tags that tracks geographical location and most importantly monitors, records and reports the interior temperatures of frozen cargo containers to owners. Temperatures and location of the fish can be constantly monitored by the owner via a smart phone until delivery and acceptance.
Carolyn Castro
napuaopolynesia2 AT aol DOT com
Adriane Catlin
adrianecatlin1 AT live DOT com
Matthew Cavallaro
matt AT nesthomeware DOT com
As director of "Napua O Polynesia Dance Troupe, My goal is to introduce Polynesian dance in the state of Rhode Isand. This I would do through performances, workshops, lectures etc. There are many schools throughout the city and state that do not have a budget that would allow us to come in on an educational as well as an entertainment level for thier school systems. Napua O Polynesia will take thier audiences to the islands of Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, The Marquesas, The Philippines in song and dance. There will be lots of audience participation/interaction in the process. Mahalo, Carolyn Castro
I would like to alleviate the burden of mattresses in the landfills and reducing the negative effects caused by them in our environment. I currently own Ace Enterprises, LLC., a very small business in Rhode Island. Ace would recycle all unused junk mattresses properly for the towns and cities of Rhode Island.
I want to get my brand, Nest Homeware, off the ground with its current collection of cookware and furniture and build revenue in order to launch with new products and new collections annually. I'm excited to employ design assistants and craftsmen to help me achieve this. I want my business to be a reason for RISD design students to stay in Providence after graduation. I want to pump life into the city that has given me so much opportunity. There was a successful soft launch on Kickstarter last year, and my goal for this year is to secure funding to build inventory, do a hard launch online, and expand into selling wholesale on a larger scale to high end department stores. I've had contact with buyers at national retailers, and I'm eager to move forward, but I need to be able to deliver at right the scale and speed.
Meet Prosperity Lab, where prosperity is a mindset and we are redefining the word 'rich.' Prosperity Lab will be the first of many 'community freedom centers' located throughout the state that will provide Rhode Island citizens and communities with the tools needed to grow their own food, create their own energy, and produce their own goods. The idea is to build a small, self‐sustainable greenhouse that contains an organic garden, several forms of renewable energy, and a 3D printing lab. The environment at Prosperity Lab will be one of education, collaboration, experimentation, and sheer exhilaration. Imagine this: a portion of the plant waste derived from the organic garden will be fed into a biomass generator that will produce enough electricity to power a 3D printer that will manufacture a pair of sneakers.
Michael Cerrone
m DOT cerronejr AT gmail DOT com
Start a service for the homeless and almost homeless people of rhode island,by having 3 buses that travel to diffrent locations across town through out the week. to assist individuals with bathing & clothing, basic needs, outreach assistants ,in house job training,that at the end of training, which will be included in my program, a host of food trucks from ebt excepted cold cut subs(so the homeless can eat a meal),to gourmet foods ,which proceeds would pay workers $10.00 an hr for a better living, and profits back into business helping end the revolving door of homelessness in rhode island
dawn cioci
dcioci7 AT msn DOT com
I propose to organize a Collaborative Impact approach for promoting a host of asset development strategies among low and moderate income Rhode Islanders. This approach would engage all community sectors to work together toward the goal of improving the economic well‐being of our most vulnerable citizens. One of these strategies would include assisting individuals in learning about money management and planning for a stronger financial future through the Assets for Independence (AFI) program. Families who participate in this program would have access to special bank accounts called Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) where their savings are matched by a combination of Federal funds and non‐Federal contributions. Participants use their savings and the match funds to purchase long‐term economic assets, such as first homes, postsecondary education or training, and to start or expand small businesses. Currently there is no AFI program being offered in Rhode Island.
Kathleen Cloutier
kcloutier AT diiri DOT org
Mainstream hip‐hop is saturated with misogyny and violence. I propose a two‐day Conscious Arts and Music Festival to combat the prevalence of degradation in the genre by exclusively featuring performers who leverage the arts for social change. The Festival will address Rhode Island's economic instability. Tourism is already one of Rhode Island's largest industries, supporting over 50,000 jobs. Yet this is clearly not enough as the state had the highest unemployment rate in the country over the past year. The Festival will increase jobs, generate revenue and increase Rhode Island's reputation as a hub for arts and activism. Large numbers of tourists will be drawn to the state. With the inclusion of Rhode Island's beautiful campgrounds for accommodations, the event will be widely affordable. Through the promotion of artists, sponsors, and vendors committed to social justice, the Festival will use the arts as a positive driving force to stimulate Rhode Island's economy.
Erin Cohee
erin_cohee AT brown DOT edu
Rather than exhausting ourselves trying to come up with what we believe is the right solution for Rhode Island innovation, we should leverage the greatest asset we have for an answer: our community. Rhode Island has some of the best schools in the country within its borders yet we are losing homegrown talent to larger markets. We have some of the hardest working people I've ever had the privilege of knowing that are unable to find work. My idea is to create a small business tech incubator that gives our best and brightest students, preexisting companies based in RI, and even local entrepreneurs access to the resources they need to succeed right here at home. The facility can be the epicenter of small business and tech in Rhode Island and will retain and attract top talent, encourage job growth, and have a direct impact on our local economy and national reputation.
Mike Cole
miketylercole AT gmail DOT com
Rhode Island's high unemployment is no secret, but beneath the often‐cited figures are stories of impossible choices between basic needs, and ripple effects of food and housing insecurity. The human costs of unemployment are basic needs unmet, but also talents and skills unused. Time banking is a system of exchange that draws on and extends natural social networks, a platform for trading time and talent, where the currency is not dollars, but hours which we call TURNs (one hour = one TURN). Then a lesson we learned as children becomes real: the more people take TURNs and share, the more that good spreads and the more valuable that sharing becomes. When you can use your TURN to trade for a wide variety of services. More unused talents can serve more unmet needs, strengthening a truly social safety net.
Lisa Conlan
l DOT conlan AT psnri DOT org
Rhode Island has a rich history of welcoming immigrants from all over the world. While generations of immigrants have followed the traditional path towards transcending their traditional neighborhood enclaves, many Latinos in Rhode Island have been slow to integrate themselves or, conversely, to be accepted into the socioeconomic tapestry that defines the Rhode Island experience in this 21st century. But for a handful of high profile examples, a significant number of Latinos in RI tend to operate on a parallel socioeconomic plane that seldom intersects with that of mainstream, middle and upper class Rhode Islanders. This poses a significant challenge for our state's development as Latinos comprise a significant and growing percentage of our population and their exclusion represents untold lost opportunities. My project aims to build systematic bridges that will encourage interaction, discourse and collaboration thus strengthening our common identity as Rhode Islanders and creating opportunities for economic growth.
Gonzalo Cuervo
cuervoprov AT gmail DOT com
Spirare Surfboards in known for innovative surfboard design using alternative materials and methods to make highly functional pieces of fine art that emphasize green design and sustainable construction. Our unique, sustainable products differ vastly from the conventional surfboard market, which focus on mass production using non‐sustainable materials. Our customers vary from everyday surfers to top‐level professionals and ASP world champion surfers. Spirare's newest endeavor is inspired by the beauty of nature and the large amounts of man‐made debris in the oceans. Spirare is reclaiming trash that washes up onto shore and turning it into aesthetically beautiful functional objects. Spirare can make the world a better place by raising awareness on the epidemic of ocean trash and provoking thought about this serious issue through functional art and design.
Kevin Cunningham
Karen Dalton
kevin AT spiraresurfboards DOT com
karendaltonhealthyliving AT gmail DOT com
In 2010, the Obama Administration put forth an initiative called the Mayor's Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, challenging communities around the United States to help those who have served our country find their way off the streets. I have taken this challenge to heart and have been working tirelessly to develop a program that I believe will give veterans a hand up. Dare to Dream Ranch, a 12‐week multifaceted equine therapy program for veterans, is the first program in Rhode Island to integrate a comprehensive array of holistic practices, such as equine therapy, yoga, reflexology, hypnotherapy or group therapy, horticulture therapy, nutrition education, healthy cooking and job internships into its treatment protocol. The mission of the Dare to Dream Ranch is to help veterans heal and give them the tools they need to rebuild their lives as successful civilians.
In 2000 Rhode Island had the sixth highest national percentage (14.5%) of population aged 65+. Seniors will represent 20% in 2030. This has generated a need for rental housing that fills the gap between subsidized senior apartments and expensive combination independent living/assisted living facilities. My hybrid solution is to provide thirty (30) one‐level one bedroom apartments that have cathedral ceilings and call bell systems and are connected like townhouses. I would also provide a Services Coordinator who would contact residents daily to coordinate weekly activities and requested services. I would build ten apartments per year and a recreation/community center in year one in Hope Valley, RI. The rental fee would be $1200.00‐$1500.00/month for a 600 square foot apartment. The target market is independent seniors between 65 and 85, whose income levels are too high for subsidized housing, who want to participate in a senior community, and who cannot afford combination facilities.
Sharon Davis
mrshurrie AT aol DOT com
I plan to work with/help people from Rhode Island who deal with addictions and psychological issues regarding their health through exercise. With a degree in Exercise Science and Psychology, and employed currently as a personal trainer, I know the benefits exercise has on the brain. I think being able to reach out to people with mental health issues and be able to help treat them through exercise therapy will be extremely beneficially.
Leah Davis
ladavis411 AT gmail DOT com
I am asking for support to produce an interview series called "Confluence: Where life and science meet". In this series scientists (especially from underrepresented groups) will come to the University of Rhode Island and give seminars on their life in science and their personal lives, and afterwards a videotaped interview in front of a student‐only audience at our campus studio. The video will then be posted on the project's website for freely available viewing. Teachers anywhere can use this video series to inspire reflective writing among their students. In the interview, the scientists will expand on some of the themes and field questions from the students in the audience. The series was conceived to provide positive role models to our students in STEM, especially our minority students who sometimes struggle to identify themselves with the professionals in STEM they typically see at URI and in the state of Rhode Island.
Bryan Dewsbury
dewsbury AT mail DOT uri DOT edu
Carlos Diaz
cmdiaz AT yahoo DOT com
Paula DiLullo
paula DOT dilullo AT gmail DOT com
Anthony DiMeo
adimeo616 AT gmail DOT com
William Dobbins
therevdobbins AT gmail DOT com
I'm looking to have a space where we can mentor youth at‐risk. I believe that through the magic of video Production we can create a safer environment and help kids stay away from getting trapped in the vicious circle of gang violence.
Mobile and web applications are now ubiquitous. However, many good app ideas don't make it through to successful execution, having been developed in a void apart from potential users and early adopters. By creating an app development management service that connects developers of apps to relevant early adopters, those good app ideas have a proven avenue for success. Inspired by the philosophies of companies like IDEO and entrepreneurs like Eric Reis, author of The Lean Start Up Method, a company serving to bring these two groups together would serve to resolve the discrepancies between one's good ideas and the other's expectations and needs. The goal is to increase the value experienced by both app developer teams and users alike, by bringing them together in better, more intelligent ways, sooner in the development process. That's what I intend to do.
My idea is to implement a fitness course specifically designed for police officers and the high demands their job puts on their body. With the knowledge that I have obtained through studying fitness training and implementing of these activities to help keep the officers in peak athletic condition. I would combine various exercise modalities that I have learned over the years to achieve this end goal. I would also help the towns and cities use these courses as a way to save money on health insurance premiums.
We are a group of Rhode Island Episcopalians of mixed race and ancestry who have come together to address the legacy of racism in Rhode Island and the nation. Our idea is to create, at the Cathedral of St. John in Providence, a National Center for Reconciliation to look deeply into the history of Rhode Island Episcopalians and enslaved Africans of the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, and the legacy this history has for all Rhode Islanders. We seek to tell a complex story of creative survival by African Americans amid continually challenging and brutal conditions, and to encourage the work of reconciliation for the people of Rhode Island and for our denomination as well. This idea has been embraced by the Diocese of Rhode Island, the corporation board of the Cathedral of St. John, and by the Rt. Rev. W. Nicholas Knisely, Bishop of Rhode Island
My idea is to create a fleet of "Art Buses" in Rhode Island. The art buses would be in‐service RIPTA buses and have a full body vinyl wrap‐‐inside and out‐
‐featuring artwork created by local artists from around the state (from established professionals to AS220 youth artists). I have already created a proof of concept in collaboration with AS220 Youth (see link http://artculturetourism.com/as220‐youth‐the‐city‐of‐providence‐ripta/). The bus was only supposed to be wrapped for 3 months, but it has now been two years and it's still in service. The project has shown how a small investment of only a few thousand dollars can not only brighten the day of Rhode Islander's lucky enough have the "Moving" bus driving their route, but also how it positively effected the self esteem and imaginations of the featured youth artists.
Myles Dumas
Deborah Dunning
Ben Ellcome
Christopher English
mylesdumas AT gmail DOT com
RI needs economic growth and Rhode Islanders need jobs. One area of economic growth that has received little attention in our state is "buying smart"; that is, few of our corporations have developed expertise in selecting products that will radically reduce their operating costs and improve their building footprints. Since most enterprises allocate 60% of their operating budgets to the procurement of products, coaching in "buying smart" has the potential to improve the bottom line throughout Rhode Island's economy. My idea is to offer RI enterprises with interns who have been trained in "buying smart practices" and certified for their knowledge of best practices in sustainable purchasing. The result would be a growing body of students informed and ready to share their cost‐cutting, environmentally‐aware expertise with businesses, educational institutions and government agencies throughout RI. Deborah DOT Dunning AT Sphere‐E More profitable companies, more jobs.
DOT com
The support of the fellowship is a chance, for students in our school systems to attain the most, when given the power of choice. I have been working with men and interpersonal violence, in most of the workshops I run the same question challenges me. "What am I supposed to do when threatened, when pushed". In working with young men who have grown up with few choices, survival is by the means they were taught. These young men use the same tactics, to the same ends. The use of power and in the end is violence. These tactics are the same in the different worlds that our students grow up in. From the privileges of East Greenwich, to streets of South Providence, we need different answers, we need different choices for our students. We need comprehensive Nonviolence Training that shifts the conditions that take power and choice away.
ellcome DOT ben AT gmail DOT com
Self replicating "Edible Forest Gardens" at public educational institutions engage and teach RI actively and passively. Using a holistic, ecological design process, we work with students, faculty, administration and the wider community to design and implement educational/edible ecosystems. "The medium is the message":these designed educational ecosystems embody a commitment to the health of the future by reintegrating humans and nature from the food that we eat to the way that we understand our place in this planetary household. Solutions to local challenges of food security and community resilience as well as global challenges like energy consumption and climate change are inherent. At Revive the Roots in Smithfield, we bolster the capacity of our existing Public Forest Gardens and Edible Perennial Nursery. This enhances the productivity and educational value of this property and starts the self‐replicating process of Edible Perennial propagation and Food Forest design, installation, and programming.
chris AT revivetheroots DOT org
We propose to launch "The STEAM Room," a place or places devoted to making RI first in preparedness for the innovation economy. The STEAM Room is both a physical and virtual homebase connecting diverse sectors critical to boosting science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) skills in RI's current and future workforce. As a physical hub, The STEAM Room will be a YMCA‐like place where people go to learn, meet, train, exercise skills, unite efforts, solve problems, showcase creation, pursue joint opportunities and connect with new partners. Unique in RI, STEAM Room would catalyze public outreach and convening in a neutral, dedicated space, fostering efficient workforce and education solutions, as well as providing synergistic and efficient co‐working opportunities for smaller STEAM organizations (LEGO robotics, RIMOSA, GirlTech, etc.). The virtual Steam Room would identify RI STEAM players to each other and the public, aggregate expertise, and connect isolated/dispersed RI STEAM interests.
Bonnie Epstein
bepstein AT rimosa DOT org
The essence of this idea was submitted by the applicant in 2012. Creating jobs for job seeking Rhode Islanders continues to be a major challenge. An alternative economy comprised of active job seekers, existing employers desiring to grow and government/private agencies could aid in attaining this overarching goal. My "idea" remains to create this "new economy". By weaving the interests of job seekers, employers,producers, consumers and organizations responsible for labor/economic development, this new economy will create jobs and grow business revenues for its participating "members". "Members" will be either employees (consumers) or employers (producers or consumers). A currency unique to the economy (previously called "Rhodys") will be the medium of exchange. Local and State government and private agencies will be asked to support this new economy through financial incentives (i.e. partial tax payments could be made with new currency) and regulatory assistance.
Craig Evans
candbe AT aol DOT com
Frederick Faerber
fwfaerber AT cox DOT net
Antonieta Falconi
adfalconi AT gmail DOT com
I am not seeking the award. As a native Newporter who loves the state I just want to suggest that RI ask Taylor Swift to write and sing a Rhode Island theme song. I think a popular song about Rhode Island would be a fantastic way to spark state enthusiasm and fight the prevalent negativity. A Georgetown classmate of mine, Bill Danoff, wrote Country Roads for John Denver which, as you know, became West Virginia's state song. Although Bill used West Virginia for the song it could have been any other locale. I am not seeking any award but, if necessary, pay Taylor Swift for her effort. Taylor Swift would be optimal but Jeffrey Osborne might be a good choice as well. A suitable video would also be necessary. A combination of RI oriented singers?
My team would build on a vision to make Rhode Island a destination for and a leader in purpose‐driven businesses. First, we will identify community challenges in areas such as food security, education, and the environment that are not currently being addressed. We will then identify businesses located elsewhere that are successfully addressing those challenges and assess whether those models would be appropriate for the Rhode Island market. For those that are a good fit, we would work to either recruit or replicate them locally. To support market development, we will build relationships with procurement departments at anchor institutions such as universities and hospitals that might be interested in purchasing competitive products and services from "do well, do good" businesses. We plan to create an environment that enables import substitution and drives the recruitment of these businesses, moving Rhode Island towards the goal of more sustainable community and economic development.
Dibzy a marketplace for innovation featuring products for mom, baby and kids. Dibzy is a community inventors and designers creating unique treasures. Dibzy solves the need for a product‐launching platform in the juvenile industry. We want to give people with great ideas the opportunity to achieve their dreams. We select small manufacturers that meet the Dibzy criteria, and help them grow their brand. We have every resource needed to coach our brand new Dibzy Drivers and create a road map for them that leads them from concept through production and sales. My goal is to build the Rhode Island Dibzy Team and develop a Rhody Recruits showroom on Dibzy that showcases Local artists, craftspeople and resources. Our goal is to support local manufacturers and supplies for a "made in the USA" product line. To learn more about our background and history in product development, marketing, QA, IT and design, click www.getdibzy.com
Jenny Faw
jenny AT getdibzy DOT com
I would like to establish a Peer‐run Respite Center in Rhode Island. People living with major mental illness, when they are in a crisis, often need a place to go where they will be supported by their peers. This often works better than a locked, clinical setting. Peer‐run respite centers have worked in other states. People can stay at a peer‐run respite center for a few days or a couple of weeks, and get the kind of support they need to avoid hospitalization. The peers running the center would be trained using models that have been proven to work in other states. This is a proven model that I would like to bring to Rhode Island. The center would have 6 to 10 beds, and be totally voluntary.
