Mayor Donald R. Grebien welcomed the newest members of the Pawtucket Housing Authority Board of Commissioners after a brief swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, May 10 at Pawtucket City Hall. The new additions bring the expanded board to a total of seven members.

 From left, Reinaldo Nieves, who was appointed by the mayor to a five-year term, Mayor Grebien, Stephen Vadnais, executive director of the PHA, and Raymond Gannon, appointed to a four-year term 

GREETINGS.

Mayor Donald R. Grebien (left) greets The Honorable Jorge Figueiredo (center), Mayor of the Island of Sal, Cape Verde, on Thursday, May 3 at City Hall. Also enjoying the conversation are (from left) Sal City Councilor Luceth dos Santos, Romana Ramos of city-based Cape Verdean American Community Development, Administration Director Antonio Pires and City Councilor Jean Philippe Barros.

PAWTUCKET – Mayor Donald R. Grebien along with several other city notables greeted The Honorable Jorge Figueiredo, Mayor of the Island of Sal, Cape Verde, on Thursday, May 3 when the two mayors also exchanged gifts to signify the friendly relations between the two municipalities in an informal ceremony in the City Council Chamber, City Hall.

 Grebien was joined by City Councilor Jean Philippe Barros, who is of Cape Verdean descent, Romana Ramos, who heads the board of directors for downtown-based Cape Verdean American Community Development, Police Chief Paul King and several other city police officers who are of Portuguese or Cape Verdean descent.

EXCHANGE OF GIFTS.

Enjoying an exchange of gifts to mark the visit on Thursday, May 4 of Mayor Jorge Figueiredo (center) of the Island of Sal, Cape Verde, are (from left), City Councilor Jean Philippe Barros, Dayana Dalgado, communications director for Mayor Figueiredo, Tito Fernandes of the USAL Association, Cape Verde, Sal City Councilor Mira Lima, Romana Ramos of Cape Verdean Community Development in Pawtucket, Mayor Figueiredo, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, Sal City Councilor Luceth dos Santos, Police Lt. Roberto DaSilva.

Among those accompanying Mayor Figueiredo, who is known in his country by the honorific of Presidente da Camara, were two members of the Sal City Council, Luceth dos Santos and Mira Lima.

Mayor Figueiredo was also a guest at a dinner in his honor held
Saturday, May 5 at Rosinha’s restaurant in Hope Artiste Village,
Pawtucket.

CELEBRATING HERITAGE.

Pawtucket officials of Portuguese or Cape Verdean descent helped Mayor Donald R. Grebien greet the mayor of the Island of Sal, Cape Verde and other dignitaries in an informal ceremony on Thursday, May 3 at City Hall. (From left) Police Majors Arthur Martins and Bruce Moreau, Romana Ramos of city-based Cape Verdean American Community Development, Sal City Councilor Mira Lima, Police Chief Paul King, Sal Mayor the Honorable Jorge Figueiredo, Mayor Grebien, Sal City Councilor Luceth dos Santos, Police Lts. Roberto DaSilva and Napolean Gonsalves, City Councilor Jean Philippe Barros.

The municipality of Sal, one of the 10 islands which comprise the nation of Cape Verde, is named after the Portuguese word for salt, reflecting the extensive salt deposits discovered there. The economy of Sal, which experiences almost year-round sunshine and is noted for its white-sand beaches, later came to be based on fishing and today relies chiefly on tourism . It is also home to the Amilcar Cabral International Airport, named for the leader of the movement that resulted in the creation of the Republic of Cape Verde as an independent nation in 1975.

 The 2010 U.S. census lists Rhode Island with 20,680 residents of Cape Verdean descent. In recent decades, Pawtucket, the Dorchester section of Boston and Brockton, Mass. have been among the fastest growing new homes for members of the Cape Verdean community coming to the U.S.

From left, Sen. Donna Nesselbush, state General Treasurer Gina Raimondo and Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts

STATE HOUSE – Sen. Donna M. Nesselbush (D-Dist. 15, Pawtucket) was honored among the top female political leaders during the YWCA of Northern Rhode Island’s fourth annual Women Holding Office Celebration at Bryant University on April 30.

“As a female and a legislator, I am proud to accept the 2012 Isabelle Ahearn O’Neill Award from the YWCA of Northern Rhode Island,” Senator Nesselbush said. “We need more women in government because we need a better world, a better country, a better state and better communities. Women are uniquely qualified to make a difference on all of these fronts. We make up more than half of all voters, yet men hold 75 percent of public office. The disparity is shocking.”

Senator Nesselbush added, “Women need to help each other, speak truth to power and hold the bar high for changes Rhode Island desperately needs. We must work together to bridge the divide between those who vote for elected officials and those who become elected officials. The next generation craves women leaders, now more than ever.”

