We had a lot of fun at our tent at the Hope Street Block Party this past weekend, where we offered artists of all ages the chance to create a “quilt” square! Click here if you missed your chance to become a member and support neighborhood events, programs, and projects big and small — such as this weekend’s free art activity!
On Monday, April 29th, Summit Neighborhood Association held its annual membership meeting at the Highlands on the East Side. Roughly 45 neighbors attended and enjoyed refreshments from Rhode Island’s own Foolproof Beer, Diamond Hill Winery, and My Daddy’s Pizza.
SNA President Ethan Gyles reviewed the past year’s activities and shared SNA’s plans for projects, events, and programs for the coming year. Audience members each had the chance to review a list of ideas and return a checklist to indicate whether they were interested in leading or volunteering for one or more of them, along with suggestions for additional ideas.
One of the main events of the meeting was the election of the Board of Directors and its officers for the coming year. The officers are Ethan Gyles, President; Thomas Schmeling, Vice-President, Britt Page, Treasurer, Laura Ramsey, Secretary; Erik Christiansen, Newsletter Secretary. Returning Board members are Anneliese Greenier, Anna Highsmith, Read Porter, and Sharon Lee Waldman. New Board members are Ariel Pittner, Torin Mathieu, Zachary Barnes, and Christopher Lowe.
We heard from our first-term State Representative Rebecca Kislak. She updated us on current issues and outlined her legislative agenda, then engaged in Q&A with the audience.
The Sheila Perlow Award was presented to Greg Gerritt for his long and dedicated work on behalf of the environment and on issues of social and economic justice. Greg is a longtime Summit resident who has continually showed a strong spirit of civic engagement and volunteerism. The award is named for Sheila Perlow, a long-time Summit Neighborhood Association board member, dedicated community volunteer, vibrant personality, and kind friend to many.
Thanks to The Highlands on the East Side for hosting us!
The Highlands Assisted Living at 101 Highland Avenue are hosting a silent auction fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Assocaition on June 21. The Highlands have generously allowed SNA the use of their dining room space for our Annual Meetings for years now, and we’re pleased to share this worthy event.
Since the kids have been busy finishing up the school year, we have extended the due date for the Lippitt Park Little Library Art Contest entries to June 28, 2019! We look forward to seeing more creative ideas!
We’re sharing a message from Miriam Hospital below. This is a good one to take note of, because seeing decontamination tents and such could be alarming if one wasn’t aware it was a drill:
“As part of our mission, delivering health with care, we frequently hold drills for emergency preparedness. On May 8, [2019] The Miriam Hospital will conduct a drill for hazardous exposures. Neighbors will see activity around the hospital including the installation of our hazardous decontamination tents and more. Security will be onsite to assist with traffic or any other issues as they arise. Please do not be alarmed when you see this activity next week. You can call the Neighborhood Hotline at any time at 401.793.4040.”
Come join your friends and neighbors on Saturday April 27th from 9-11am to clean up our neighborhood! (Facebook Event here). This includes all of the Ward 3 neighborhoods: Mount Hope, Summit, and Observatory. We’ll be targeting the parks, some of the main streets in our community, and the MLK Elementary school grounds. We are gathering in Billy Taylor Park on the corner of Cypress and Camp St and then will spread out to make our neighborhood sparkle. Rain date is May 4th. This is in conjunction with the city-wide Earth Day cleanup program.
We will supply bags and gloves. If you have a favorite pair, please bring them and cut down on waste. We request you provide your own water to stay hydrated.
Make new friends, be a part of a worldwide movement, make a difference.
Co-hosted with the Mount Hope Neighborhood Association, Observatory Neighborhood Association, the MLK Elementary PTO, City Councilor Nirva LaFortune and the Ward 3 Democratic Committee.
Sharing on behalf of Monica Anderson, neighborhood liaison at Miriam Hospital/Lifespan:
“This event is designed by Mary Flynn, nutritionist at The Miriam Hospital and professor at Brown University.
Ms. Flynn researches and provides workshops on how food can be used to prevent and treat chronic diseases. She developed a plant- based olive oil diet in 1999 and has been researching it since that time. Participants will learn the basics of supporting and improving their health through diet and will enjoy a tasting of one of Mary’s many plant based recipes.
When: Wednesday, April 10, 5:30pm
Where: Marie Langlois Café at The Miriam Hospital
The workshop is free and open to all. Please call The Neighborhood Hotline at (401)793-4040 to reserve your seat.”
SNA members and folks interested in learning more about the organization are welcome to join our board of directors at our annual meeting on Monday, April 29th at 7pm at The Highlands at 101 Highland Avenue! Pizza and beverages will be served. You’ll have the chance to catch up with neighbors, hear about upcoming SNA activities, vote on new officers and board members, and participate in Q&A with State Representative Rebecca Kislak. There is a Facebook event here.
We’re sharing a message from ProvWater:
“Providence Water has scheduled a public information meeting for the Blackstone neighborhood on Tuesday, March 26th at 6:30pm at the Nathan Bishop Middle School located at 101 Sessions Street in Providence. At the meeting, Providence Water will present this year’s water main improvement plans for the Blackstone neighborhood.”
Since the reality is the perceived boundaries of the Blackstone and Summit (“Hope Village” in Nextdoor land) neighborhoods is different than what’s on the official city maps and presumably what ProvWater references, we have asked if they can share the street list for water main upgrades so we know which parts of our neighborhoods this affects, which may help folks decide whether they want to attend. We’ll share that information when we find out.