Charles Feldman
cfeldmanri AT gmail DOT com
To build a community nonprofit that serves in three major ways. 1.Operating a full service grocery store providing high quality food products including locally grown fresh vegetables 2.Providing ESL and ABE classes in the context of a workforce training academy within the grocery setting 3.Providing meaningful internships and training Multiple workforce skills ranging from operational skills; cashier, food preparation, floral and general business skills; marketing, customer service and workplace etiquette can be taught within the grocery store environment. Students needing these skills often are from low‐income environments and have poor literacy skills finding employment difficult and salaries low. In a single facility students will move from the classroom to a supportive, paid internship within the grocery store. . The goal is finding solid employment in the community at large. This is a simple idea providing support in three basic human needs‐ food, education and employment
Naomi Foster
William Gamble
nefoster AT gmail DOT com
william AT emergingmarketstrategies DOT com
I study economic efficiency of legal infrastructures in short the rules of the game. But not just the rules, but whether they work and how well they work. If they work well, the game is more popular and moves faster. If they don't, no one plays. My idea is to examine the rules and regulations of Rhode Island to see which ones work and which ones don't. If they don't work, suggest three possible solutions. Propose either best practice solutions using examples from other states or other countries. Propose new solutions using concepts from behavioral economics. Propose elimination. Rhode Island ranks dead last in the CNBC ranking of places to do business. If we are to change, if we want to really help Rhode Island grow, if we really want to create jobs, we must know what works and what doesn't.
My goal is to open a fine art gallery and cafΘ in the city of East Providence that is operated mainly by people with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other medical disabilities. This gallery would house three‐four art studios of committed resident artists who will open their studies to the public to view the creation of their art in the form of painting, sculpture, or any other innovative art. Resident and invited artists will showcase their finished art pieces in the main gallery and offer art classes. In addition to a revolving art exhibit, a cafΘ would share the space in a comfortable, inviting setting. I would also invite local musicians to practice or perform during selective hours of operation. I believe great tasting coffee, delicious deserts, light foods and music will attract the community to view and appreciate the talents of our local artists with Autism and other medical disabilities.
Erik Giorgi
erikgiorgi0824 AT gmail DOT com
One of Rhode Island's challenges is its poor business brand. If we expect to keep and attract businesses and citizens, Rhode Island must improve its business brand. Business creates jobs not government. While there are many areas that contribute to Rhode Island poor brand, one cost effective way to positively impact that brand is to help government become more efficient. The DEM has implemented a LEAN program 18 months ago that has been very successful. Also, Rhode Island had one of the regions top LEAN companies in VIBCO, under the leadership of Karl Wadensten. VIBCO is a living laboratory for LEAN. A LEAN RI government means two things: First, the interface process between the public and government is significantly more user friendly. Secondly, the internal systems of government are more streamlined so that the government response times are much faster. Rhode Island could be the first LEAN state in dealing with its citizens (business or personal). That has marketing punch!
Larry Girouard
girouard1 AT cox DOT net
Liz Gledhill
Lizgledhill AT gmail DOT com
David Goldsmith
david AT aspiera DOT com
With the RI Community Food Bank reporting that 66,500 RI households are food insecure, and 24,000 households are suffering from "extreme food insecurity", Rhode Island has become "New England's Most Food Insecure State". My business model, "The Spoon and Shovel", seeks to relieve RI of that burden by creating a small farm plan for households with less than five acres. Creating a model that best utilizes small acreage, conventional farming practices, and inexpensive tools and techniques, will empower young at‐risk families and show them how to grow their own harvest. In addition, classes will be taught on how to best preserve the bounty through canning, dehydrating, freezing, and high yield utilization recipes. Finally, developing and implementing this business plan on my own small farm, I will have available a Pay What You Can Farm Stand, to meet the needs of at‐
risk populations.
David Goldsmith (Co‐Founder, Aspiera Medical and Co‐Founder, MedMates), Sandra Potter (Bryant U. Entrepreneurship Professor), and Michael Lye (RISD Industrial Design Professor) will develop and lead a program to catalyze new company formation in the healthcare technology sector, seizing upon the strengths that Rhode Island holds in healthcare, technology development, product design, intellectual property, product launches, and more. Using a proven systematic product development process we will help new health‐tech companies to form. Our goal is to revitalize our economy, create new wealth and increase the availability of higher paying positions for Rhode Islanders. Further, our program will contribute to the retention of talented young people‐‐too many of whom currently leave the state upon graduation due to lack of opportunities here.
I propose Solidarity, an entrepreneurial academy and micro business incubator specifically tailored to serve the working poor and long‐term unemployed. Admission to Solidarity will be competitive, based on an applicant's business idea, demonstrated competence, and personal qualities. Once accepted, Solidarity will provide entrepreneurs with training in financial and business literacy, access to low‐interest micro funding, traditional business incubation services (co‐working space, utilities, meeting rooms and secretarial support), B2B networking, group marketing, personal mentoring by community business leaders, and other services. Entrepreneurs, in turn, commit to participate fully, support each other, work their businesses, and keep clear of legal difficulties. After 18 months, entrepreneurs will move their businesses off‐site but continue to work with Solidarity mentors and receive refresher training. They will also be invited to contribute to the success of those who follow them by becoming mentors and trainers themselves.
Mark Gordon
mgordon AT pathtree DOT com
To transform the way healthcare is delivered to Rhode Islanders by establishing the first privately‐owned integrative lifestyle medicine center for both men and women in the state. Poor lifestyle choices, such as smoking, overuse of alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity and inadequate relief of chronic stress are key contributors in the development and progression of preventable chronic diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease for our Rhode Island population. Most residents understand the reasoning behind a healthy lifestyle, yet despite an understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle; many still lack the behavioral skills and support needed to apply and sustain these good habits. My vision is to create a group‐based center that offers one‐stop interventions and support including integrative medicine physicians, acupuncture, integrative health coaching and stress management programs to improve outcomes for residents at risk and those who already have common chronic diseases.
Stephanie Gove
stephanie AT ihealthri DOT com
$41 million. That's how much RI taxpayers spend on the costs of public services stemming from teen childbearing. This includes lost tax revenue, welfare programs, and increased rates of incarcerations. 60% of teen moms drop out of high school and, over their lifetime, earn nearly $300,000 less than high school graduates. Only 2% of teen moms will earn a bachelor's degree. I am part of that 2%. I will start a collaborative, holistic, and supportive program to increase the number of young parents with college degrees and the number of small business owners within the state. It will be a shared living space for students, and their children, attending RIC or URI. Childcare, mental health, parenting classes, homework help, job and entrepreneurship skills, and volunteerism will be free and mandatory parts of the program. By targeting the family as a whole‐physical, emotional, education, work/life‐we can break this cycle of poverty.
Kristina Grande
kristinamgrande AT gmail DOT com
Hospital acquired infections are a problem in Rhode Island as well a nationally, and is well documented. We hold a patent for a cleaning and disinfecting process which we call Vacuum Cycle Nucleation(VCN). Testing has shown that this process is effective in cleaning and disinfecting reprocessed medical devices as well as newly manufactured medical devices. My company, Vacuum Processing system has sold this technology to medical device manufacturers. As a testimony to the effectiveness of the VCN Process the Johnson& Johnson Company has told one of it's supplies that they want their needles only cleaned in the VCN process. We would like to set up a testing program in collaboration with a local hospital which would create accurate data on the effectiveness of our process over commonly employed in hospital cleaning, disinfecting techniques. Our Website www.vacuumprocessingsystems.com has a video of syringe cleaning that would help with the understanding of our process and how it applies to enclosed areas in many medical devices
Donald Gray
doctordonuri AT yahoo DOT com
RIGreens will establish an aeroponics farm in Rhode Island that will employ people in recovery from addictions and/or mental health disorders, war veterans, and people released from incarceration that are reintegrating into society. RI Greens will grow nutrient‐rich locally‐grown vegetables to be offered into grocery stores, food banks and shelters, and the public school system. The basic principle of aeroponic growing is to grow plants suspended in a closed or semi‐closed environment by spraying the plant's dangling roots and lower stem with an atomized or sprayed, nutrient‐rich water solution(wiki). Leafy greens are ideal for this sort of system, allowing for dense production of vegetation and quick growth cycle. RIGreens' proposed program design allows for approachability in skill sets for managing growth and distribution of leafy greens. We will offer employment to typically under‐employed populations in Rhode Island.
Anthony Graziano
grazianoaf AT gmail DOT com
I would like to acquire 3 derelict properties in Coventry, RI. These properties border each other and the newly completed East Coast Greenway, equestrian trail and bike path. Of the 3 properties one is a struggling, run down restaurant that is for sale, the second is a town owned small waterfront piece with no road frontage and the third is a state owned historic building that is vacant and derelict at the present time. Individually the three properties really do not have any potential, however if they were merged together they have incredible potential. My vision is to acquire the three properties and merge them together, restoring the historic building, creating a cafΘ/bistro and putting in an outdoor pavilion/ facilities and picnic area overlooking the Quidnick reservoir. To create a destination property for the Greenway.
Leea Grote
Leeagrote AT gmail DOT com
I am proposing an innovative community development program that provides RI's urban middle school students with organized physical activity and mentoring by top post‐collegiate athletes who live and train in the urban communities where their students reside. The program, NE Distance, recruits athletes to the program and assigns them to middle schools where they implement athletic programs at no charge. NE Distance improves students' health and wellness while providing invaluable lessons in goal‐setting and achievement, and encouraging them to aim high in their academic and personal performance. In 2012, I established this unique athlete‐in‐residence (AIR) program in Woonsocket to support top‐level track athletes in their training and strengthen urban communities. NE Distance provides athletes with housing, travel stipends, physical therapy and training. Athletes work 16‐20 hours per week mentoring and coaching youth. Building on the program's success, I aim to expand the program to reach more RI middle school students.
Nicholas Haber
nich AT nedistance DOT org
Edible bivalves (Blue Mussels) cultivated by a handful of small‐scale operations in RI have proven "shellfish farming" of market ready mussels is possible in our waters, a potential major "agricultural" crop for RI. Federal/State regulations make it possible for the industry to expand into areas of RI sound to become an economic engine for the State ‐‐ employing thousands of Rhode Islanders. A major hurdle for the industry is availability of mussel seed stock naturally produced by adult mussels in nature. If pre‐seeded substrate (mussel growth "rope") was made available to shellfish farmers ‐ multiple growing seasons for RI Mussel farmers could be realized ‐ replacing infrequent and unpredictable natural Mussel spawning (spat). In the past year more uses for our technology have developed. Mussel growth rope was selected for an EPA/Save the Bay collaborative demonstration for ribbed mussels used for mitigation of polluted water and removal of invasive zebra mussels.
John Haley
ssiinc AT hotmail DOT com
The Newport Project is a square peg of innovation co‐existing in the curricular and spatial "round hole" structure of a traditional high school. Our immediate goal is program expansion, with the ultimate goal of serving as a model for other districts. This experiential program at Rogers High School is characterized by an integrated approach to the study of English Language Arts and science through community‐based fieldwork. The Newport Project is a unique program that embraces the concept that learning exists outside the school walls in the many historical and cultural sites in Newport. The project is unique because it is independent and yet remains connected to all other programs, activities, and resources of Rogers High School. Students and teachers are partners, enabling teachers to strategically serve student needs and assist them in exploring their passions and discovering their purpose. These efforts serve as motivation for students to be autonomous thinkers and producers.
Anthony Hanos
anthonyhanos AT npsri DOT net
Chronic disease, poor health, and limited health literacy are problems facing thousands of Rhode Islanders. My proposed solution is the Rioview Wellness Center, an idea that will help underserved Rhode Islanders overcome the barriers between themselves and good health. Very real barriers to healthy behaviors exist. Rioview will help people leap over these barriers by providing accessible, culturally sensitive, multilingual, convenient, and welcoming opportunities to learn. Defining health broadly, we will offer classes including exercise, nutrition, parenting, gardening, literacy, and financial skills by partnering with community agencies and health care providers. We are part of a highly visible primary care medical practice in Pawtucket , making Rioview easily accessible. Rioview is innovative because we will simultaneously remove multiple barriers to learning, because of the broad scope of our education, and because of our location. The concept can easily be adapted for use in other primary care practices throughout the state.
Emily Harrison
eharrison AT women‐care DOT com
Success in life is fleeting. We all want it ‐‐ to varying degrees. Rhode Island is a small state with a myriad of challenges ‐‐ in business and economically. Global companies, non‐profit organizations and small businesses drive activity in this state. Choices are very important! My plan centers around an individualized career decision information tool application(Cdit). It simplifies employment decisions ‐‐ How do I choose the right opportunity for me(my family)? How can I negotiate and clarify a decision? Is there redundancy with benefits? How about costs? The Cdit is currently tailored to individuals. It can be updated. It is your personal dossier. It can be expanded to organizations. The process is and will be different for each individual or organization. It can be built to scale. A new technological approach to a longstanding challenge ‐‐ informed decision making with specific regards to career challenges.
Daniel Healy
healydf AT cox DOT net
Steven Heath
sheath AT metmail DOT org
Maxson Hence
maxhence AT aol DOT com
We live in the Ocean State. Rhode Islanders deserve an affordable means to travel for fun and function by land and water. I propose developing a battery‐assisted, fully‐amphibious bicycle. An exciting, innovative, useful method of year‐round transportation capable of navigating land and sea. This would be a boon for residents and tourists.
Recently, the United Nations called for termination of industrial farming (Henein, Maryam. "United Nations Calls for an End to Industrialized Farming." Truthout. 06 Dec. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2014). Responding to this bold and noble call is a daunting challenge. The largest impediment to transitioning from industrial agriculture to a universally healthier distributed food production system of smaller farms, is the existence of a successful mechanism for efficiently aggregating production of localized foods, then profitably marketing and distributing them. Using a working‐educational model, our group promises to leverage its existing network of farmers, customers, educators, and other stakeholders in the RI & Eastern CT agrarian economy in order to develop a unique, local, replicable FOOD HUB. This business will create socioeconomic incentive for localized food production and educational programming while simultaneously increasing the demand and deliverability of nutrient‐dense food. Integrating education with the production of food is paramount to achieving FSNE 50x60.
This proposal is for the development of a Bi‐Coastal Bi‐Continental Urban Lab (BiC2) in Rhode Island, a two‐pronged approach to social and economic development built on the premise that our urban issues are, to some degree, shared by cities elsewhere, and that we all have much to learn from each other. BiC2's programs are: URBAN CONVERSATIONS (annual) a platform for bringing together entrepreneurs, investors and leaders of urban change and economic growth initiatives in RI (grassroots through government) and a like‐minded cohort from elsewhere in the US and Latin America (the origin of much of our immigrant population) in an open‐ended discussion aimed at sharing approaches and forming partnerships around building economically vibrant, sustainable, healthy, and inclusive cities. COMMUNITY INNOVATION, HEALTH, DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER (pilot) a cross‐pollination between "community center" and "innovation lab." The Center will focus on capability building, healthy living, innovation and entrepreneurship, while targeting local issues.
Elizabeth Hermann
ehermann AT risd DOT edu
Wilfred Hernandez
My project will establish a program to help inner city children achieve their potential. The project will: 1‐ Convince the students that they can be what ever they choose to be, if they believe in themselves. A child goals and dreams are greatly influenced by what they see in their economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. We need to change that. 2‐Create a curriculum which the students will use as a road map to college. Including educational requirements, internships with private, local state and Federal Agencies, and tutoring . This is where I will start the "Kids Teaching Kids" aspect of my project. As students advance in the program and move up in grade they will be paid to mentor and tutor other students. By implementing wilfred DOT hernandez AT dot DOT this practice the program will broaden and the out reach to more students becomes possible. Kids teaching Kids. 3‐Commitment from everyone ri DOT gov
involved in the project.
Swamp Meadow Community Theatre would use the Fellowship Reward to further our Bold Vision of establishing a Center for the Arts in the under‐
served area of Western Rhode Island. We would use the guaranteed funds to match what we have already raised or can raise within our communities to match a donation from other private and public foundations to purchase land (and/or) a facility, build or renovate a facility, and continue our mission to build community through the arts. From our early beginnings inspired by our 15 year old founder, we have called together the talent and commitment of local artists and patrons to create a community theatre program that has won Motif Awards, thoroughly entertained our communities, been profitable and sent many on to greater education and work in theater and the arts! We need one large financial gift as a down payment on continuing the unfolding of the dream!
Robert Hollis
SMCTbob AT gmail DOT com
Ryan Holt
ryaneholt AT gmail DOT com
Nick Horton
nhorton AT gmail DOT com
Julie Horwitz
jhorwitz AT ric DOT edu
The objective of my proposed study is to investigate the benefits of exposure to robotics and programming languages during middle to late childhood. This study will randomly assign participants, ages 5‐10, to one of three different conditions (control, unstructured play, structured play) with a developmentally appropriate robotic toy called Yana, which has been created by Play‐i. Assessment of visual navigation skills, logic, executive functioning, and mathematic fluency will take place before and after a three week period. Additionally, attitudes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) will also be investigated before and after the intervention period. The proposed study is intended to take place in the Central Falls community.
There are around 1,600 assaults and 6,000 breaks‐ins in RI every year. Our response to crime is to spend $525 million on public safety annually. What if instead we prevented crimes by investing in social services? 9 Yards is proven to have the potential to drastically reduce crime, incarceration, and spending on public safety by rehabilitating ex‐offenders. Two years ago, I started this intensive, long‐term reentry pilot program to 'go the whole 9 yards' to end the cycle of crime and incarceration. It came out of my ten years of work at OpenDoors. We spent around $10,000 per client and worked with 15 high risk offenders for 17 months. So far the program has eliminated felony recidivism. More information and a video is available at opendoorsri.org/9yards. The program design is one‐of‐a‐kind, though based on previous successful models. We are working with our second 15‐
person cohort now. It's time to expand.
The Rhode Island Foundation Innovation Fellowship will allow me to lead a team that uses the Central Falls/Rhode Island College Innovation Lab (Innovation Lab) partnership as a model of removing obstacles that underrepresented, underprepared, low income students must overcome to progress from K‐12 to postsecondary education. The Innovation Lab is realigning, focusing, and mobilizing existing resources to build an intentional, cohesive model system that melds elementary, secondary, and higher education into a coherent, single system to meet the individualized needs of students, families, and communities. My central idea is to create meaningful institutional/system change informed and driven by student voice. A college/community pathway with multiple entry points will strengthen and sustain peer‐to‐peer student support networks from preschool through college. With the research and documentation that emanate from the Innovation Lab, Rhode Island will be home to a student‐centered, cost‐effective, replicable system that supports success and transition within a K‐16 pathway.