Isabelle Ahearn O’Neill was the first female legislator elected in Rhode Island in 1922. Other recipients of the award included former U.S. Rep. Claudine Schneider, Bristol Town Administrator Diane Mederos, state General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, former state Sen. Myrth York, who was also a Democratic candidate for governor; and Nancy Stevens, a former member of the East Providence School Committee. Providence City Councilor Sabina Matos and state Rep. Teresa Tanzi were also recognized as “rising political stars” during the ceremony.

PAWTUCKET – Volunteer snow-shovelers who pitched in so that more than 40 of their elderly and disabled neighbors could have clear walks and driveways following the winter’s two storms were honored with mayoral citations and a pizza party on April 24 at City Hall.

The snow-shoveling brigade, drawn from students in schools around the city, received praise from Mayor Donald R. Grebien and Seniors Liaison Beth Roberge, who organized the effort.

Students pictured with Mayor Donald R. Grebien (right rear) and Seniors Liaison Beth Roberge (center) who were honored for their volunteer snow-shoveling work last winter are,

from Goff Junior High School, Steven Stowik, Jacob Magliette, Christian Ward, Edward Dufresne, Julio Concepcion, John Toth;

from Blessed Pope John Paul II Confirmation Group, Joseph Groves; from Jenks Junior High, Jimmy Rodrigues, George Fernandes, John Hennigan, Kwadwo Armah-Yeboah, Joselyn Par, Isayra Marines, Betty Alverez;

from Jacqueline M. Walsh School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Daniel Jaramillo, Fallyn Ostapchuk, Lureena Cornwell, Charissa Menard, Meladine Moreira, Micheal Cosby, Theresa Cornwell; from St. Teresa School, Ryan Ziegelmeyer, Peter Spetelunas, Tommy Huynh, Justine Jackson, Dylan Malo, Victoria Varone, Erika Spetelunas.

Not pictured: Leandra Dooley, Tyler Dooley, Joana Brown, Alyssa Erikson, Edgar Oliva, Janikka Costa, Nidia Ochoa, Bintu Fofana,
Jillian Booth.

The John Street Crew

Payne Park Volunteers

According to Arthur Plitt of the Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket and an organizer of  the cleanup a total of about 35 tons of refuse was collected.

Fueling The Team At Galego Court

The Barton Street Band

Scores of volunteers worked at six major sites plus several ancillary sites.

 Moshassuck River/San Antonio Way Good Scouts

Activities at Galego Ct. and 560 Prospect St. were in cooperation with the Pawtucket Housing Authority.

Urban Farmers Food Prep At Galego Center

Pitching In At Prospect Street

Green Penguin provided extensive recycling of electronic goods

Prospect Park Big Group Effort

Payne Park/Woodlawn Community Center Clean Up

Food was under supervision of New Urban Farmers, led by Emily Jodka and Bleu Grijalva.

 Photos are courtesy of Mayor Grebien’s Office

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will join Governor Lincoln Chafee, Senator Jack Reed and Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Director Michael Lewis for the grand opening of the Wickford Junction Train Station and Garage on Monday, April 23, 2012 at the new facility at 1011 Ten Rod Road in North Kingstown, RI.

Prior to the North Kingstown festivities, a special ceremonial Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) train will travel from Providence Station to the InterLink at T.F. Green Airport and onto Wickford Junction. This train is scheduled to leave Providence at 10:15 a.m. and arrive in Wickford at 10:50 a.m.

The event will begin at the new train station at 11:00 a.m., with a speaking program at 11:30 a.m.

The Wickford Junction Train Station and Garage was designed and built through a Public/Private Partnership with RIDOT and the developers of Wickford Junction. The Station is a critical component of South County Commuter Rail expansion and the service it provides was designed to help alleviate peak hour congestion by getting vehicles off the highway, specifically the Route 4/I-95 corridor. Construction started in September 2010, and the project was completed in March 2012 through a $25 million contract with Manafort Brothers, Inc. 

 This year we have Free Electronic Recycling courtesy of Green Penguin, be collecting at Galego Court at 483 Weeden St. in Pawtucket. Bring your old TVs, radios, VCRs, DVDs, computers, and other E-waste to recycle and not fill up our landfills. We need Plastic Bags too!

Help us set a Guinness-style record for plastic bags collected by bringing your extra plastic bags to deposit in the RI Recycling Bag Boxes at the 6 sites. Some boxes are already located now at Pawtucket Housing, Woodlawn Community Center, Drop your bags in now or at the Cleanup!

 Our Kleen Up takes place annually at Earth Day.  We join the millions of people who volunteer nationwide.  Pawtucket and Central Falls are proud to take part in our nation’s largest community improvement program.  More information about the cleanup and the Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket can be found at facebook.com as well as at the website:

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/NAP-_Neighborhood_Alliance_of_Pawtucket/pages.

