7/13/2021
By ADAM ZANGARI, Valley Breeze Contributing Writer
PAWTUCKET – Thanks to funding from several grants, The Empowerment Factory will soon have a new cargo van to aid with transporting materials to different underserved communities as well as hosting summer programming for kids.
The nonprofit learning center based in Pawtucket received a $2,500 grant from BankRI to support their summer educational programs and a $36,000 grant from the Champlin Foundation to purchase a cargo van.
Executive Director Gail Ahlers, pictured, said that the majority of the programming that the BankRI grant is going toward are seven online nature courses. Three of the courses will partner with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to teach children about vernal pools.
The nonprofit is also creating books that will provide information about endangered animals and teaches children about how they can make a difference and help save these species, Ahlers said.
“The books that we’re creating are bilingual, and they’ve got information on animals, jokes, vocabulary words,” she said. “That’s been really popular, and we hope with more funding we can develop more books.”
The larger grant from the Champlin Foundation, Ahlers said, will go toward buying a cargo van, which is necessary to help transport materials, such as tables, tools and art supplies. The nonprofit currently serves the communities of Pawtucket, Central Falls and Providence. While the van will be vital to helping continue to serve these cities, Ahlers said her long-term goal is to expand their operations to Woonsocket and Newport.
“Those five cities are the ones deemed the highest need by Rhode Island Kids Count and the Department of Education,” she said, adding that they will need to secure more funding in order to serve these two cities.
Staff are currently in the process of looking for a vendor and purchasing a van, she said.
At The Empowerment Factory, Ahlers said that the organization prides itself on putting on events and initiating projects, including a recent one where they installed a pollinator garden at Baldwin Elementary School in Pawtucket.
Returning this summer will be Art in the Park events, held on Wednesdays at Fairlawn Veterans Memorial Park, including Trash to Treasures, which teaches children about the value of recycling and how they can help the environment. Also featured are puppet shows and classes to help children understand and manage their emotions, Ahlers noted.
Dates for Art in the Park include July 14, July 21, July 28, Aug. 11, Aug. 18, and Aug. 25, from 6 to 7 p.m.
Even with the grant funding, she said the nonprofit is still in need of additional donations, both money and volunteer time, to run programs throughout the summer.
“(We’re) providing children with inspiration and community, happiness and joy,” she said. “We need help. We need both volunteers and sponsors to make that happen.”
For more information, visit www.empowermentfactory.org .