The Industrial National Bank Building will be repurposed to bring in both national and international tourism, by showcasing a unique fusion of entertainment, commercial and non‐profit venues. The top portion (floors 23‐26) will be turned into a year‐round House of Horrors. The House will be based entirely upon H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos. Floors 11‐22 will be used for hotel space. In order to showcase the ingenuity and creativity of so many here, floors 6‐10 will serve as business incubators, educational enterprises, and to exhibit local arts and crafts. Floors 1‐5 will serve as small‐
event venue space (such as for weddings), private social club space, and restaurants. The outside of the building remains the same. Floodlights on the lower portion will remain white: the floodlights for the upper portions and the beacon will be lavender or purple.
Debra Howson
debrahowson AT yahoo DOT com
William Hutson
william_hutson AT brown DOT edu
Alisha Imholt
aimholt AT cityyear DOT org
Rhode Island, the Ocean State, has the greatest ocean/land area in the United States. According to a National Academy of Science report, Rhode Islanders lack five vital components of the importance to future business development. SEAWATCH provides them with four of these five essential components. SEAWATCH enhances awareness of the ocean in the Ocean State. SEAWATCH is self‐supporting, self‐sustaining and self‐expanding. SEAWATCH includes all Rhode Islanders SEAWATCH provides: ò SENSE OF WONDER: everyone is blessed with this (especially innovators); ò SEED: provide information as it relates to the Ocean State (pictures, questions); ò EXPERIENCE: gain hands‐on exploration, observation, documentation; ò TEACH‐IT‐FORWARD: document and post experience. Then pass it on; ò SOCIAL MEDIA: the vehicle to document findings and to connect with other participants.
When we began our journey at Pleasant View Elementary School, we both immediately recognized challenges in academic rigor and family engagement, but it was through our work together that we realized the immense capacity for social change existing within the walls of any given school. This year, in an effort to provide a collaborative learning space for all students, we piloted an initiative called the Panther Pride Diner‐‐a program that brings classroom teachers, students and families together afterschool to work on homework and enjoy conversation over a hot meal. We would like to institutionalize this program under the name Curiosity Cafe in various schools across the state of Rhode Island by actively seeking out learning environments in need of meaningful engagement activities and providing them with support in planning and implementing a highly individualized program for community‐building that will fit their particular needs .
In 2011, Rhode Island adopted a sweeping set of stormwater management regulations mandating the use of "low impact development" techniques to reduce the negative impact of land development and surface paving from contributing polluted stormwater runoff to our local water bodies. One technology strongly encouraged in achieving stormwater management and remediation goals is "tree filter systems" which integrate common street trees with stormwater collection as a sustainable alternative to traditional subsurface "end of pipe" systems which discharge contaminated water and impair our ecosystems. Dilution is NOT the solution to pollution. Tree filter systems are a proven "green" technology utilizing physical, chemical and biological functions with greater efficiency and less cost than most stormwater management practices. These systems are unique in that they treat and "cleanse" stormwater contaminated with pollutants such as oil/grease, phosphorous, nitrogen, bacteria, and heavy metals, prior to subsurface infiltration to groundwater and aquifers.
Paul Iorio
piorio AT storm‐tree DOT com
I was recently granted a utility patent for "Releasable handle for use with tarpaulins and other flexible sheet materials". This invention will change the way industries in Rhode Island and beyond will handle tarps. By manufacturing this product in Rhode Island I will be creating jobs, stimulating the Rhode Island economy. This product will put Rhode Island back on the map in a positive way.
Ronald Izzo
rirealtymgt AT yahoo DOT com
Two forces that have shaped Rhode Island culture and history ‐‐ libraries and journalism ‐‐ are vital to the state's future. But digitally driven changes threaten their survival, while these same disruptions can help both move forward. The Rhode Island Library Report (www.rhodeislandlibraryreport.org), founded by former Providence Journal writers and editors, proposes an Internet news service to ensure continuing public awareness and engagement in the future of libraries. Similarly, the Report is an experiment in Digital Age journalism that is comprehensive, trustworthy and sustainable. Progress depends on information. Libraries long have been Main Street fixtures, with open doors and access to free information, while news organizations have dependably served as chronicler, gadfly and conscience to our shared public life. Our proposal will help libraries and journalism ‐‐ in changed form ‐‐ continue to play their indispensable roles as Rhode Island restructures its economy and charts its future.
Brian Jones
brijudy AT cox DOT net
Hilary Jones
hilary AT girlsrockri DOT org
Maeve Jopson
hi AT incrementstudios DOT com
Jesse Jordan
jessejordanmd AT gmail DOT com
Girls Rock! Rhode Island (GRR!) will create a program called Electric Youth, providing girls ages 11‐18 with skills and tools to create and record their own electronic music. They will learn hands‐on skills, like soldering, as well as the physics of sound, audio engineering, and technology; using music as a means of self‐expression to create everything from beats, to pop synthesizer, to soundscapes. Electric Youth will exist at the intersection of science and creativity, sparking girls' interest and engagement in the traditionally male STE(A)M (science, technology, engineering, (art) and mathematics) and music fields.
Increment creates playthings that promote independence and exploration among children of all abilities. Our first product, the O‐Rings, is a large‐scale, sensory learning toy that benefits children with and without disabilities in therapy, at school, and at home. They are four stackable rings, each of a different color, texture, density, and filling. Children can climb on, hide in, and build with these full‐body sized rings. According to KidsCount 2014, 21% of children in RI have special needs. Within our small state, we have the capacity to reach these children more readily. RI is already home to several leading inclusive institutions (where children with and without disabilities learn side‐by‐side); however, many toys that are available lack accessibility, educational value, and high‐quality materials, especially for children with disabilities. We seek to address this challenge by developing toys that are inclusive and encourage integrative social development for all children in RI.
As a supporter of RhodeMap RI, our team at Global Science and EnviroTech, Inc., a 501( c )(3) start‐up decided to promote the increase in job readiness among under served populations in advance manufacturing through our Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Multilevel Integrated Programing (STEAM‐MIP). This unique concept incorporates manufacturers technology vital to their production, desire to expand their employee pool and what the manufacturer sees as vital to global competitiveness. Using a mentor‐training‐team model we integrate learning and training into STEAM‐
MIP to create a portfolio of research and development projects specifically for manufacturers to be used to increase job readiness skills, internships and job applications.
The Ripple Effect will address the challenge Rhode island's nonprofits face getting their messages out and garnering support. Social media has produced the occasional wildly successful activity like the "Ice Bucket Challenge," which raised millions in unanticipated donations for one lucky organization. Popular reality TV shows such as "Shark Tank" have increased the demand for reality‐based, results‐oriented entertainment. Melding the immediacy of social media with the entertainment value of reality TV, "The Ripple Effect" will be a half‐hour YouTube or local cable show demonstrating the far‐
reaching positive outcomes of Rhode Island's nonprofit organizations. Hosted by a celebrity, as the hook, paired with a local expert in the featured field, each show will tell a compelling human‐interest success story from one local non‐profit in a different sector each month. Every episode will conclude with a call‐to‐action, encouraging viewers to support the work of the featured organization, or others like it.
Andrea Joseph
Valerie Joseph, RN
abjoseph7 AT gmail DOT com
valeriej AT aplacetobehealthy DOT org
Matthew Joyal
mjoyal4 AT gmail DOT com
Dorothy Jungels
djungels AT everettri DOT org
I will create nurse‐run "Health Stations" inside community‐based organizations (CBO's), providing easy access to non‐urgent care as a means of engaging Rhode Islanders in health‐self sufficiency. This innovation will link and expand two successful programs: (1) the cost‐saving CHEER program (projected $1.2M saving in health costs/year in a published study) and (2) the effective Vida Sana/Healthy Life lifestyle intervention program based at Clφnica Esperanza. Leveraging existing relationships with CBOs, I will: (1) establish nurse‐run HS based on the existing CHEER program in partner CBO's; (2) engage nurses and community health workers to provide health screens, preventive interventions and non‐urgent healthcare while (3) integrating programs provided to members of the CBO's community that improve health literacy and lifestyle choices. Health‐self sufficiency will increase neighborhood resiliency, reduce chronic disease rates and drastically reduce state and out‐of‐pocket payments for chronic disease care.
We are designing a concussion detection device that is aimed at resolving the growing concern over the safety of players in both helmet and non‐
helmet contact sports, such as football, hockey, soccer, lacrosse and rugby. As the intensity of gameplay increases, so does the amount of contact and the number of injuries that players will sustain. Concussions have become a large concern in the past decade after numerous degenerative brain disorders have been linked to head trauma. Although this is a problem throughout the country, Rhode Island can be one of the first to actively solve the problem. If an impact is over the specified limit, a warning will be presented to the player as well the coaches or medical personnel that indicates a concussion may be present. Medical personnel and coaches can then decide if a player should be removed from the playing‐field and further evaluated for a concussion.
Our team of artists, teachers, neuropsychologists and community members will create an arts‐based pilot program, Creative Brain Academy, addressing the trauma that effects youth in Rhode Island. Bringing students' emotional and behavioral issues to the foreground within a safe educational environment using theater and comedy techniques helps students understand and address these issues so that academic learning can occur. Research shows that to effectively help traumatized children learn, we must create environments where they feel safe to build resilience, and the arts is an ideal mechanism for this work. Such a program addresses the expanding measurement gap between wealthier white students and low‐income/minority students, as well as the social‐emotional issues that impact students' overall long‐term success. Creative Brain Academy will offer engaging, supportive arts‐based learning experiences in school and after‐school that mitigate the long‐term effect of trauma through movement and laughter, while improving the child's outcome academically, socially, and economically.
Promoting Environmental and Physical Sustainability Through the Connection of Economic Resources and Amenities Along Narragansett Bay will reveal linkages and opportunities to connect businesses with a statewide tourism and wellness‐planning model. My experience as a landscape architect, urban planner, and business owner has afforded me the knowledge to recognize the potential of utilizing Narragansett Bay to promote sustainability, economic and physical well being to communities across the state. The plan will apply innovative transportation strategies to support the economy and also to encourage efforts towards a sustainable Rhode Island. The study will reveal potential hot spots for paddling 'hubs' along the coastline and their proximity to amenities. It will examine the feasibility of paddling as an alternative mode of transportation for it's fitness benefits, and the potential for paddling to effectively 'See the Bay' and enjoy many of Rhode Island's coastal and economic resources as accessed from the shoreline.
Kristin Kaczmarek
kristinlenore AT gmail DOT com
Rhode Island aspires to build a Knowledge Economy, yet industry struggles with the realities of the brain drain. The real brain drain begins in with our middle and high school students who are not encouraged to think beyond the classroom. Taking advantage of our state's small size, EnginRI tackles this problem by establishing a curriculum‐connected industry/education partnership in K‐12 schools. The Next Generation Science Standards envision a new classroom focused on applications and practices to meet the demands of the future. Rhode Island can be a leader in implementing that vision by truly bringing the real challenges of the 21st century knowledge economy into science curriculum. EnginRI will work with manufacturers to make STEM education real, creative, and connected for all students by turning corporate "show and tell" visits into "connect and create" collaborations that foster true partnerships with teachers. Rhode Island will be a leading innovator in STEM education.
Ann Kaiser
akaiser AT projectengin DOT com
Loomio is a digital tool that makes it easy for people affected by decisions to participate in making better decisions. For communities Loomio makes it easy for citizens and government to work together to create and implement change. We need government to more deeply engage the public to realize shared interests. Families use Loomio to make care decisions for loved ones and neighborhoods can work to improve safety or to organize social events. Loomio enables many more applications that create more cohesive communities. Business teams use Loomio to improve productivity and creativity. Gallup indicates that RI employees are the least engaged in the US. Loomio makes it easy for employees, partners and customers to engage to be productive and innovative. My idea is for groups in communities, government and business to use Loomio to make it easy to be included in decisions that make their lives and the state a better place.
Mary Jo (MJ) Kaplan mj AT loomio DOT org
Medical mistakes happen. Even though we live in a technologically advanced society, our healthcare outcomes are astonishingly poor as compared with other western countries. Here in the USA, an estimated 100,000 patients die each year because of preventable medical errors, even with the implementation of more sophisticated information technology. Why does this happen? As with so many things, the problem is poor communication. From the time a patient is admitted to the hospital to the time that patient is discharged, there are countless interactions between that patient and all members of the healthcare team. The assumption is that there is seamless communication between doctors, nurses and ancillary staff, but the reality is very different. Studies have documented that a full 25% of the time, doctors and nurses are operating without any real collaboration or understanding of what each other are doing.
Peter Karczmar
pkarczmar AT gmail DOT com
Could a pair of headphones change the lives of 22,000 Rhode Islanders diagnosed with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease? Okay, it's a little more than that. Alzheimer's disease attacks the ability to recall facts but does not destroy the connections between a favorite song and memory of an important life event. Our bold idea is to take an innovative program that has proven success in other states and infuse it into long‐term care in Rhode Island. We will mobilize our extensive network of providers, families, and patients to develop personalized playlists that tap into their lost memories and reconnect with themselves and their loved ones. Wisconsin has effectively implemented this program and reduced the use of antipsychotic drugs. The initial program was so successful, they added 150 more facilities to participate. As thousands "plug in" across Rhode Island, we will see those with dementia come alive.
Kathleen Kelly
kkelly AT riala DOT org
The show ER began with an unconscious patient and a doctor barking orders for data: "blood pressure, CT scans, blood gases". As an oceanographer I have spent 10000 hours collecting scientific data on Narragansett Bay circulation. Like the ER scene, these data are essential in managing the health of this living resource, often referred to as the heart (and soul) of Rhode Island. A primary health issue for estuaries like our Bay, are low‐oxygen, hypoxic events (2003 Greenwich Bay fishkill). We use distributed flow measurements and complex computer circulation models to show the Bay's hypoxic regions contain flow gyres, where flushing efficiency has been grossly overestimated. Water quality management strategies that rely on overly simplified circulation data/models and focus only on pollution reduction from waste water treatment facilities (WWTFs) ignore this fundamental process. We will use our existing model‐data system to develop and test alternative (reduced‐cost) flushing enhancement strategies for alleviating hypoxia in RI waters, and other estuaries.
Christopher Kincaid
kincaid AT gso DOT uri DOT edu
Pioneering inventions are rare. Our patented solar greenhouse stands alone as a truly different resource to transform agriculture, resulting in a year‐
round growing season. It assembles easily, has superior temperature and light control, withstands heavy snow and uses little or no fuel in winter. We have a valuable new partner, Max Hence, of Hillandale Farm in Westerly. His experience and abilities will enhance the project of utilizing the greenhouse and testing its varied potential. The one‐of‐a‐kind greenhouse is the core of this activity, but creative ways of using it are also important: Our "Build‐It" Design Package for farmers reduces construction cost dramatically, then saves up to thousands of dollars a year on heating bills vs. conventional greenhouses. Training people to build for others creates a new group of independent contractors. Paul's new algae‐growing technique can foster a whole new low‐cost RI biofuel industry, reducing dependence on polluting fossil‐fuels.
Paul Klinkman
info AT klinkmansolar DOT com
Rhode Island lacks access to healthy, locally produced food. At the same time, RI farms and food businesses lack access to stable year‐round retail markets. Urban Greens Food Co‐op is the solution to both challenges. Urban Greens Food Co‐op will open a 10,000 square foot community‐owned grocery store on Providence's west side. Large scale retail is the missing link in Rhode Island's growing food economy. The store will provide and promote local, healthy, affordable, and culturally appropriate food. Urban Greens Food Co‐op will connect farmers and consumers, for the benefit of all. Cooperative consumer ownership ensures that profits from the grocery store will recirculate locally. Urban Greens will empower Rhode Islanders to overcome systemic food security challenges.
Delia Kovac
delia AT urbangreens DOT com
Given high rates of diet‐related diseases and high prevalence of risk factors such as obesity in Rhode Island, particularly in communities of color, it is clear that healthy eating habits are not being formed at an early age. Some schools have started to address the under consumption of fruits and vegetables, weak engagement with local food systems, and food insecurity by building edible gardens on school property. The experience of growing food gets kids excited about where food actually comes from and they are more likely to try what they have grown themselves. Unfortunately school gardens are not used to their full capacity because they are outside of the teaching requirements of the curriculum, including the recently adopted Common Core Standards. Green Circle Design (GCD) proposes to improve the health of RI children by promoting the cultivation and consumption of fresh produce with a Garden Curriculum for Rhode Island Schools.
Kate Lacouture
kate AT greencircledesign DOT net
Aging in place, Places to age: Housing Options for Older Adults ‐ ‐ There is a demand and need for housing choices that facilitates social, economic, psychological and practical benefits for our aging population. By the year 2030 more than 30% of Rhode Island's population will be older than 65. As we age there are limited housing resources for older adults who wish to remain as an integral part of the community. Baby boomers want to age in place by making sound decisions for themselves. Co‐housing, intentional communities, and non‐traditional housing choices are places were baby boomers, the largest growing demographic in history, may want to live. There are few, if any, of the options available in RI. My proposal is to research, design, develop and market these housing options for older adults.
Jean Lamb
jmlamb22 AT yahoo DOT com
Robert Lancia
chaplainlancia AT aol DOT com
Eileen Landay
eileenlanday AT me DOT com
I am a former Navy chaplain and disabled vet who is passionate about helping young returning veterans, those who are damaged physically and/or emotionally, reintegrate back into the workforce. Using my concept restaurant, The Wholly Waffle, I intend to provide, not only a place to work and learn culinary arts, but also a place to learn business principles as well as entrepreneurship. Moreover, working with fellow vets, will allow for help and healing in a supportive environment.
Rhode Island schools have outstanding teachers. Rhode Island has outstanding artists and arts organizations. This fellowship will create partnerships among teachers and artists to design and implement innovative curriculum that link academics with the arts. A strong local base and a supportive structure will enable these partnerships to develop, implement, document and share high‐quality, rich model curriculum. The project will focus on serving schools and students in Rhode Island's urban core and develop curriculum appropriate to local interests, needs and skills.
The nationally recognized Cranston Street Armory is Providence's first civic center and is called the "castle for the people", yet has been closed to Rhode Islanders for 30 years. My idea is to make this state armory the poster child for Rhode Island's economic rebirth and rise by capitalizing on two of our greatest assets, our historic buildings and creative people. With the reality of climate change, a landfill near capacity, and a limited amount of green fields for development, sustainable stewardship of our towns and buildings is necessary. Rhode Island is poised for a new industry of the most advanced green technologies paired with traditional preservation techniques. The Providence "Greenovation" Armory will begin on the armory itself as a massive demonstration project and makerspace. Imagine local produce sold in the drill hall, a basement brewery, rooftop solar, and RI designed sculptural windmills on the towers powering creative energy laboratories!
