Kids Go Green - Sidewalk Art Draws Sustainability Interest

It was great to see the Main Street Gazebo Walkways bustling with children and families for the First Annual Kids Go Green - Sidewalk Art event on July 28 as part of the Classic Car Festival.

The competition brought out 25 talented kids ranging from age 3 to 14 to draw their vision of environmental awareness and sustainability themes. Recycling, alternative transportation, water preservation, and energy conservation were some of the major themes drawn. John Bergdoll, West Warwick's Sustainability Business Coordinator and Kids Go Green judge, said all the kids expressed a sincere concern and commitment to environmental sensitivity and a more sustainable lifestyle for themselves, their families and their schools.

All kids and families who participated are winners and were personally thanked for their involvement and commitment.Each kid received a thank you bag of valuable coupons and giveaways from West Warwick businesses. Local sponsors generously gave over $700 in prize coupons, giveaways and cash.

West Warwick is grateful to our local businesses for their support and commitment to the Kids Go Green Sidewalk Art event. Their leadership in the sustainability effort is helping reshape West Warwick's new identity as a sustainability leader. Little changes do make a big impact.

Kudos to our Local Sponsors:
Target, D'Angelo, Citizen's Bank, Little Rhody Ice Cream, Crazy Apparel, KickBoxing, Trader Joe's, Picardi's Ice Cream & Coffee House, New York Ferrucci's System, Lucy Envisions, and Subway.

Flower Plantings add Charm and Curb Appeal to Main Street

Main Street looks a little brighter now that nine street planters have been spruced up with new flower plantings. Thanks to an initiative from the Sustainability Business Group, Christine Palazzolo, Chieh Hsu, and Monkeea Stateson teamed up with Jack Lancelotta and the JAYCEES volunteers to clean out the neglected planters and fill them with Stella Doras, petuneas, and other greenery.

Wal-Mart generously donated $100 worth of plants to help beautify the Arctic Business District. The West Warwick Department of Public Works also contributed to the effort by offering the much needed ground soil.

The plants are low maintenance but they need to be watered daily. We are hoping the nearby store owners will remember to give the flowers a drink every day to keep these flowers looking beautiful.

Thank you to all who participated in making Main Street a little more beautiful.

Kids Go Green - Sidewalk Event. Why are we focusing on kids?

Firstly, we have focused on children for this activity because children represent hope. Every person has experienced a moment in their life where they have taken something for granted, but there is something that people all over the world are taking for granted every day: clean air, clean drinking water, and healthy food. These vital resources are at risk unless we adopt more sustainable behaviors and teach our future generations to be wise stewards of our planet.

Being sustainable means that we should be able to take care of our needs, all while and allowing future generations and all living things to take care of their needs as well. We are all interconnected. We only have one planet with limited resources. Unfortunately, our vital resources are not an indefinite supply, and if we don’t take care of it and protect them, we may lose them forever. By sharing information and raising awareness with our youngest generation, we can create a solid foundation today to make a significant impact tomorrow.

Pro Jo Features West Warwick's Social Media Efforts

The Providence Journal has written about West Warwick's efforts to make government as transparent and interactive as possible through social media. We're excited to have the coverage and the encouragement to keep moving forward with this effort.

We look forward to your comments and ideas, please keep them coming!

Family Resource Fair

The West Warwick Family Resource Fair will take place tomorrow from 5 to 8 pm at the John F. Deering Middle School - 2 Webster Knight Drive, West Warwick.

This will be a great event for parents and family to learn what resources are available to them.

Fair participants will include:

A Wish Come True	Elizabeth Buffum Chase House	Sodexho Food Services
American Cancer Society	Gateway Healthcare, Inc.	Special Olympics of Rhode Island
American Diabetes Association	Housing Network of R.I.	State of RI/ Housing Resources Commission
American Heart Association	INSIGHT	Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force
Arthritis Foundation	Kent County YMCA	Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Arctic Village Association	Kent County YMCA After School Program	The Autism Project of Rhode Island
Arctic Mission	Kids First	The Groden Center, Inc.
Beltone New England	Lend a Hand Therapeutic Horseback Riding	The Homestead Group
Books Are Wings	Lifespan Community Health Services	The Kent Center
Boy Scouts/ Troop 1 Arctic	Lifespan Community Health Services	The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Brain Injury Association of Rhode Island	March of Dimes	The Samaritans
Care Net- RI	Meeting Street School	The Tomorrow Fund
Caritas House	Money Management International (CCCS)	Thundermist Health Center
CEDARR/ About Families	Neighborhood Health Plan	Tides Family Services
Centreville Bank	Office of Child Support Services	Trudeau Center
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry/RI Hospital	Options for Working Families	United HealthCare Medicaid
CHILD, Inc	PACE Organization of Rhode Island	United Health Care
Children's Friend	Pawtuxet Valley Preservation & Historical Society	West Warwick Fire Dept.
Citizens Bank	Randolph Savings bank	West Warwick Housing Authority
Community Asthma/ Draw a Breath Program	RI Grand Lodge of Masons/ CHIP Program	West Warwick JayCees of Kent County
Cornerstone School		West Warwick Public Library
Coventry Credit Union	RI Hospital/ Neuro Development Center	West Warwick Senior Center
DARE Program	RI Parent Information Network	West Warwick Wizards
Dept. of Children, Youth & Families	RI Women's Cancer Screening Program	West Bay Community Action, Inc.
Dept. of Labor & Training	SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions)	WestBay Community Action, Inc.
Diocese of Providence	Sensational Child, Inc.	Lead Hazard Education & Outreach
Discovery House	SNAP (Food Stamp) Outreach Program	WestBay Collaborative
Down Syndrome Society of RI	Social Security Administration

A Royal Night

The Pawtuxet Valley Chamber of Commerce held the 3rd annual Royal Night Stroll at the Royal Mills apartments. It was a fantastic event - completely sold out - with numerous vendors, and countless individuals donating time and resources to help add to the strength and health of our local economy.

The Town is grateful to those who donated and to those who attended. A special thanks to Diane Wilson, Executive Director of the Chamber for all the work she put in on behalf of her 31 bosses!

We hope to see you there next year, and welcome any ideas you may have on how to make West Warwick a better place to work and do business.

Please drop your idea in the West Warwick Idea Factory on IdeaScale.