Kari Lang
kari AT wbna DOT org
The WInS Program recognizes the unemployed and under‑employed as an opportunity ‐ rather than a disadvantage ‐ for the residents of Rhode Island. The WInS Program offers the unemployed and under‐employed a way to consider, and pursue new business start‐ups as a viable alternative to traditional job search strategies. Working through existing community resources, the WInS Program trains, coaches and supports participants to: develop entrepreneurial skills; form strong business development teams; create and test business models and identify business opportunities; validate their economic potential and create sound business plans; and actually start new businesses. These new businesses, in turn, will create new jobs, reduce unemployment, and expand the business base in our state. Potential major participants include unemployed workers, state government agencies, non‐profit organizations, local college and university‐ level business and management departments, venture capitalists, and the WInS Program management and staff
Christopher Lange
thewinsprogram AT gmail DOT com
The skilled craft of hand knitting not only uses knitting needles, but also a hand loom knitting machine, particularly in the cottage knitting industry. Hand knitted items are in better bridge markets because they are shaped by fully‐fashioned techniques (manual manipulations of stitches) ‐‐ not just "cut and sewed." Much of our craft has been outsourced. America's smaller companies needing smaller runs, have helped foster knitting co‐ops in small villages far outside the U.S. Jobs are created for people who previously had limited employment. If these co‐ops can evolve in much less developed countries, why can't we bring the traditional cottage knitting network home? In the early '90s I taught over 600 people how to use knitting machines. From this group I built a workforce of 60 subcontract knitters to which I contracted 1,400 hand loomed knitted pieces a week. It can be done.
Diana LaPaglia
dgee AT spotsite DOT com
Rhode Island currently has the second highest number of seniors per capita. I am passionate in keeping these seniors safe, healthy and happy in Rhode Island. My vision is to open a day care unlike the medicare day cares that exist. My passion is to open an affordable senior day care in the Northern part of the state. I am concentrating on Lincoln and Cumberland at this time. We have wonderful state of the art senior centers. But the senior centers are finding participants are needing too much help to continue participating. I would provide: supervised medication management, assistance with daily living, exercise snacks and meals. Participants would have medical and social oversight they would not receive at home. Children and spouses would be able to continue to work or be active outside the home. The Purple Door Senior Day Care would have flexible hours based on need of caregivers time. This would be fulfilling a need not currently met.
Elizabeth Lasorsa
emlasorsa AT gmail DOT com
The Need: Persons with mental and/or physical disabilities and who need a variety of levels of assistance in daily living are in need of more housing choices. Many in this group need 24/7 coverage for assistance with daily living, food preparation, and/or prescription drug administration. The bar for receiving state services has been steadily rising and housing choices steadily declining‐‐space being limited to group homes and/or correctional institutions. The Idea: This proposal is initially a research effort to document successful models from across the country for providing housing to adults requiring these services, and "custom fit" them to Rhode Island. After figuring out the best model to increase options, an implementation program will be pursued. This issue is not unique to Rhode Island, but is exacerbated by the state's severe funding cuts for services to this group. Some combination of public and private funding will be required.
William Lawrence
wlawrence234 AT gmail DOT com
The RI Foundation has long recognized that increasing affordable housing is the key to its Strategic Initiatives of Education Success, Economic Security and Healthy Lives. Yet finding opportunities for developing such housing remains more of challenge than ever. I have compiled the most recent data on abandoned properties in the City of Providence, identifying and mapping out with GIS technology over 1200 properties and nearly 1600 housing units worth over $160 million in tax assessed value. (You can access my work by clicking onto an online interactive map of at http://bit.ly/1BwiGeW). My idea is to extend this research, created a shared platform that will break information silos to support the acquiring and rehabbing of abandoned homes for all participates in neighborhood revitalization, and use this database as a pilot program for developing a self‐renewing information hub for all those involved with land use ‐‐ which is the Manhattan Project of municipalities.
Jonathan Lax
jlax315 AT g DOT rwu DOT edu
If you are a woman, a routine mammogram, pap smear and bone density test is covered by insurance and monitored by your primary care doctor. A coronary angiography test to determine blockages in your heart is not. My idea is to start a crusade to have Heart MRI's be routine, starting at age 30. Coronary artery disease is the most common form of heart disease and the leading cause of death in the United States.‐‐It is the number one cause of death in women, not cancer. By recruiting cardiologists and radiologists to donate their time and equipment, residents would have this information to give to their primary care doctors, and insist that it be continued on an annual basis. The Heart Project Organization would function as a non‐profit, allowing doctors, health groups, and manufacturers to obtain a tax break by donating their time, talents and equipment.
Kate Leach‐Viveiros
kleach691 AT gmail DOT com
Since Rhode Island is The OCEAN STATE, and our beach attendance is of great importance to our bottom line, I have a two‐part solution to looking good as a result of going to RI beaches. My idea is a sun‐screen tent that would be fun, and easy to use.‐‐Designed especially for kids who don't like to be smothered with sun screen. The "Tent" would have 3 sections; a clear water rinse, a fan , and then the sun‐screen mist. The cost would be nominal, such as $1.00 per visit, and protective goggles would be supplied. The 2nd portion of the visit would be the sale of an all‐natural tanning spray made from a base of..wait for it...coffee. For the portion of the population that needs to protect their skin, but would still like that healthy glow, this is the way to go. Available in Regular and Decaf for kids.
Kate Leach‐Viveiros
kleach691 AT gmail DOT com
Since Tourism is a major revenue generator for our state, I think it is of great importance to ensure a welcoming road system for our visitors. When traveling out of state, I often note that the roads are much smoother, better‐maintained and free of bumps and potholes. My organization would be a conduit through which "road" alerts would be sent to local officials. The company name: A Fork In The Rhode. The purpose would be two‐fold...First, it would provide a productive outlet for residents to note the problems with their locally traveled roads. Secondly, the company would provide a way for people to report animals that have been hit and left at the side of the road. In conjunction with PETITE MORTE FUR, a nearby company that turns "road kill" into high‐end fashion clothing, drivers would be able to report on two problems that create unsafe road conditions. There would be 2 types of Alerts: a "FUR ALERT" and a "SWERVE ALERT."
Kate Leach‐Viveiros
kleach691 AT gmail DOT com
The nick‐name would be D.O.C. ‐‐Officially called "DOGS On CAMPUS." From recent experiences of visiting schools with my daughter, while bringing along our WHOODLE, (50‐pound Wheaten Terrier Black Poodle Hybrid,) I have discovered that students miss their pets terribly! During our college visits, it was noted that dogs were brought to campus to alleviate stress during exam study periods.‐‐Why should this be so limited? Since Rhode Island is well represented with college campuses, within a short distance, I believe this could be a win‐win‐win situation. By providing a fenced‐in area in a grassy section of campus, dogs can be brought to provide love and laughter to students, especially freshmen who are far away from home for the first time. By using "known" dogs to start with, I would begin to include dogs from nearby shelters‐‐giving them much‐needed love and affection and socialization.
Kate Leach‐Viveiros
Narine Lemme
kleach691 AT gmail DOT com
narine DOT lemme AT gmail DOT com
Kate Lentz
wlentz65 AT msn DOT com
Joyce L'Heureux
joys AT philosophycards DOT com
Promoting higher academic performance, healthy behaviors, and environmental stewardship in RI children is achievable through Food is Elementary (FIE), an award‐winning program that utilizes sensory‐based curriculum for kids in grades pre‐K‐‐12. This yearlong class covers Nutrition, Health, Cooking, Gardening and Ecology and encourages kids to make positive lifestyle choices. It meets the Common Core Standards at grade level and has been successfully implemented in approximately 3,000 schools in the U.S. and abroad. There is no question that children are developing diet‐related diseases at younger ages than ever before. Many students are unaware of where food comes from. FIE gives children access to accurate information, exposing them to healthy foods via hands‐on, fun activities linked to science, math, language, social studies, art, and music. Food education not only creates health for kids, but they also become some of the best ambassadors, bringing the messages home and impacting family eating behaviors.
I would like to create an interactive digital literary map of the state, to show the richness of civic life and character in Rhode Island as a state brought to life by fiction. The project goal would highlight and crowd‐source passages from the rich body of literature set in Rhode Island that illuminates its social and geographic history. The digital map would allow users to explore the state through the eyes of local and nationally known authors and see how Rhode Island has been depicted in fiction throughout the years.
Philosophy Cards is an indie venture of positive, unique, inspirational cards sold at various street marketplaces. Branded as "Life in Words" each card is carefully designed with attention to color and verse. Custom cards are also available and designed based on interviews with customers. The goal of Philosophy Cards is multiple. Philosophy Cards introduces and engages individuals in the lost art of written communication. Next, Philosophy Cards brings awareness to organizations such as Project Sanctuary (military), Bully Breed Dogs, Dana Farber Institute through the community rack. In addition to the awareness this rack brings, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these products, is given back to community organizations. Philosophy Cards is a personalized card company in the blue ocean. Not a competitor of Hallmark and other card companies, but a company creating a niche market for today's consumers who crave emotional attachment to reality.
We will design and grow WRITERS' ISLAND, a self‐sustaining "artistic home" for Rhode Island writers and would‐be writers. The center will be a destination for daily writing, sharing, and support ‐‐ with WiFi, plenty of places to plug in and accommodating workspaces for those who ply the vital trade of putting ideas on paper. Writing is hard. Writers' Island will offer an antidote to the punishing solitude that leads too many talents to avoid or abandon their literary projects. This cultural loss need not happen. Bolstering community, encouragement and inspiration, Writers' Island will help keep our treasured writers on their game and in Rhode Island. Writer‐members will give to the wider community through an ambitious schedule of writing classes, workshops, and special mentoring for low‐income adults and students needing help in school and at work. Our bold initiatives include the founding of a small press committed to publishing local writers.
Kate Lohman
katelohman AT gmail DOT com
Rhode Island is in need of additional small businesses, in turn opportunities to create jobs and careers. My idea is to bring manufacturing back to our state. Over the last 5 years I have developed a product that will revolutionize the cooler / thermos industry worldwide. It is a redesign of this product in some aspects while maintaining the traditional look of both. The unique functionality is what will set these coolers and thermoses apart from all others on the market today. Arctic Pods, Inc. is a company that will transcend business and the economy in Rhode Island for years to come while revolutionizing the cooler / thermos industry forever.
Ken Lombardi
leftfieldreport AT yahoo DOT com
Reading Kingdoms is a nonprofit organization located in Pawtucket, designed for educationally disadvantaged children, their parents, and the community. Its focus is to encourage early brain development in children from conception to age 3 by reading and interacting with them. It is critical to intervene early, in the crucial window of opportunity, when the brain is developing and the foundations for success in school and beyond are being laid. We were given a space at 179 Conant street in Pawtucket. We hope to transform this area into a magical place where children will come after school to read, read with support and complete their homework. This program is free; families will commit to an agreement for a given number of volunteer hours. Some of the hours will be allocated for parents to participate in school activities and parent‐teacher conferences. Most of the hours will be used for short informational sessions on brain development, toxic stress, healthy living and environmental coping skills.
Eric Lopez
ericlopez31 AT gmail DOT com
Ocean State is an aquarium‐based, thrillingly magical experience that melds science and the arts. In this mind‐bending space, the traditional displays of an aquarium become enhanced and filtered in a way that inspires the imagination and encourages exploration. You enter a darkened room: Below your feet, beneath the glass floor, is a fanciful recreation of life in mudflat tenements‐‐huge clam siphons wave upward, spiny worms bristle and twist, and far above, a gigantic bird foot descends and churns up the muddy "silt." This uniquely captivating treatment of the coastal world around us brings science alive, and shows us familiar marine creatures and fish in an entirely different manner. As we go from room to room, the creative use of altered dimensions and perspectives and the coda of music and light bring us to a place we could only dream of. This is Ocean State.
Cathy Lund
clund AT city‐kitty DOT com
Schools statewide want to get to 1:1 computing. By the spring of 2015, online testing (The PARCC Assessment) will be required for all Rhode Island students in grades 3 through 10 yet most schools are not ready to support this requirement and do not have the computers to get to 1:1 nor the internet bandwidth to support 1:1. The fact is that many schools cannot afford it for many more years, if ever. Those that can are committing significant amounts of taxpayer dollars to procure and/or finance technology that in three years, will be obsolete. To address this, Rhode Island schools need an alternate option. A business/organization, which can provide on demand, mobile devices along with satellite based wireless internet for a fraction of the cost that a school would otherwise need to invest in such technology, infrastructure and IT support.
Lucas Lussier
ljlnk AT yahoo DOT com
Stephen Maciel
endhunger AT cox DOT net
Molly Magee
MMAGEE AT SENEDIA DOT ORG
Nancy Maguire Heath
Valerie Maier‐
Speredelozzi
Discover Rhode Island First (DRIF) A private sector campaign designed to greatly enhance existing Rhode Island Tourism packaging with the intent to increase shoulder season room occupancy levels. The main goal of DRIF is to return to peak tourism income levels of 2007. (The Rhode Island Foundation estimates, that if we had maintained these levels, we would now be benefiting from $375 million in revenue, 6,800 jobs, and a tax boon of $87 million.)
The purpose of this fellowship grant request is to establish the Rhode Island Maritime Cybersecurity Center of Excellence, a public‐private partnership, working with industry, academic and government experts to find innovative and cost‐effective solutions for the maritime cybersecurity needs for businesses and government. RI is uniquely positioned to make this happen given: ‐ Our strong defense, technology and maritime/ocean engineering sectors focused on maritime solutions. ‐ Our existing nationally recognized cybersecurity focused programs in our academic institutions. ‐ An ideal maritime location ‐‐ "Ocean State". ‐ A comprehensive and innovative approach to cybersecurity research and education. ‐ A reputation for excellence in identifying and adopting technology to mitigate risk. ‐ An existing cybersecurity workforce and the capability to build the future workforce. This is an opportunity to capitalize on RI strengths to grow the economy and jobs.
Families with deaf and hard of hearing children are generally underserved in RI. Parents of Deaf children (ages 0‐5) in RI do not have easy access to family sign language programs in the same manner that other families in various other states do. I'd like to arrange to provide free ASL classes to these parents in their homes through Internet via GoToMeeting or some similar arrangement, so that extended families can learn to sign and provide early language access to these very young children in the comfort of their homes. My experience is that families cannot afford child care and travel expenses to come to Providence from many parts of the State. These children arrive to their various schools with severe language deprivation and weaknesses that are difficult to ameliorate after age 3. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that when families come together and learn ASL together, it is far more effective for the family, especially the child.
nmaguireheath AT rideaf DOT net
vms AT egr DOT uri DOT edu
Our communities in Rhode Island depend on the efforts of tens of thousands of volunteers, each of whom frequently require background checks. Our schools, churches, youth groups, animal shelters, non‐profits, and charitable organizations all could not function with the hundreds of thousands of hours that these citizens contribute. A criminal background check is a necessary precaution, especially if the volunteers will be working with children or have access to sensitive information. Currently, background checks are often duplicated if the same person contributes time as a field trip chaperone at their child's school, as a soup kitchen volunteer through their church, and as a coordinator of their office charity drive at work. The proposed system would allow agencies with a new prospective volunteer to access a common system and verify if the person has a currently approved background check.
Many teachers can recall a time when they shared with their students the same cultural references. A hip teacher could quote Beatles lyrics to convey an abstract or difficult concept. As the rate of change is accelerated with technology, teachers must work hard to reach the young people in their classrooms. Students Teaching Teachers: Flipping the Script aims to overcome this generation gap. The initiative trains students to develop and publish tutorials about the music, memes, games, apps, and icons that inform their lives. Designed to enhance teachers' fluency in youth culture, these tutorials will also allow students to articulate the connections they see between the culture they live daily and the knowledge they acquire in the classroom. The tutorials will be uploaded to an open‐access digital forum that will serve as a student‐generated resource for teachers at all levels.
Naomi Mandel
mandel AT uri DOT edu
Two years ago, the North Providence School District embarked on a Marine Technology initiative offering a course in boat building and green technology. It was developed by our team to provide an innovative way of teaching math and science and promoting STEAM education. The program has met with great success. More students have enrolled in Technical Education classes, attendance is up, and math and science proficiency have improved. The program's success has been mentioned in a series of recent newspaper articles in the Valley Breeze, Providence Journal, and the Pawtucket Times. Now our team would now like to help the North Providence School District expand this concept by establishing an innovative pilot Marine Technology Magnet Middle School .The Building to Teach curriculum (developed by the Office of Naval Research) will be used to continue to improve math and science instruction. It is designed to promote interest in naval engineering and architecture and meets with all state and federal academic standards.
Henry Marciano
Sailboats18 AT cs DOT com
Catherine Marcotte
cmarcotte AT sorico DOT org
Rita Marcotte
RCMARCOTTE AT YAHOO DOT COM
I work as an Employment Specialist helping youth in transition from school to career to complete vocational evaluations. Many of the students and recent graduates I work with have had IEPs in school and are living with mild challenges that make it difficult for them to secure a driver's license and to safely drive. Also, many live in beautiful rural sections of Rhode Island that are not on bus routes. My idea is to provide a transportation system and a meeting place for social, academic and vocational support and networking for these particular youth to enable them to expand their life horizons and options for work opportunities. Recently, the Rhode Island Mall has seemed a possible ideal central location for such a meeting place, from which clients could access many work opportunities from a 'home base.' This 'meeting place' could, in addition, be a functioning business that they would run!
My idea is to create a small business service center which offers financial, legal and operational services under one roof. Each client would be assigned a team of hands‐on professionals who would collaborate to provide the services needed for businesses to operate at peak efficiency and effectiveness. In addition to traditional sales growth and cost cutting measures, alternative income sources like grants, job development and tax incentive programs or certifying minorities and women to compete for government contracts would be explored. The demands on small business owners can be daunting. Teams would provide guidance, moral support and keep clients updated on changing trends and technological advancements. Because our client's business would be our business, the small business service center's goal would be to help alleviate the stress of operating a business so our clients may focus on the success of their products or services and hopefully stimulate job growth.
Mount Dream is a way for people with business ideas to test for demand before investing lots of time and money in a venture. Through a mobile app, users get feedback on business ideas from their target audience, answering whether they would buy, their level of interest, price they'd expect to pay, as well as refinements to improve the product or service. Users pay per response, which is a proven business model already used by survey companies. Users must purchase at least 100 responses, which costs $100. Mount Dream makes it easy to get feedback from people you don't know, who are in your target market, which is much better than asking friends and family. By reducing the uncertainty of whether your idea is good, more people will be inclined to test their ideas ‐‐ and succeed at a higher rate of success if the tests is positive.
Michael Markarian
John Marks
Barry Marshall
Pat Mastors
mikem AT contempocard DOT com
To create public forums and hold expert conferences examining the notion that "Bad Culture Eats Good Strategies for Lunch." By confronting that reality, we can begin to transform how Rhode Islanders think; thereby changing peoples' visions about what is possible. It's not only a question of politics or of economics; it's a matter of culture, psychology‐‐and even, philosophy. It's all fine and good to talk about "reduc[ing] the size of [Rhode Island's] government... until it has a fiscally sustainable system that doesn't strangle its economy." [fn.1] However, that's a strategy. The problem is, bad culture eats good strategies for lunch. Rhode Island's public culture suffers from‐‐among other things‐‐"fatalistic apathy, tinged with self‐loathing" (my own formulation). We have to change that. Fn. 1: Aaron M. Renn, The Bluest State: Decades of liberal policies have made Rhode Island the johnmarksstereophile AT gmail DOT nation's basket case. www.city‐journal.org/2014/24_2_rhode‐island.html
com
THE VILLAGE IT TAKES is an evolving vision for children's video programming that focuses its lens on the creative process and on performance. The programming will show children and adults in the process of creating art and performing it. Templates for 3 Programs: 1.The Variety Show. RI's storytellers, musicians, singers, artists, clowns, dancers, puppeteers perform before a live audience. 2.The Creative Process. Watch children play, create and perform under the care of artists and teachers. 3.Books and Stories Read and perform children's books; explore and develop themes and values based on the content. Facts/values that define purpose: 1.Employ RI creative artists, performers, technicians, educators. 2.Create a bridge between children and elders. 3.Make the audience a living character in the experience; engage family, school and community. 4.Use the art of Story, Music, Imagination and Movement with children in a process that creates performance.
barryemarshall AT hotmail DOT com
Despite notable efforts to improve the safety, quality and the experience of care, health care consumes nearly one in five of every dollars spent in this country, while unintended medical harm is the third leading cause of death. We have a vast untapped resource that can help point to where excellence and gaps in quality exist. It is patients themselves. Our goal at the Patient Voice Institute (PVI) is to democratize health care‐‐to give every patient a voice, and to integrate the patient voice fully and functionally into the health care ecosystem. We envision PVI as an over‐arching connector of successful programs and resources in the patient engagement landscape, while supplying the essential pieces that are missing. With a small grant from the RI Foundation, we are already taking steps to pilot our concepts in RI, with a goal of creating a national resource that will be based in RI.
patmastors AT yahoo DOT com
The high incidence of Lyme disease, estimated to infect 300,000 people each year in the United States, along with increasing rates of other sometimes fatal but high morbidity tick‐transmitted infections, is a critical problem for communities across Rhode Island and the eastern United States. Our idea is to create a novel community‐driven civic engagement program‐‐TickSmartÖ Towns America‐‐that provides both platform, scaffolding and content for best‐in‐class public health action to solve the tick problem. Tickborne disease can be prevented through consistent use of personal protection, appropriate tick bite management, and environmental tick control interventions. The goal of TickSmartÖ Towns America is to develop long‐term relationships with communities, and use an iterative process of assessing risks and defining needs, program development and promotion, citizen training, research, and guiding citizens to implement interventions that empower change that benefits community health and wellness. Who wouldn't want to live in a TickSmart Town?
Thomas Mather
tmather AT uri DOT edu
Raymond Mathieu
ray DOT m DOT mathieu AT gmail DOT com
We have 5 counties in RI with 39 cities and towns. Merge all the governments, schools, fire, police and public service departments of the cities and towns within each county into county wide units, thereby, reducing needless duplication of services and saving taxpayers billions of dollars each year.
The Compassionate Creativity Project is a community driven health network that helps to activate and integrate compassion and creativity into Rhode Islanders everyday lives. This home‐based online program provides consistency, community, and a launching point for expression through a 111 value based cycle of health and healing. Every day members of the program will receive: a daily value, story, video, or other piece of media as well as provocations or "blast‐off" points for reflection. Example Values: 1. Remember that you are never alone if you don't want to be. There are too many people in the world. 2. Be a tourist in your own neighborhood. 11. Ask elders what it was like for them and listen as long as they will share. 20. Talk to strangers. Through this project Rhode Islanders will be able to share their experiences, reconnect to their personal creativity, and dream up compassionate and innovative ways to better care for themselves, friends, family, and co‐workers.
Jeffrey Matteis
jeffrey_matteis AT brown DOT edu
My innovative idea is the creation of a state of the art Mr. Deep Positivity (MDP) Music Mobile and a subsequent Deep Lessons for Life Tour. The Music Mobile will attract and educate youth and adults throughout RI and be the bridge that connects those who lack education to the resources available to them. This one of a kind vehicle will feature a stage, PA system, audio/video production center and two large HD TVs, to host professional outdoor events. These events will feature a mixture of live positive music performed by MDP and Local Artists, Production and Broadcasting of educational TV shows and Collaborative events with Community Partners. Once the Music Mobile is completed MDP will headline a Deep Lessons for Life Tour that will combat juvenile delinquency and violence and inspire audiences to be safe, smart and successful. The goal is to create community unity, positivity and peace.
James McBride
deeppositivity AT aol DOT com
Training and education popup and virtual "centers" to provide unemployed/underemployed Rhode Islanders with increasingly in‐demand communications technology skills. From using tech tools to compose and design email newsletters to improving ROI using Google Analytics, these skills elude Rhode Island institutions, widening the gap not just for PR, media, and communications practitioners, for example, but also for nonprofits, businesses, and entrepreneurs to drive better business decisions. "Students" range from career changers to recent graduates who are not being taught new media strategies, tools, nor campaigns in ways employers expect them to know yet are unwilling or unable to train as documented in a dozen stakeholder interviews. Popup and virtual programs would include a boot camp and internship‐mentorship program and a virtual‐assistant workshop, targeting home‐bound Rhode Islanders or parents who need flexibility and could use commute time, often via lengthy public transit, to instead earn at least twice‐minimum wage.
Suzanne McDonald
sue AT DesignatedEditor DOT com
I propose to establish and maintain a (probably primarily electronic) clearinghouse/sounding board/single resource wherein anyone in the state (identified or anonymous) would be welcomed and encouraged to call/write/email/download video/perhaps drop in to speak whatever truths exist in his/her life that he/she feels a wish or need to air; every possible thought and feeling about life in this state. Except for blatant obscenity and violence, no holds barred; a wide open opportunity for expression. In return, there's a promise that someone will pay attention; maybe even act on something you've said. You've got (potentially) a lot to gain and absolutely "NOTHING to lose!"
Mary Mehrer
mgmehrer AT cox DOT net
While meeting challenges and capitalizing on opportunities may be 2 sides of the same coin, my proposal builds on our State's strengths. Recently, RI has done a great job positioning itself as the "State of the Arts" by becoming the first in the US to exempt original art works from sales tax, and more recently, with passage of Question 5: The Creative and Cultural Economy Bond, by investing in art as an economic development tool. Providence has long been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtPlace America and national foundations like Kresge, Ford, Bloomberg and many others as the standard setter for the relatively newly coined concept of creative placemaking. My proposal involves capitalizing on our community's rich experience, excellent higher ed institutions, strong networks of artists and cultural organizations and impressive international reputation, to develop an International Center of Excellence for Creative Placemaking.
Peter Mello
peter AT waterfire DOT org
Having recently re‐located back to Rhode Island, after having spent the last 23 years in the DC Metro area I believe I have a somewhat unique perspective on the current and future challenges that Rhode Island faces. The State is suffering from both a lack of sufficient revenue to sustain and grow the infrastructure (hard and soft) that is necessary to compete with our neighboring communities and the shifting US economy overall. We need to approach the issue from both sides of the equation ‐ cost reduction AND diversified revenue streams. My recommendation is that a committee, composed of hand picked executive business leaders, be formed with the express purpose of assisting EDC, the Governor and other state stakeholder organizations in compiling a 5 year strategic plan for the State. I would recommend and could help facilitate meetings with other EDC directors around the country (particularly, Fairfax County VA) to aid in the brainstorming process.
Michael Mellor
mmellorcpa AT gmail DOT com
A.Moms with young children are a highly sought after market demographic. B.Making informed food choices is increasingly difficult. NutriSwipeÖ addresses this need by combining an innovative mobile phone app with a fun kids games with reward incentives called "Rhode‐Points" encouraging better food choices at the point of purchase with well organized, credible, nutrition information and access to peer insights about foods and labels. Making good food‐choices for families and especially young children is increasingly difficult due to powerful child‐directed advertising. This mobile app and game combination encourages informed food choices and is easy and fun to use. The smart phone app is innovative by combining a fun & challenging children's game that reward kids when they make better choices and provide mom with nutrition information. Use of text, tweet, blog, Facebook and Instagram messaging will be encouraged. "Rhody‐Point" discount incentive coupons used at participating RI retail stores will assist smaller RI companies prosper.
John Migliaccio
johnemigliaccio AT cox DOT net
Rhode Island has potential as a manufacturing powerhouse, with the manufacturing community poised as an engine for employment and economic growth. Examples abound in defense, aerospace, industrial equipment, fabrication, alternative energy, medical device, bio‐medical processing, instrumentation, gaming hardware, materials, consumer products and other sectors. Yet many manufacturing jobs "go begging" and growth of their enterprises in Rhode island is retarted due to the absence of required skillsets in the population, and dearth of training resources to create those skillsets. I propose to develop and oversee a single database and web site, free to all Rhode Islanders, which will "match" current and planned manufacturing job openings AND available and motivated unemployeed, under‐employed, and / or undertrained Rhode Islanders AND all available training resources. There are at present dozens of internet resources addressing parts of this opportunity. But no single resource addresses all!
Richard Millar
James Monteiro
rhmmkm AT aol DOT com
jamesmonteiro1969 AT gmail DOT com
For the first time in six years, Rhode Island's prison population is on the upswing ‐‐ and the ramifications of a continued increase could mean millions of taxpayer dollars. For the year 2014 the Governor's budget had estimated prisoner increase of 1.3%, but had a budgetary increase of 4.3%. What i am in the process of doing is creating a Community Based Bridge Program that collaborates with the Department of Corrections (DOC) to improve access to, and completion of, post secondary education for individuals who are transitioning from incarceration back into the community. This project is going to provide individuals taking part in post secondary educational programs while incarcerated with all of the necessary support systems to successfully complete their BA once released back into society. This project will reduce recidivism rates through education and employment, save taxes payers millions, and enhance the wellbeing of families and communities.
I want to open a combination store/fashion design studio that primarily functions as a community learning environment providing underprivileged youth real world experience in designing and constructing merchandise, garments, and accessories. The store front will present an opportunity to extend their knowledge from design to distribution, allowing them to sell their own creations alongside vintage clothing and accessories. There is little opportunity in Rhode Island for youth to pursue fashion design due to a lack of space, resources, and personnel. In order to successfully launch this service and give back to my community, this project will require a space with three designated rooms to provide adequate facilities for teaching, retail, and material storage. Therefore, this fellowship will help construct a safe space that will empower youth to pursue creative ideas and extend that artistry into the often missed, yet critical stage of entrepreneurial establishment
Brianna Moon
bmoonnyc AT gmail DOT com
Michael Murphy
David Nash
Martin Nemzow
Naomi Neville
Michael Newton
michaeldmurphysr AT verizon DOT net
My idea would be the manufacturing of unfinished furniture, home decor & outdoor items for the garden, yard etc.
Prophet Share, Inc. was formed by a handful of business leaders for the purpose of creating a shared community designed to "help businesses become successful by sharing the wisdom and know‐how of proven business leaders." Prophet Share's vision is to build, over a 3 ‐‐ 5 year period, a dynamic peer‐to‐peer business training organization that is nationally recognized for having created a haven for business success in Rhode Island. This is accomplished by carefully selecting a diverse group of successful business professionals who unselfishly share their experience, talent, knowledge and dave AT davenashtraining DOT com wisdom to help businesses succeed.
Idea is past idea phase operating as Hope Floats Fund (Corp ID V18343). With a team of two project managers, I provide equity and technical expertise to post‐startup businesses. Actually, I offer 'money with adult supervision' to owners stuck without prospect and unable to secure financing because of banking standards and restricted access to essential capital. The owners laugh at the sharp edge of this 'special sauce.' I generate loan packages for non‐
credit‐worthy business to secure bankable financing by opening doors with innovative risk assessments and due diligence of cash flows. The current project pipeline includes an addiction treatment center, handicapped‐accessible housing, operations for medical tourism, manufacturing (multiples), home healthcare, 3rd party insurance billing arbitrage, retail, transition of technical products to market, and others. Internal projects include Brainstormers, NGO Expeditors, Directors' Clearing House, and several investment rounds detailed in the strategy on the Fund's website.│
mnemzow AT gmail DOT com
Stemming from initiatives of a grassroots group of residents and professional stakeholders in Newport and Middletown, the concept of the Thompson Techno Expo was born. An 8 week after school program teams up professional mentors with Middle School Students to develop a basic understanding of "What is modern day Communication?" The program culminates in a public Exposition of the students' projects presented to the general community with the goal of bringing up the overall level of understanding of information technology in our local community. A smarter community is a more educated consumer and a more adventurous user. We envision the Thompson Techno Expo, implemented by volunteers this past winter, as a beta project for developing curriculum and a series of after school programs that could be hosted through out Rhode Island benefiting students, residents and businesses, raising the bar of Rhode Island's competiveness in all aspects of our digital world.
naomi AT nlneville DOT com
I will establish a design and manufacturing business whose primary focus is developing new products by means of "Upcycling". Upcycling leverages old, used, and undesired materials or products and reimagines them. In 2012, Americans generated 250 million tons of solid waste. This business will forge new perspectives about consumption and product life cycle. Redefining waste as resource will create new materials, new ways of "making," strategies for eliminating waste, and momentum from a throw‐away culture to a circular economy. The facility will house professional and community space designed to enable open dialogue and innovation. Design space will incubate ideas. "Making" space will form ideas into reality and warehouse space will store collected materials. Equipped with robust, technology‐enhanced, proficiency‐driven workshops, harvested resources will transform into new products. The studio will welcome youth classes, student interns and partnerships with local businesses and academic institutions. Through these efforts I will affect positive change.
newtonjmichael AT gmail DOT com
The community resource commission idea is to promote how important it is to make our towns self‐selffient with the price of oil, gas , electric we need to produce our own sources of energy. The new governor wants to bring manufacturing back by producing our own products in the united states , to keep companies here we also need to keep energy cost down for these companies . keeping cost down is what all businesses will do they will find the cheapest way. if the state invest with the companies to place solar or hydro just think how much money they can save which means they can pay employees and plus keeping thier cost down, so besides tax breaks the state can also offer what they call 1603 Treasury Program which means the 1603 Treasury Program, which provides additional liquidity in the marketplace by allowing solar project developers to more easily monetize existing tax incentives through 2016.
Linda Nichols
lnichols8 AT cox DOT net
Alexis Nicholson‐
Winston
alexisandwilly21 AT gmail DOT com
Jayashree Nimmagadda
jnimmagadda AT ric DOT edu
Lynn N‐Lallo
lnlallo3 AT gmail DOT com
I'm willing to change Rhode Island by changing Pawtucket Water & making it clean, green & healthy, reusable and better quality. I also want to enforce employment & giving people a chance. Also we need to reduce the landfill & minimize the waste by not throwing everything away & actually reuse, reduce and recycle.
We are proposing to create FIVE interprofessional collaborative practice environment's (IPCP's) in several health care clinics (for example, the RI free clinic, Clinic Esperanza, St. Joseph's hospital,and the Providence VA Medical Center). These IPCP environments will be run by students and faculty from the following schools in RI: Rhode Island College School of Social Work and Nursing, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and the College of Pharmacy, Nursing and Department of Physical therapy at University of Rhode Island. These students will concurrently participate in coursework to develop competencies in interprofessional practice. These IPCP environments will allow students to apply the skills they learn from our curriculum. Research shows that when health professionals work collaboratively, quality and efficiency improve; there are better patient outcomes; and health professionals are more satisfied (Kyrkjebo, Brattebo et al. 2006, Hicks, Bandiera et al. 2008, Reeves et al., 2013).
My idea centers around utilizing community resources to provide career exploration, personal assessment, skill building, education, collaboration, support and assessment. The program would be called "Volunteer to Work". It would involve youth 14 ‐ 18 years of age. Youth would commit to an initial personal assessment and brain storming session to determine their fit and acceptance of the program. The businesses or professional mentors would receive a select # of working hours from the youth volunteer (for free). The youth would in turn receive a $600. stipend (or more depending on the program structure) for their committed volunteer service, skill development and educational program attendance. I previously tested this idea with success on a small scale (for 2 summers) as part of my YRAP grant funding while directing the youth program at University Heights from 2006 ‐ 2010.
Nearly 15% of RI adults and 40% of RI Latino children are obese; these disparities are influenced and compounded by limited access to affordable, healthful food in many neighborhoods. Concurrently, the demand for local food is growing, along with interest in creating a sustainable local food system. To address these issues, we propose creating a statewide mobile food market entitled 'Rhody Food on the Move.' This mobile market will bring healthy food markets with local and culturally appropriate food to neighborhoods, worksites, colleges, health centers and housing complexes across RI. This model builds on our recent scientific research, which demonstrated that mobile produce markets significantly increased fruit and vegetable consumption among low‐income children and seniors living in subsidized housing complexes. Our goal is to create a social enterprise initiative promoting more equitable access to healthful food, using profits from sales in more affluent neighborhoods to subsidize markets in underserved neighborhoods.
Amy Nunn
amy_nunn AT brown DOT edu
There's a shortage of programmers in Rhode Island ‐‐ and the demand is only increasing. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the number of programming jobs grows by 8% every year. By establishing the What Cheer Code Camp, we can meet that need. Our three‐month program will train the coders that local employers need quickly, rather than waiting years for potential programmers to finish college or paying higher costs to recruit from out of state. The code school model is well‐established, both in large technical hubs like Silicon Valley, and in smaller cities comparable to Providence (like Provo, UT). We will train junior developers who are ready to land their first jobs in the industry immediately upon graduation, with a curriculum based on employers' needs and modern development practices. With WC3 in Providence companies can be sure that they can find affordable, well‐trained developers with roots in RI.
Caleb Oller
caleb AT motel DOT is
Did you know there are 500 Million parking spaces occupying 3,590 square miles in the US? This is an area larger than Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Parking is a problem in our state. Fetch Park is a solution that fits the digital age. It focuses on leased parking spaces in lots and garages. With our app and hardware, we are able to show a 100% growth in revenue for garage and lot owners by using a subleasing platform similar to Airbnb for parking. Our hardware, Fetch Box, is used to gain access to gated lots. The lease holder can sublease their space via our app. The cost of parking is stated clearly before the customer parks. There is a rating system to measure quality but no surcharges. Simply, auto pay and walk away. Verifications and time alerts are sent to customer's phone and the rest is the FUTURE.
Thomas Olson
Cyrus ONeil
Tom AT fetchpark DOT com
providencevillageri AT gmail DOT com
Today, in Rhode Island, one out of every five people is sixty years old or older. In 15 years, that number will grow to one out of every four people. The vast majority of Seniors will tell you that they want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible as they age. The challenge is to create a way to do so that is both safe ‐‐ meaning support is available when needed ‐‐ and in community ‐‐ so that staying at home does not mean a deepening isolation. We are asking the RI Foundation, through its Innovation Fellowship, to support a grass roots effort by Seniors living on the East Side of Providence to establish a community based, non‐profit, village‐like network of support to meet that challenge. And in doing so, create a model that can be replicated in neighborhoods and communities throughout the state.
Ripple Funding is a mobile technology company whose mission is to "change the face of charitable giving". Our soon‐to‐be launched mobile application connects celebrities (and their charities) to their fans, resulting in new donations to worthy causes. By aligning with celebrities, the Ripple app is able to provide engaging and unique content to their fans. As fans consume content (text/pictures/videos), a built‐in advertising platform will raise money for the charities with whom the celebrity is partnered. In the end, each user of the app (the "fans") will raise corporate‐sponsored donations simply by using our technology ‐‐ at no cost to the user, the celebrity, or the charity. Our solution will have a direct impact on charities that are most in need, many of them in Rhode Island. Ripple also aims to be a driver for Rhode Island job growth, with plans to increase our workforce aggressively in the next two years.
David Osowa
dosowa AT ripplefund DOT com
Children are our future. With six children of varying abilities and disabilities, and as owners of a 28‐yr communications firm that specializes in education, housing and healthcare, we understand the critical need for rebuilding our education system from many perspectives. Mixed messages have the general public ‐ those who ultimately must be part of the solution ‐ frustrated and confused. Many programs, by school systems and others, have become overcomplicated or lost their vision due to special interests, and led to polarizing people instead of uniting them. We will produce a series of professional videos that create an emotional connection to different children, and illustrate creatively how they differ, and how they learn differently. Through PSA's and social media, we will saturate RI'ers with a compelling message that resonates with all and brings together a community for a common cause ‐‐ to find the right way to educate every child.
Jami Ouellette Morse jami AT imajassociates DOT com
I am a professor at URI's College of Business and I would like to develop a game‐like junior level course. Having taught the Operations and Supply Chain Management course (BUS 355) multiple times, I have observed that student engagement is a serious problem. Today's students have shorter attention spans and many feel bored in class even with discussions, presentations, simulations in the syllabus. To better engage our born‐digital students, I would like to make radical changes to my BUS 355 course by redesigning it like a game (BUS 355G). For example, students will not earn a grade but move from one level to another, earning points along the way. They will have nicknames and avatars. Student performance will be provided visually by a growing or shrinking avatar (supported by audio) in a game‐like fashion. Assignments will be framed as "quests" and students (or teams) can re‐try multiple quests which makes failure fun and less stressful.
Koray Ozpolat
koray AT uri DOT edu
While Rhode Island's art community is burgeoning, the state is sorely lacking in technology and media start‐ups that can help support Rhode Island's nonprofit based community and at the same provide a space for Rhode Island's university students to use their engineering, management, and design skills to help their local communities. Therefore, in partnership with The Emerson Engagement Lab in Boston, I propose to build a satellite civic Engagement Lab that will utilize new media technologies to help other Rhode Island based organizations with outreach, engagement, accessibility, and progress that is sorely needed in the 21st century. By bridging the gap between the Engagement Lab in Boston with Rhode Island's own Engagement Lab (http://engagementgamelab.org/), we can utilize the resources, staff, and international connections needed to make an impact. In addition, funneling in new university graduates into the lab through a robust internship program would help keep innovative talent within Rhode Island.
Jordan Pailthorpe
jordanpailthorpe AT gmail DOT com
Poverty stands at 29% in Providence. Rhode Island has long gone as Providence goes, so it is my intention to form an intelligentsia organization dedicated to eliminating poverty by addressing both income and asset poverty, called Providence Creatives Collaborator Union. By combining underground D.I.Y. autodidactic methodologies across a variety of means (food, energy, shelter etc.) and formalized apprenticeships in practical crafting generated through cross disciplinary learning from the already existing unions, a means to create life changing levers through familiar organizational structures becomes readily apparent when you place "team lift" at the center of the ideology.
Joseph Pascone
joey DOT chiiia AT gmail DOT com
We plan to change the way Rhode Islanders eat, especially the underserved, by providing access to healthy, local seafood. Although seafood is extremely nutritious, for many it is inaccessible because of cost and location. Our plan eliminates the location factor and alleviates the cost. We can achieve this by transporting seafood directly to consumers on a subscription basis using inexpensive overnight ground delivery. By delivering it directly to the consumer, location becomes a non‐factor. As for cost, we will build off the Community Supported Fishery model and offer many species over a set period of time, thus normalizing the cost to the consumer. Because Rhode Island is our focus, we will purchase solely from Rhode Island's seafood sector. Finally, we plan to welcome all Rhode Islanders to the program. However, to start we envision limiting the program to set number of people, a majority of which would be SNAP/WIC eligible.
Adrian Ross Pearsall ross DOT pearsall AT gmail DOT com
To provide uniform signage to local agricultural/ fishing enterprises. As the local representative to " Discover Newport" I am attempting to bring awareness of the small iconic farmers and fishermen in both Tiverton and Little Compton. Within the last few months, Tiverton has identified these individuals. We plan to publish a road map of their locations. Agri tourism is a growing component of the Rhode Island tourism scene and "Discover Newport"has offered to pay for the map brochure. Little Compton would join in the venture since their inclusion will create more critical mass. My thoughts are that through uniform signage for recognition purposes would greatly enhance the venture. My thoughts are to provide the small local participants with a sandwich type board that has at the top a catchy name for the project, and the rest of the space would be left blank to enable the posting of current produce. This list could also serve restaurants etc. to identify possible suppliers.
Barbara Pelletier
Henry Peter
barbarafp AT aol DOT com
Highwayhenry AT cox DOT net
Since most of us use a vehicle several times a day, you would have to agree that we have become a automotive society. Being a Rhode Islander all my life, I have studied traffic patterns and found that all of us a subjected to an antiquated system of stop signs and traffic signals. This not only wastes millions of dollars in fuel cost but adds to the frustration of every drive wanting to get to where they are going. This. along with the over use of signage is causing massive traffic problems. There is a better way! If we can implement some of my ideas, traffic would flow smoothly and the savings in fuel would be substantial.
Coinciding with national initiatives to eliminate racial bias and resulting tragedies of injustice, RaceCountsRI would be formed to promote broad shifts in predominant race and poverty paradigms through a two‐fold awareness and advocacy initiative. RaceCountsRI would provide racial and economic identity awareness training for all Rhode Island nonprofit service providers. Increasing awareness of the influencing factors of race and economic status on worldview promotes awareness of systemic racism and inadvertent ways of perpetuating power imbalance and cycles of crime and poverty. In tandem with increasing bias awareness and encouraging equitable treatment of clients, nonprofit service providers would be trained to act as allies for those they serve, ultimately supporting diverse groups in advocating for themselves and for their communities. RaceCountsRI would initiate social and economic equalization across racial divides through building awareness, promoting dialogue and facilitating working alliances.
Rebecca Pierce
reb_marie AT yahoo DOT com
Elizabeth Pierotti
info AT theinventinglife DOT com
Angelo Pitassi
angelo AT healthid DOT com
Rhode island has an incredibly creative population base but we have the potential for many more new product introductions and successful startups. In order for us to have a truly vibrant innovative climate, there needs to be a support structure in place for all innovators, not just for those in high tech fields. My idea is to create an innovation center that will support any innovator from the idea stage, through concept validation, engineering to manufacturing. An alliance of seasoned product development professionals who are bound together by a desire to give back, will provide their services at reduced rates to innovators who commit to a disciplined and time‐tested step‐by‐step process that works. Our goal is two‐fold: to reach hundreds of innovators who would otherwise not have access to these resources; and to reduce the astronomically high failure rates that plague new product ventures.
HealthID Profile, Inc. (HealthID) is a RI‐based start‐up company. HealthID is a mobile health manager that provides users a simple way to update, manage and communicate all aspects of their personal health directly from their HealthID account (digital) and their HealthID Band or Card (wearable). Our product focuses on three key areas: chronic disease management, medication compliance, and efficient communication of personal medical information to caregivers, healthcare providers or emergency personnel. HealthID directly meets the needs of both the consumer and the healthcare system by leveraging the latest technology and value‐adding features that can reduce costs, increase efficiency/outcomes and potentially save lives.
Rhode Island is the only state in New England that allows payday lending, a predatory practice that traps low‐income families in debt. These lenders charge 261% APR, and made $70 million in loans to 20,000 households in 2011. The average borrower pays $468 in interest on a $325 payday loan. My goal is to put payday lenders out of business and/or force them to lower their rates. First, we will disburse 3,000 payday loan alternative loans over the three years of the Fellowship. Our borrowers will save at least $400 in interest, build their credit, and access Financial Coaching. Second, we will broaden the existing anti‐payday‐loan coalition and put pressure on the legislature to cap the rates lenders may charge at 36%. Finally, we will launch a statewide, grassroots campaign to educate consumers about payday lending.
Andy Posner
andy AT capitalgoodfund DOT org
Kenneth Proudfoot
kennethproudfoot AT hotmail DOT com
melinda DOT rainsberger AT gmail Melinda Rainsberger DOT com
Earl Raymond
earl6087 AT gmail DOT com
John Reagan
jreagan AT lifespan DOT org
For all its wonderful physical assets , many of Rhode Island's greatest assets, young people ages 16‐29, have been left behind and forgotten. "Training a New Generation of Entrepreneurial Innovators" focuses on these economic "outliers:" high school and college dropouts, unemployed, underemployed, unemployable that lack job‐ready skills and knowledge required by employers, single parents, the disabled (physical/developmental/autistic/PTSD/chronic illness), house‐bound people with no access to jobs, veterans needing to adapt military experiences to civilian jobs, and those in transition needing career guidance and re‐training. This project provides support and 24/7 access to a proven education program that motivates and inspires through: 1) Understanding our state's amazing history; 2) Teaching them to think and see the world like entrepreneurs see and think; 3) Equipping each person (100‐150,000/year) with portable entrepreneurial skills applicable to ANY endeavor to make things better, more fun, more profitable, and a greater contribution to their communities.
Rhode Island has a gigantic, talented assembly of digital media producers, which have been largely unsupported by traditional development initiatives. 30% of online traffic is for video (Netflix, Youtube)‐‐this means online media is one of the largest industries on the planet. Rhode Island has a unique combination of talented work force, creative culture, and head start to be at the forefront of the biggest industry of the 21st century. All we need to turn our producers into a powerful workforce is a toolbox and program for excellence to thrive‐‐The Pixel Factory. The Pixel Factory will change that‐‐
pioneering a series of simple but impactful ways for the digital and video industry to: 1) Enable current businesses to be more competitive. 2) Train students for careers in digital production. 3) Create a fertile environment for new and nascent ventures to launch and grow.
My proposed idea is Drug Dealing Intervention/Gang Violence Prevention(DDI/GVP) This concept was created and designed to help address the disturbing issues of inner city youth who are adhering to Drug Dealing and Gang Violence in astronomical numbers. They are and have been cattled into the prisons and correctional facility with little or no education about the law on the crimes that they are committing.Therefore becoming pawns in the judicial system and victims of a life sentence, be it death by gang violence or life in prison.(DDI/GVP)is designed to tear down the negative thought process and build a more positive and productive mindset that will ensure a healthy and safer community. andproductive mindset that will ensure a healthy community
This proposal seeks to treat patients with blood cancers in a novel way that, we believe, will lead to cures. In Rhode Island approximately 30‐40 individuals per year will be diagnosed with the blood cancer acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The prognosis is dismal with only about one in five patients cured of their disease. Current treatment methods are centered on high doses of chemotherapy followed bone marrow transplant. These treatments have significant side effects that limit their applicability to many patients. We propose an alternative way to treat leukemia that can be tolerated by more patients and may be just as effective. In our study, patients will be given lower doses of chemotherapy followed by an infusion of white blood cells from a donor. The patient's own immune system recognizes the donor cells, rejects these cells, and, in the process, re‐trains their immune system to kill their cancer cells.
My idea will create long term and short term solutions. A 230 acre roadside attraction, located on Rt. 95, open 24/7/365. Part theme park, part shopping center, and new business incubator. The theme will be 1950's and 60's era, Americana! Cars, music, clothing, and culture! Some attractions and entertainment will be offered for free, while we'll be charging for goods and services. We'll own all the buildings and equipment. Entrepreneurs pay an entrance fee, of $5000., sign the contract, and they're in business. We'll split profits 50/50. We'll also utilize all modern resource technologies, such as solar power. We'll take full advantage of all government incentives and rebates. Every aspect will be painstakingly recreated to provide a "Total Perception Overload". A "Surreal Time‐Travel Experience", back to the "Good‐Ol'‐Days". I call it "Memory Lane". "Where old memories are renewed, and new memories are made". Fun, for the whole family!
Robert Reed
jeanie_reed AT yahoo DOT com
Cancer is a one of major causes of morbidity and mortality in RI, as it is in the nation. The ultimate goal of the RI‐based startup company, pHLIP Inc, is to bring to market the revolutionary approach for diagnostic and treatment of cancers and create employment through this Rhode Island Corporation. Our approach is based on our invention of pH Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP) developed at URI/Yale. pHLIP specifically marks acidic cancer cells in tumors. The most aggressive tumors are more acidic and better targeted by pHLIP. The main goal of this fellowship is to develop and test clinical procedure for targeting of urinary bladder cancer, which ranks 4th in US cancer incidence and is the most expensive cancer to treat per capita. Rhode Island has the highest prevalence of bladder cancer in USA. pHLIP would significantly improve the surgical treatment of bladder cancer.
Yana Reshetnyak
reshetnyak AT mail DOT uri DOT edu
The Rhode Island economy faces serious challenges. Food tourism ‐‐ branding Rhode Island as a culinary destination ‐‐ can pump necessary lifeblood into the state's economy. The state's existing resources put it in a great position to capitalize on the emerging food tourism industry: Johnson & Wales' world‐class culinary program, the reputation of Federal Hill, Travel & Leisure magazine recognizing Providence for food, the Culinary Arts Museum, Star Chefs hosting an event in the state, the opening of the Hope & Main kitchen incubator, the launch of the Eat Drink RI Festival, the explosion in the microbrewery and distillery scene, and the food marketplace being developed by past grant recipient David Dadekian. For two years, Taste Trekkers has hosted the nation's only event focusing on food tourism in Providence. By growing this into a national event, we can cement Rhode Island's reputation for food tourism and provide a new economic driver.
Seth Resler
seth AT tastetrekkers DOT com
I would like to develop pledgelet.com, a web site that will enable kids and young adults to obtain pledges for non‐paying jobs or internships. Substantive work experience for kids is difficult to come by, and when it is available it is sometimes declined in favor of less‐fulfilling but paying jobs. One young friend with an interest in film declined an unpaid internship with an award‐winning documentary film maker in favor of a babysitting job because she needed money for school clothes. Pledgelet.com would allow her to take advantage of the internship and seek pledges for payment from members of her community in return for periodic updates on her project. This site will allow the kid and her community to track her progress while she gains valuable and potentially life‐altering experience. Pledgelet.com will include a section for nonprofits to advertise pledgelet opportunities thus helping organizations build their volunteer pool.
Rebecca Rex
rebeccarex AT yahoo DOT com
The NYTs recently ran an article on successful cities. One key common denominator was that they "kept their brightest young people...and then got out of their way". Rhode Island's colleges and universities attract some of our country's brightest every year, and four years later they leave ? Why ? Because they feel there are no jobs and no opportunities here. But many young people want to stay here, and are interested in starting their own businesses... They need to know like minded young people. We can be that city for them. We can create live‐work spaces that are specifically designed for this talented group. With collaborative programming with local colleges and university in their last semesters at local colleges, students can "graduate" into these live‐work spaces. Eligibility for these affordable buildings could be based on business plans and on a willingness to share equity in those businesses to help underwrite future costs.
Carla Ricci
carlariccifilms AT gmail DOT com
I want to establish a business called SpendLocal, it will enable local businesses to reach out and attract and retain their customers in a way that they currently not offered. I want to establish a long term innovative marketing solution that will enable local businesses to reach out and grab the attention of customers and incentivize them to shop at a time that is beneficial to the merchant. No coupons or direct mail, etc... Customers will like the plethora of incentives available, and will be rewarded for repeated patronage to their local merchants. RI businesses will be given a new innovative opportunity to interact with customers for roughly the same cost as a newspaper/magazine ad, but much more proactive and results driven.
Michael Richard
michaelrichardri AT gmail DOT com
My innovation improves on one of the oldest tool ever made by man, a walking cane. Every walking cane on the market when it falls down stays down. As a result, the user needs to bend over to pick it up or if they are physically unable they must wait for someone else assistance. My walking cane is self‐righting and never falls down. Thus, it prevents potential exposure to accidents or injuries from the possibility of the user losing his or her balance. Simple mechanical physics are at work no need for electronic gadgetry or complicated technology.
Hector Rios
studio‐rios AT cox DOT net
I have an idea for a detector that can be installed underneath a school bus and would automatically alert the driver and the bus monitor if a child or any object is in the immediate area of the bus. It would prevent the bus from going forward or backward until it is determined that the way is clear. The benefit of such a device would result in greater safety for children and would ultimately promote greater peace of mind for the parents of children who use the services of school buses on a regular basis. It would also give the bus monitors more freedom to be aware as to traffic and activity in the immediate area. I have named my idea the, "Child Protection and Detector Device".
Mark Rodriguez
Stephan Rodriguez
dag958 AT Verizon DOT net
srodriguez15 AT my DOT uri DOT edu
Organization & Institute for Social Entrepreneurship My idea is not only groundbreaking in offering solutions to our biggest challenges, but is sustainable over long‐term impact. The idea is based on social entrepreneurship, where local collaboration and investment among new and existing public and private stakeholders and infrastructures will drive future economic development ‐‐ while solving the major social and sustainability issues facing the state today. By leveraging and synchronizing new and existing public and private stakeholders and infrastructures, solutions to challenges in public education, public health, public welfare, green technology, arts enrichment, government efficiency, economic development, (among others) become available and able to implement through coordinated efforts among groups, transparent planning, and mutual public interest serving both economic and social functions.
The All Family Play Project will develop a meaningful model and new standard in children's theatre. Most children's theatre is a predicable canon of productions by adults with children as audience or actor. Content is based on fantasy, fables and fairy tales and can range from serviceable translations of children's literature to dumbed‐down drivel. Bringing together Rhode Island theater professionals, multicultural librarians, authors, playwrights and children to craft innovative theatrical experiences, the Project would generate original plays and comprehensive learning experiences for educators and students. The idea solves the challenge of finding full‐length, age‐appropriate plays from multiple perspectives and authentic cultural viewpoints ‐‐ these exist in our diverse State. It seeks to stage relevant, powerful productions. It pursues theater as a powerful learning tool representing our world. It teaches empathy and understanding, and is a force for positive societal impact.
Milly Romanzi
millymassey AT hotmail DOT com
I aim to foster growth, teach and provide a forum for innovative discourse about the arts and culture in Rhode Island, particularly within the Minority community in the Providence metropolitan Area. My organization is the Providence Harmony and Culture Consortium we hope to become the source for inspiration, education and direction for individuals in the Providence area's artistic community. PHACC will instruct artists in operating independently. We will provide emerging artist with the tools to thrive in the evolving, complex and competitive environment of the entertainment industry, global artistic stage and cultural marketplace. I will create a large yearly event called the "Down East Creators Conference" in the Rhode Island community. The celebration will showcase musical and performing artistic talent, host roundtable discussions, film screenings, Ted Talks featuring Local and guest celebrity speakers, and exhibitions on the local arts and global artistic entertainment and cultural trends.
Joel Rosario
tapiauno1 AT gmail DOT com
Innovation is not exclusive. It belongs to everyone. We want to bring innovation back to Main Street, where manufacturers, small businesses, entrepreneurs and hobbyists can make things, develop products, grow businesses and create jobs. First, we will pilot a nonprofit Manufacturing Incubator and Makerspace in the historic Bristol Industrial Park in downtown Bristol where the East Bay community can have affordable access to shared space, expertise and rapid prototyping equipment‐‐‐machines, 3‐D printers, tools and technologies. Unlike traditional incubators, Tinker|Bristol will be embedded in a makerspace and serve more than just a select cohort of start‐up tenants. Tinker will be community‐based, spanning disciplines, generations and levels of expertise in a collaborative environment. Second, we will create an open‐source handbook for adapting and implementing the Tinker model to other regions in Rhode Island. Lastly, we will assist communities in rolling out a "Tinker" in four to five locations around the state.
Andrea Rounds
Mark Rowinski
andrearounds AT me DOT com
markrowinskiphdpt AT gmail DOT com
FIT‐RI PROGRAM A challenge for RI citizens is the maintenance of health into their elderly years when chronic diseases/increased medical expenses become significant challenges. As regular exercise has been shown to prevent or mitigate many chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and stroke, it is a wise investment to connect the medical health care system with known venues for fitness and wellness. Organizing and teaching medical/home care professionals will bridge the gap between skilled medical services and community wellness opportunities. New personal technology will be implemented to monitor activity and exercise progression, such that the elderly can reasonably afford to visit underutilized hours of fitness gyms where organized exercise and guidance can work to attain healthy activity patterns to prevent disease. The FIT‐RI project will guide elderly citizens from disease care into personal exercise settings where monitoring of safe and effective practices will change lives and save costly disease occurrences/recurrences.
Rhode Island, despite being a small state has the second highest cancer rate in the USA, and has the highest incidence of malignant brain tumors in the country. The exact cause is unknown but many hypotheses have been put forward: these include the homogeneity of the population, limited migration, genetic in‐breeding, unknown environmental factors, and effective tumor registry (that actually captures cause of death). I believe it is paramount that an effective, comprehensive epidemiology study is performed that tries to identify more accurately and scientifically the exact causes of our alarming brain tumor rates. The idea is to reach out to the RI Department of Health and individual cities and townships for guidance; analyze tumor registries, building and zoning codes, death rates across decades, and migration patterns; look at RI demographics regarding race, age, population distributions, and tumor cluster regions ‐ all in the hope of elucidating the factors behind the State's malignant brain tumor incidence.
Prakash Sampath
Donna Sams
Trish Samson
Geoffrey Schoos
praksampath AT gmail DOT com
Rhode Island needs more women representation in all sectors. Rhode Island also has many young women with high potential that feel limited by their current circumstances. Our belief is that a community of women comprised of women that have achieved significant success and those that aspire to, will create an environment conducive to the authentic sharing of experiences and lessons. Through a series of "designed" experiences every woman will gain deeper insights and perspectives on the choices and opportunities available to them as they start or continue their paths. We have identified a cross section of women that have already achieved a significant level of success and secured their engagement in shaping and participating in the initial community. We chose them because they are diverse inclusive of having charted very different paths, most overcoming significant life circumstances. One of our significant objectives is to "catch" young women that are in socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances and change their donnasams AT centeredchange DOT circumstances.
com
The most powerful tool we can equip our children with is a pathway to rich cultural experiences. An appreciation of travel, the arts and customs of people different than us, arms a child with pride and tolerance. They are better equipped to make decisions and more likely to strive for excellence. They are freed to celebrate their creativity and become artists, designers and technology innovators. While the cultural conservation problem is not unique to Rhode Island; the modern age has a powerful reach, budgets get cut and our youth is simply missing out. Communities are acquiring Chromebooks for students; my program utilizes those resources, bringing this to them on a virtual platform. I am open to adding after‐school live sessions if that is agreeable and/or possible. The logistics of the live events are complex and will require more input and coordination with school superintendents and school boards.
samsontrish AT gmail DOT com
There is a well documented correlation between the adverse social determinants of poor housing, food insecurity, and income insecurity and poor health outcomes, particularly as they effect health outcomes of traditionally under‐served patients and families. Through the RIMLP, attorneys and doctors work collaboratively to address these social determinants so that the patient can enjoy a better health outcome. At Hasbro Children's Hospital, a physician in the pediatric clinic can identify a non‐medical adverse social determinant, for example suspicion of substandard housing or cessation of a public benefit, and refer the patient/family to the attorney located at the hospital. The attorney then determines if there is a legal issue/remedy, and if so works to alleviate the social determinant so that the medical intervention of the physician can have better effect.
geoff AT riclapp DOT org
As bullying incidents continue to rise in schools, it is even more important now to educate students to help prevent them from happening. Lecturing and "speaking at" students about bullying prevention just doesn't work. My idea is to bring a unique experience into schools across Rhode Island. Kevin Robinson, a professional BMX Rider with 5 X Games Gold Medals, is the master at impacting students in ways unimaginable. With his ability to speak to students on a peer level, powerful messages are delivered with such ease from a professional athlete whom students look up to. BMX stunts and tricks are incorporated into the presentation for continued focus and added excitement!
Margaret Schroeder maggie AT krobevents DOT com
The issue of Global Warming (GW) is well established within the state of RI, courtesy of Super storm Sandy and other recent flooding events, and ample evidence suggests that similar or more devastating occurrences will arise in the future. Yet many citizens continue to deny these relationships and this proposal may be one way to deal with these discontinuities in understanding. Scientists do well communicating with fellow scientists but are often less successful getting their messages out to the general public and the press is even less successful. To rectify this, it may be better to use the schools to convey their messages. The plan is to establish a cadre of high and middle school teachers who will address GW issues in terms that are understood by students because it is the very students in those classes who will be most affected by present and future failures to react.
John Schultz
jhs177la AT cox DOT net
I will convert my family's 240 year old farm in Scituate into a unique hub supporting innovations in sustainable agriculture, artisanal food production, and agri‐tourism. This will consist of: 1)A small working research farm dedicated to developing improvements in sustainable, small scale, high yield farming techniques suitable for urban and small family owned farms, publishing research results openly. 2)A value added food production incubation center supporting new RI based food/ag product entrepreneurs with facilities, training, and access to an established customer base. 3)Upgraded walking trails highlighting the native forests of RI. 4)An inn, converted from a Barn, where tourists interested in a different kind of vacation experience can volunteer to work on the farm and to help produce products such as maple syrup or fermented vegetables. The Barn or other outbuildings will also host co‐working space for the sponsored start‐ups and meeting rooms for corporate retreats.
Kris Schumacher
KSchumacher1 AT gmail DOT com
I will create an afterschool program for children ages 8‐17 that is also a start‐up incubator. The idea is to accept a diverse mix of children into the program, predominantly from underprivileged RI communities, and empower them to take control of their destinies by instilling an understanding of entrepreneurship and showing them that they have the power to make things happen. We will teach them the basics of business, marketing, product design, and web design through fun, interactive courses. At the beginning of each program there would be an idea competition and the best idea from each of three age groups will be funded with a $10k grant. Over the course of the year long program, the children will work on executing these ideas and we will support them with resources to turn their ideas into actual businesses. The program will be documented in an educational web series.
Kris Schumacher
KSchumacher1 AT gmail DOT com
The STEM Newport County Mentor/Co‐Op Group is working in conjunction with The University of Rhode Island, CCRI, Local High Schools and Businesses to Create an Advanced Manufacturing Career and Engineering Center in the Florence Gray Center in Park Holm , in Newport Rhode Island. This center would be an extension of the Newport Campus of CCRI , Run by CCRI with Guidance by the University of Rhode Island,and provide a a High School Manufacturing Career program for Rogers, Middletown, Portsmouth, the MET school and Tiverton High Schools. The education Model would be based on the very successful Advanced Manufacturing High School program in Chicago. see the description of how the idea was developed in this article. http://www.newportthisweek.com/news/2014‐10‐23/Around_Town/Manufacturing_Career_Path_Outlined.html The model for newport county can be replicated and scaled in other Counties in Rhode Island.
Chris Semonelli
chrissemo AT aol DOT com
Turning the superman building into senior condo's If the project were recognized by the state as a stimulus proposal. Businesses ask for tax breaks to bring jobs to RI. I will be asking the Rhode Island to offer tax breaks to seniors who purchase a condo in the (superman building) old Fleet Bank building in downtown Providence. Every senior, 65 or older that purchases a condo in the building will be charged no real estate tax, and also have no state income tax due. The condo must be the seniors primary residence. This would take a major building in RI and make it a useful property.
Robert Semple
semple1 AT cox DOT net
The State of Rhode Island, its agencies, and its municipalities, control a great deal of financial assets, almost all of which is invested out of state. These are public assets that could go into growing the state's economy, but do not. Investment within the state is frequently discussed, but typically runs aground on considerations of conflicts of interest, capacity (staff) limitations, and the fiduciary responsibilities of the government or agency controlling the funds. What is needed is a disinterested non‐profit third party to find and package local investments for consideration by the agencies with investable funds. This will keep the investment decisions at arms‐length from the investing commissions or committees, reducing the potential for conflicts of interest, as well as provide a staff to uncover and vet potential local investment opportunities. The result will be public money used to benefit the state's economy.
Tom Sgouros
tsgouros AT gmail DOT com
My idea is to promote are state thru advertising to promote increased revenue for the state, while working closely with state parks and Rhode Island historical society . To show Rhode Island in a way that shows all of its natural beauty as well as her historical importance .
Eric Sheldon
Deercall09 AT yahoo DOT com
In cooperation with existing organizations, we propose to train a network of allied professionals (physicians, therapists, clergy, lawyers) to assess needs and provide frontline eldercare counsel. A looming challenge that potentially affects every Rhode Islander between the ages of 35 and 65 is the need to plan for, provide and coordinate care for the 600,000 boomers who will age in the next decade. Many will be caught off guard by the complicated needs of caring for elders. Others may be in the intergenerational space of caring for both children and parents. To cope, many will put goals on hold and quality of life and productivity may suffer. In crisis, many people turn to health care providers, clergy, or financial or legal counsel for advice. A trained network of allied professionals armed with information about resources and options can provide peace of mind and help avoid crisis‐induced stress in the population.
Betsy Sherry
tammieww83 AT gmail DOT com
I have a patent pending for a mobile healthcare application designed to help psychiatrists and their patients manage, monitor, intervene and prevent bipolar episodes. This tool uses an integrated approach with pattern recognition and multi variable predictive analysis to monitor various physiological and mood/lifestyle/behavioral functions. By focusing on sleep patterns in addition to other physiological parameters, we will be able to predict episodes before they become irreversible. This will allow the healthcare provider to intercede and get the patient back on a healthy track, avoiding costly hospitalizations and lost productivity. This application fixes the subjective approach to analyzing and misdiagnosing mental health diseases by applying physiological parameters and pattern recognition with specialized algorithms to the tradition approach of subjective analysis
Grant Sier
Kristin Silva
grantsier AT gmail DOT com
ksilv29 AT gmail DOT com
Megan Smith
megan AT mhari DOT org
Promote and heighten traffic in existing Rhode Island structures and spaces through interactive art installations.
Rhode Island's plan to end homelessness, Opening Doors, has a goal of ending chronic homelessness. This requires nimble, intensive services targeting the most vulnerable: over 700 Rhode Islanders are chronically homeless, and over 200 are unsheltered. Street outreach is a proven technique to reach this demographic, which is both most at risk ‐‐ the average age at death of someone experiencing homelessness is 47 ‐‐ and most underserved by our current system. We propose creating an intensive psychiatric outreach model comprising a multidisciplinary "street‐team" of doctors, social workers, formerly homeless individuals, and students. This team will provide intensive case management and psychiatric care, partner with providers to ensure access to comprehensive services, and consult with local organizations to foster a culture of compassion. Finally, the team will collaborate with local medical, social work and nursing programs to provide experiential learning aimed at creating professionals empowered to create systemic change in their communities.
I'm committed to helping small to mid‐size businesses that make up the vast majority of the RI business community develop competitive, cutting‐edge capabilities that position them as serious players in today's global environment while providing them with modern techniques that allow them to stand out as innovative leaders. The Big Brain Train project is a series of unique, highly practical and immediately applicable professional development programs specifically designed to address the perceived skill gaps in RI's workforce. These programs provide innovative techniques for Virtual Team Leadership, Virtual Team Professionals, Digital Media Strategy and Leadership Mastery. All programs are CEU compliant certificate programs. Content is available online or in classrooms. The Executive Development Center at Bryant University provides the facilities, certifies the program content as CEU compliant and issues the program certificates. All programs employ up‐to‐date microburst/hands‐on learning techniques that suit today's busy professionals and are immediately applicable in any organization.
Mari Anne Snow
masnow AT sophaya DOT com
Moving Mountains takes urban education outside. We provide access to the outdoors to urban high school students in Rhode Island, and hopefully beyond. Through partnerships between universities and public high schools, we offer a suite of school year and summer programming based on wilderness preparedness, team‐building, and community service. Our programs respond to individual partner high schools' needs and capabilities; we present schools with a tiered set of semi‐customizable options including one‐time guided outings, a series of guided outings, and weekly workshops. Outings include day hikes and overnight camping trips in local wilderness areas. Weekly workshops coordinate with the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, thereby reinforcing and even filling gaps in the standard in‐school science curriculum. The workshops also incorporate leadership and team‐building activities, social justice discussions, and the Green Campaign ‐‐ a semester‐long student‐led effort to solve a local environmental issue in the school or community.
Ivy Sokol
ivy_sokol AT brown DOT edu
Land use policy necessarily touches on every aspect of local government concern. Sustainable land use planning involves decisions on crosscutting and multi‐layered issues that affect air quality, water quality, access to transportation options, economic vitality, and quality of life. The Sustainable Cities Institute Economic development, environmental protection, and smart growth begin with intelligent land use policy. Yet how can local leaders, private developers, and land owners fully leverage complicated land use tools without the right training or without otherwise having to retain expensive consultants, often from out of state, who may not have our public interest and local resources fully in mind? I propose to launch the RI Land Use Institute ("RILUI"), dedicated to educating, training and consulting public and private stakeholders to apply land use strategies that: 1. Foster economic and sustainable development, 2. Preserve our unique environmental assets, and 3. Create vibrant and healthy communities.
Sergio Spaziano
sspaziano AT gmail DOT com
I am working to build a consortium to support empowering Native American artists, as a historically underserved population our artists struggle to maintain artistic entrepreneurial pursuits due to lack of business training and funding opportunities. In the summer of 2014 the Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance (NIAA) was formed to find ways to empower Indigenous artists. As a Rhode Island native and member of the state's only federally recognized tribe, I would like to begin this work in my home state and build a model that can be used for the northeast or beyond in the future. The goal is to develop a culturally specific marketing and business leadership program to provide needed skills to encourage successful business practices, offer small project grants & technical assistance, advocate for increased artist opportunities, and establish a website that will serve as a space for a directory, networking, sharing opportunities and housing resource materials.
Dawn Spears
dspears585 AT gmail DOT com
Unemployment in RI needs to be resolved. When the unemployment rate goes down, the economy will start to thrive again. I want to fund start up businesses that can go international. The fact that college graduates cant get jobs in RI is appaling. With the Fellowship funding, I can make this happen through a system that is already in place. The funds would support aspiring entrepreneurs who probably have hefty college loans pay off. This business model is for any one and every one! Its time for RI to be known for entrepreneur network marketing and not just for the hospitality industry.
Amelia Springer
ForeverGreenRI AT gmail DOT com
Paul Stavrand
stavrand AT gmail DOT com
Matthew Stultz
stultzm AT gmail DOT com
My proposal is to launch a media venture company, which is the synthesis of a media company and venture capital company. Like a venture capital company, we will evaluate proposals and invest in those that are determined to have a strong team and a promising project concept, in return for a percentage ownership in the project or business. Like a media company, we will bring our expertise to collaborate with the creative teams in developing and producing the highest quality media projects possible. This company will invest in a broad array of innovative media businesses and creative projects for adults and children, including music, movies/tv, literature, internet and more. Priority will be given to media projects and companies led or created by Rhode Islanders, or that are based in Rhode Island. The goal of the company is to participate in the creation of profitable media projects with positive impact.
3D Printing Providence has been a growing organization in Rhode Island for the past two and a half years. In that time, we have been training Rhode Islanders and others in the region on how 3D printing technology works and how they can adopt it to solve their needs. We have been doing this so far entirely out of our own pockets with most of our events being completely free to attendees. We are now trying to expand so we can reach more Rhode Islanders as well as provide more services to Rhode Island businesses. 3D Printing is a technology that has the potential to reinvent modern manufacturing and allow businesses of all sizes to be more agile and self‐sufficient. Rhode Island already has the community of 3D printing experts, now we need help in making our services more available.
My idea will help Rhode Islanders cope with smoking, substance abuse and wellness issues in a cost effective manner. The proposed technology has already been developed and had a proven track record of success; it is based on the psychological principles of Structural Cognitive Behavioral Training. It delivers an online simulated a live coaching experience. Those who need these services the most (often) do not have access to computers. A key part of the proposal is to create small multi‐station internet connected computer "pods" that will be made out of recycled shipping containers and outfitted with refurbished or donated computers. The pods will be located in public places such as near libraries, city owned buildings, doctors' offices, hospitals, fire stations, grocery store parking lots or strip mall locations.
Timothy Sullivan
tsullivan AT life‐panel DOT com
My idea is to launch a nonprofit that accelerates improvement in student learning by building the capacity of families in underserved RI communities to be leaders, innovators and problem‐solvers in education reform. Using best practices in leadership development and learning & teaching, the organization would provide families courses in the history and current landscape of education reform in the U.S. and RI. The courses would help parents develop the knowledge, skills and self/group efficacy to address complex challenges in three areas of education reform: parenting in the 21st century; learning & teaching; and education policy and systemic change. Courses will be designed for college credit and as ESOL classes. Parents will have the opportunity and resources to design, present, implement and evaluate new solutions to the problem of underachievement of youth in underserved communities. Youth will engage in quality hands‐on programs focused on academic improvement & 21st century skills development.
Andrea Summers
andreaeneida AT gmail DOT com
Food is the growth industry Rhode Island needs. It has a diverse, highly collaborative network of talents, organizations, and resources, but there is no entity responsible for nurturing that network or articulating a vision for an innovative economic cluster. My plan will create an economic development entity to identify and pursue growth opportunities for local food, and activate that network as a powerful economic driver for the state. Such entities have proven valuable and successful in places like Northeast Ohio, for example, where the Fund for Our Economic Future invested in organizations such as NorTech, which advocates for the region's tech and innovation economy, and MAGNET, which supports the area's advanced manufacturing sector. My organization would function as the connective tissue between various nodes within Rhode Island's food network to nurture collaboration, sharing of resources, research and development, and branding and marketing efforts.
John Taraborelli
johnnytabs AT gmail DOT com
Alan Tenreiro
alan DOT tenreiro AT cumberlandschools DOT org
Yarrow Thorne
yarrow AT theavenueconcept DOT com
While many efforts have been made to improve schools in RI, we need to do more. More than 40 percent of 8th grade students in the state did not meet proficiency in math, and nearly a quarter did not meet proficiency in reading on the 2013 NECAP. At the high school level, nearly two thirds of students did not meet proficiency in math. Further evidence suggests that many students are not being prepared to succeed post graduation. Charter schools are natural innovators by design. This innovation is difficult to replicate because the circumstances are very different with a different set of challenges. In my past three years at Cumberland High School we have made significant gains. We are transforming the way we educate our students. We are moving toward a fully personalized proficiency based educational experience. When this model succeeds public schools will finally have a school they can emulate.
To finish the Providence cultural survey from 2008 to include Public Art, and use this information to create Providences first Public Art program, combined with Providence's first private Public Art Fund.
To investigate a Rhode Island feasibility for boutique health care (Health Assurance) for everyone. Each health care facility would become a private membership organization wherein members would have unlimited access to facilities and doctors which the facility hires. Rates would be according to the total budget of the facility at full capacity, including staff, divided by the number of members. The state and fed government would pay a set amount each year to cover the members who qualify for medicare, Medicaid. No physician would need to pay malpractice insurance ‐ they could be fired for cause. The patient member would be cared for under the system. The patient would pay an advocate, who would be fully responsible for all records and would live in the neighborhood and know the member personally.
Harle Tinney
harle415 AT gmail DOT com
Mark Treat
Over the last four years, I have founded and grown Nalari Health, a young RI‐based telehealth company dedicated to improving escalating healthcare costs and poor health outcomes, particularly for underserved populations who are often the most difficult and expensive to support. Nalari has built an integrated remote care delivery model utilizing remote care interventions and best‐in‐breed solutions supported by dedicated professionals. While telehealth has grown exponentially in the last few years, payment models are lagging. With community partners including Brown University, University Medicine Foundation and RIQI, we have formed the Rhode Island Long Term Care and Rehabilitation Cooperative (The Cooperative) with a mission to serve Rhode Islanders in need. While payment models struggle to catch up to technology, we want to deploy our solution to high‐need nursing homes mark DOT treat AT nalarihealth DOT in Rhode Island and make these life‐saving solutions available to our seniors.
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Maps for our children will be experiential and nothing like those our parents knew. Advancements in technology now provide the ability to measure our world in 3D and access this information from anywhere. The benefits for education, business, and community are boundless. RI's geospatial information is incomplete, out of date, and too low resolution for today's needs. With new laser scanning technology, high‐megapixel cameras, ground‐
based and aerial robotics, multi‐spectral sensors and point‐cloud software, we can map previously unreachable places and build accurate 3d models for the public's use. We are a group of RI innovators inspired by these emerging technologies and driven to improve our surroundings. We propose to: 1.Build a highly accurate 3d library of RI's landscape and historical treasures. 2.Inform and equip our community with innovative new tools. 3.Allow RI to set the bar and create a template for other cities, states, and countries.
Andrew Trench
designrocket AT gmail DOT com
Steven Tymon
steventymon AT gmail DOT com
Fred Unger
Unger AT hrtwd DOT com
As I enter Rhode Island from the various highways connected to other states I can't help but notice the condition of our "welcome centers" They are either closed or in such terrible shape that a person passing thru the state would not only not feel welcome but the only way that we could receive some of their travel money is from the ticket they would receive as they speed up to get out of our state on the way to some place seemingly more friendly. I think that a major upgrade is needed.
Our antiquated utility system is stifling innovation. We need a new energy paradigm. The starting point is the revolutionary framework suggested by Tom King, U.S. Executive Director of National Grid. He proposed that utility companies transform themselves into platforms similar to iPhones, which enable competitive independent service providers to produce "apps" that allow users to customize the services they use. The path to that future should be charted not by regulated utilities, but by energy entrepreneurs who understand what those "apps" need. I propose to coordinate the development and promotion of a fully articulated vision for the electricity system of the future. With our compact connected scale and forward looking utility company, Rhode Island is perfectly suited to be the incubator for the future of a modern bidirectional, information rich grid. We can become the center of innovation in clean technology, while significantly reducing both pollution and ratepayer costs.
We will create fresh produce stands and mobile carts to increase Rhode Islanders' access to affordable, healthy foods in their neighborhood. Many areas of Providence and greater Rhode Island lack convenient access to fresh foods, a problem known as food deserts. We plan to shrink food deserts by creating and deploying produce stands in high‐traffic public spaces, similar to the New York City Green Cart Initiative. To better serve Rhode Island's lower population density, we will develop mobile produce carts to allow individual produce operators to serve a wider range. By making fresh and healthy foods more easily accessible and appealing, our project will increase the health of Rhode Islanders.
Maya Vadiveloo
mayavadiveloo AT gmail DOT com
Stacy Vang
A couple of years back, the economy in Rhode Island was in really bad shape because of the rising unemployment rates. I just recently found out how work study works, since I'm in my first year of college, and why not have a system like this going to stimulate our states money‐economy? Simply, we can provide employers with some funding to hold on to, and when the economy starts to fail, that money can be used to pay the employees. The stacyvang11 AT rocketmail DOT com longer people are working, the more money they will have to spend.
My RI Innovation Fellowship will address two chronic problems in Rhode Island ‐‐ unemployment/underemployment and the loss of manufacturing. I believe these two problems are interrelated. I am an engineer trained to solve problems ‐ often complicated, ill‐defined problems such as this. So what is the solution to the problem of chronic unemployment and the loss of manufacturing? If we can restore a manufacturing base, can we reduce unemployment? It is well known that a stable manufacturing base offers long term economic stability across a broad spectrum of the regional economy. Why? Manufacturing requires workers across a wide range of job categories and skills, the so‐called "right mix" of "blue collar" and "white collar" jobs ‐‐ i.e, technicians, machinists, logistics, transportation, business, IT, accounting, engineering, etc. So how do we restore the manufacturing sector? Well, we take a hard look at our strengths and where the new market opportunities lie.
Harold Vincent
bud AT oce DOT uri DOT edu
Hydrokinetic energy is a predictable, clean, renewable energy source that harnesses the power of the tides. This Fellowship will be used to study the feasibility and efficacy of developing a Hydrokinetic energy generation station in the Sakonnet River tidal basin. Rhode Island must decrease its dependency on non‐renewable energy and continue to meet the state's requirement of producing our own clean energy, in state. Today RI uses wind & solar power as its renewable energy source. Wind and solar power are not reliable and are weather‐dependent. Hydrokinetic energy has the potential to provide 25% of RI's electricity demand (Electric Power Research Institute). This energy source is operational in NYC and is being developed in Maine. It's anticipated that it will eventually create 4MW of power for coastal communities in Maine. Rhode Island will join Maine and NY as a leader in Hydrokinetic energy generation. We are the Ocean State.
John Vitkevich
johnvit AT verizon DOT net
Since Tourism is a major revenue generator for our state, I think it is of great importance to ensure a welcoming road system for our visitors. When traveling out of state, I often note that the roads are much smoother, better‐maintained and free of bumps and potholes. My organization would be a conduit through which "road" alerts would be sent to local officials. The company name: A Fork In The Rhode. The purpose would be two‐fold...First, it would provide a productive outlet for residents to note the problems with their locally‐traveled roads. Secondly, the company would provide a way for people to report animals that have been hit and left at the side of the road. In conjunction with PETITE MORTE FUR, a nearby company that turns "road kill" into high‐end fashion clothing, drivers would be able to report on two problems that create unsafe road conditions. There would be 2 types of Alerts: a "FUR ALERT" and a "SWERVE ALERT."
Kate Viveiros
Joseph Wahl
kleach691 AT gmail DOT com
joseph DOT n DOT wahl AT gmail DOT com
The Center for Cannabinopathic Medicine will be a university‐affiliated clinic with the mission of giving hope for survival to people with inoperable brain tumors and cancers not treatable by common methods. The clinic will build on the framework of the Rhode Island Medical Marijuana program, which does not currently offer services of this type, by administering orally‐ingestible THC and CBD rich cannabis extract oil, proven to shrink tumors and cause apoptosis in cancer cells, to qualifying patients on a 'pay what you can afford' model. As an extension of the university, students in the medical/health care related fields will earn elective credit and healthcare professionals will be educated in the booming field of Cannabinopathic Medicine. Furthermore, this innovation in healthcare solutions created in Rhode Island will garner national attention and help spread the state motto of "Hope" across the country.
The project can be best summarized as "Adding Factory To Fab Lab." I would like to add manufacturing capability to the Providence Fab Lab at AS220; specifically, small scale manufacturing of open hardware electronic assemblies and kits. Sale of the kits and projects would create several jobs and help cover the overhead of the shared workshop space. The AS220 Fab Lab was started in 2009 in response to what we saw as a need for more support for artists and makers working with technology. In the same time frame, there has been an explosion of innovative individuals and companies building successful "Maker Pro" businesses, where sharing designs and techniques are at the heart of the business model (Adafruit, Sparkfun, et al). Through this fellowship I will apply a similar business model to these companies but the goal will be sustaining the local community of invention at the Providence Fab Lab.
Shawn Wallace
shawn AT as220 DOT org
Citycology will upcycle a shabby urban triple‐decker apartment building into a experimental design lab, a living/evolving model of low‐budget ecological urban housing, a job training / skill building center and sustainability education hub for for socio‐economically diverse city residents. The transformation will train hundreds of Rhode Islanders in green technologies, offer low‐income homeowners resources to make their own homes more economical and sustainable, educate the general public about the present and coming challenges of climate change, and support neighborhoods to co‐create strategies to build resilience, community support and resource sharing as the effects of climate change accelerates. When initial stages of building renovations come to completion, educational and cultural programming will continue and the house will also become an incubator and education center for small, local, sustainable businesses and in particular those who wish to explore alternative local small scale economic systems for resilient communities, such as multi‐stakeholder owned cooperatives.
Amy Walsh
awalsh09 AT gmail DOT com
Heather Warner
heatherjwarner AT gmail DOT com
Vanessa Weiner
vweiner AT resilientkids DOT org
Providing much needed services to Rhode Island veterans. ‐ Link ups to employment and job training services. ‐ Family support, reintegration, deployment issues ‐ Therapeutic services targeted to veterans needs ‐ PTSD, substance use/abuse, anxiety, depression. ‐ Assisting veterans and families to connect with existing community resources and/or setting up needed resources
Rhode Island teachers are absent from school more than teachers in any other state in our nation. On any given day, their absences exceed the number of student absences in elementary schools, and is on par with those reported in the middle schools. It costs our state over $424 million annually for substitute teachers, and not having a teacher present directly impacts students' achievement. Nationally, burnout causes new teachers to leave the profession within the first five years, a rate higher than any other profession. Now, imagine investing in the well‐being of our teachers and school personnel from the inside out. Imagine a proven technique positively impacting corporations, health‐care, and now education being implemented such that RI proudly reports significant statistical change in just 3 years. I believe that I can build a 3‐year mindfulness training program to address the health and wellness of those in our valued education system.
The RI Health Insurance Exchange (RI Health Source) will shut down unless it replaces federal funding expiring July, 2015. We observe and propose: 1. RI Quality Institute (RIQI) has raised funds via government grants and a state tax on premiums, but it has a fatally flawed business plan after spending $77M+. 2. The state legislature has the ability to redirect $8.5M/yr existing tax revenue collected by insurance carriers to RI Health Source from RIQI. 3. Integrate expanded nursing informatics/RNP education with project‐based Engineering, Medicine and RISD to create a "Healthcare Innovation Hub". 4. Promote CVS Minute Clinic nurse practitioners use of federal Office of National Coordinator's #1 award winner, KB Core patient safety software, with Microsoft's Health Vault‐TM on Microsoft Surface pro laptop/tablets. 5. Promote RI as the Microsoft and Verizon national "test market" for "dual users" of Nokia cell/Surface Pro devices with networked PC's to our healthcare industry.
John Welch
enduringjack AT outlook DOT com
Veterans and their families have VERY limited targeted resources in RI for support when returning from Service. We'll establish a social enterprise resource for RI Veterans called "Veteran's RI". Veteran's RI will provide targeted services and resources that federal government programs cannot. Think of this as kind of a "RI Veterans Chamber of Commerce". Our mission will be to give the tools, support, and guidance to start at least 3 Veteran owned businesses per year in RI and help them prosper. Veteran's RI will provide a searchable networked databased resource center for any RI Veterans and their families. We can help them start a business, product, or idea based here in RI. We will provide expertise, resources, guidance, services, as well as seed money for RI Veterans who wish to start a RI based business of their own. Or help an existing Veteran owned business.
James White
jim AT mindset3d DOT com
Our wonderful state has a significant number of low income and elderly individuals who own pets. For a large number of these people their pets are all they have. These needy people love their animals as much as people of means but are unable to find veterinary care when their animals become ill. Although RI does have a number of non profits that do provide help for this under served population of pets, the current need far out weighs what these groups can provide. I would like to spearhead an initiative to open a low cost veterinary clinic that only serves the poor. I believe this would be the best model to serve the largest number of low income RI pet owners. The low income clinic would be run by the RI Veterinary Medical Association Companion Animal Foundation (CAF) and housed in the New England Institute of Technology (NEIT).
Henry Wietsma
hwietsma AT al DOT com
We are a Center for Asperger's, encompassing the Autism spectrum, where Rhode Islanders can come together for fellowship, networking, and education. Individuals with Asperger's who have conquered many of the challenges members of our community are facing will assist in running the programs. We offer professionally guided peer support groups. Discussions and resources are available from people who have experienced increased independence and understand the benefits of a supportive environment. Networking includes social‐oriented events where individuals learn and practice social skills under the guise of having fun, in a safe and accepting environment. Other programs will continue to be developed and offered, such as; Vocational Training, Entrepreneurial Opportunities, Peer Tutoring, Relationship and Family Advice Groups, Creating a Support Network, and Basic Life Skills Training. These courses will focus on developing self‐advocacy skills in a community‐based program with the purpose of increased self‐
sufficiency.
Owen Williams
owenlwilliams AT gmail DOT com
Richard Wimberly
Karen Windsor
Chrissy Wolpert
Barbara Wong
Elaine Wright
Many good ideas have been thought up over time but often the technology has not been available to implement them. Some that come to mind are: Charles Babbage's logically correct Analytical Machine built with iron rods, now we use electronics and succeed (i.e. computers). Libby's attempt to make pane glass needed natural gas and thermometers. R.B. Fuller had tons of ideas. Most know only of his geodesic dome. 50's manufacturing richard DOT wimberly AT gmail DOT couldn't solve a lot of the manufacturing problems of his other ideas. The need is to provide a center and forum that can assist others with ideas while com
working on identifying and solving past issues.
Humane Education doesn't benefit animals alone. When children learn compassion and empathy for animals, they are better able to transfer that empathy to their peers. And when people are able to connect empathetically to animals and to other people, our impact on the planet we all share becomes more significant. Our idea is to make humane and earth education a part of every child's academic experience. Through the development of "STEM sensitive" curriculum and partnerships with a wide variety of Rhode Island's animal and environmental non‐profit organizations, we will offer dynamic in‐school, after‐school and summer programs that will help nurture the next generation of earth and animal conservators.
karen AT fosterparrots DOT com
Teaching artistry is an emerging industry comprised of independent cultural workers. Teaching artists are both committed educators and professional artists. The dual nature of this work, combined with the nature of freelance commitments, creates a strain on practitioners. RITAT is an artist‐run agency connecting teaching artists with institutions serving Rhode Island citizens. The organization will provide administrative support for teaching artists to develop innovative public programming, as well as experience professional development and practice in their area of art making. Our trilaborative (a riff on "collaborative") would utilize a triangular model to connect teaching artists with both institutions and the general public. First, a cohort of committed teaching artists will create programs at partnering institutions. These same programs will then be offered to the general public. The public programming will be hosted at Trilab, a multi‐purpose space that will house the organization's office, studios, and workshop areas.
chrissywolpert753 AT hotmail DOT com
ArtsEdVesters will serve as a catalyst for change in Providence Public Schools by identifying and shaping effective improvement initiatives that use arts as a strategy for student success, partnering with donors to invest in arts education in schools, and supporting education project leaders with professional expertise. ArtsEdVesters is inspired by Boston's EdVesters, a successful lever of urban school reform for Boston Public Schools‐‐yet, will carry a specific lens to secure arts as a fundamental vehicle to changing school climate and culture, and sparking new practices in teaching and learning. ArtsEdVesters proposes a public/private entity that would raise resources, build partnerships and provide expertise to help Providence Public Schools to integrate arts into an ecosystem for learning, so that all students can have a level playing field for opportunity and achievement in school and in life. barbara AT providencecityarts DOT ArtsEdVesters will be dedicated to accelerate the agenda for arts in schools.
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Many elementary school children lack a connection to senior citizens and many senior citizens lack a connection to children. I would like to partner willing students/seniors to enrich their lives while alleviating some loneliness. I envision connecting students and seniors together bi‐monthly for socialization and would hope to provide a music component, books of mutual interest to use in a book study, and laptops for the seniors to encourage dwright AT westerly DOT k12 DOT ri weekly contact. High school students would be enlisted to provide basic computer skills to the seniors.
DOT us
Light‐Emitting Diode (LED) technology is revolutionizing lighting products, systems and practices while positively impacting the environment. In October, the DOE predicted that by 2030, the energy savings alone will be equivalent to the output of fifty gigawatt power plants and reduce greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to forty million cars. In RI, there are some 115,000 sodium road/street lights with a two‐year life expectancy. The DOE is currently developing a preliminary plan to change the lights to LED for the electricity savings alone (roughly $13 million annually for the state and municipal governments). I seek to work with RI's DOT and Green Energy Resource Office to augment this project by adding season, weather and traffic sensors to each lamp which would render even more savings, as well as environmental and safety benefits.
Jimmy Xu
jxu DOT brown AT gmail DOT com
A one group pilot study of 4 months of phone calls/texts was recently conducted. Ten participants were recruited from the Comprehensive Community Action Program (CCAP) GED programs in Providence, Pawtucket, and Cranston. I have been collaborating with Gary Littlefield and other staff at CCAP. The intervention is designed to help students complete the GED program, obtain employment and/or enroll in post‐secondary education, and reduce their alcohol/marijuana use. The pilot study results suggest the intervention reduced percent days use of alcohol/marijuana [pre M (SD) = 73.8% (34.7), post M (SD) = 47.1% (42.4), t(5) = 2.24, one tail p = .04]. While these and other results are encouraging, to gain more confidence in these preliminary findings, a randomized trial is necessary to demonstrate that the participants receiving the intervention are actually doing better than they would have otherwise. Therefore, a randomized trial with 100 GED students is proposed.
William Zywiak
whzywiak AT cox DOT net