 The various neighborhood cleanups are located at:

• The Barton Street Tot Lot by Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporation
• Galego Court & Pond by Pawtucket Housing Authority & NAP & FOTM
• 560 Prospect St. by the Pawtucket Housing Authority & NAP
• Payne Park by Woodlawn Neighborhood Association & NAP
• Mineral Spring@ San Antonio @ the Moshassuck River areas by the Friends of the Moshassuck, Pawtucket Boy Scouts & Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket
• The John St  Playground by Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket

 Anyone interested in making a difference for just an hour or more by volunteering should meet at Galego Ct. or the site of their choice at 9am or call for any questions at (401) 726-1173 x 22.

 Sponsors for this year’s event include the City of Pawtucket, Pawtucket Housing Authority, New Urban Farmers, Green Penguin, Pawtucket Citizens Development Corp. and the NAP-Neighborhood Alliance of Pawtucket.

Left to right: Team Leader, Rotarian Inderjit Singh Grewel,  Dr. Muskaan Dogra,  Dr. Arvind Sharma,  Pawtucket Rotary Club President Colin Murray,  Pawtucket Rotarian and local District  Chairman of the Group Study Exchange Program William Hunt,  Dr. Manraj Kaur Gill,  and Amit Sharma. 

Joan Holden (foreground) and her husband David Holden
(background), nephew of the late Selena Caidin, are interviewed by the media after passing on the donations she bequeathed to the city animal  shelter and public library.

PAWTUCKET – A late former city teacher with a passion for children’s education and caring for animals was praised by top city leaders Friday as they accepted major donations she bequeathed to her favorite causes.

Selena Caidin, who lived at 29 Walcott St. and for many years taught home economics at Jenks Junior High School, was six months past her 100th birthday when she passed away last summer.

Friday morning, in a check-passing ceremony at the Paul J. Wildenhain Memorial Animal Shelter at Slater Park, the legacy of her passions was assured with checks for $40,000 each to the volunteers fund at the animal shelter and to the Pawtucket Public Library.

Appearing for the family to present the donations was David Holden, nephew of Caidin, director of the Providence Animal Shelter and a retired city police officer, with his wife Joan, their son Sgt. David Holden and his wife, Erin.

“This is a wonderful thing for our family to do and to do it in her
memory,” said Joan Holden. “She was a very generous woman. She always had a cat and the cat kept her company. She had a strong love for animals,” adopting several from the city shelter.

David Holden, nephew of the late Selena Caidin, his wife Joan standing to his left, passes a $40,000 check for care of the animals at the Paul J. Wildenhain Memorial Animal Shelter to Michelle Howard, who heads the shelter’s volunteers group. Also attending the ceremony in Slater Park were (from left) City Councilors Mark Wildenhain and Albert Vitali Jr., Library Director Susan Reed, who received a $40,000 check bequeathed for the library, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, Animal Control Supervisor John Holmes, and Erin and Sgt. David Holden.

“She loved to see the people coming into the building as well as
(seeing) the animals,” recalled Animal Control Supervisor John Holmes. “Just a nice, nice lady.” Holmes said the donation “is going to make a big difference for us.”

“It means a lot to the city,” said Mayor Donald R. Grebien. “We can’t thank the Caidin and the Holden families enough for the donations,” and its support for “the programs we need to have.”

Library Director Susan Reed noted that the activity room, following City Council action Wednesday, will now be marked in honor of Selena and her late husband Samuel Caidin.

Michelle Howard, who heads the volunteers fund, noted all the proceeds will be strictly dedicated to care of the animals.

“She was a wonderful person and a great animal lover, and after her passing we missed having her around,” said Holmes.

Caidin, who lived at 29 Walcott St., has assured that her presence at the Paul J. Wildenhain Memorial Animal Shelter will not be forgotten, leaving a $40,000 donation for the nonprofit volunteer group that helps care for the shelter’s population. The fund is set up so that all of its proceeds are dedicated exclusively to care of the animals.

Caidin similarly bequeathed a $40,000 donation to the Samuel Caidin Fund at the Pawtucket Public Library. The fund, which she established in the name of her late husband after his death in 1965, is for the benefit of younger library patrons.

A check-passing ceremony that will include members of Caidin’s family will be held on Friday, April 13 at 10:30 a.m. at the Wildenhain Animal Shelter.

“She loved animals and she loved helping children, and the family is happy that her gifts will benefit causes she supported all her life,” said David Holden, nephew of Caidin and director of the Providence Animal Shelter.

Mayor Donald R. Grebien, who will attend the ceremony, praised Caidin’s generosity. “She leaves a great legacy of kindness and caring for children and for animals, and the city is grateful that legacy will continue in such a positive way,” he said.

The ceremony will be open to the public.

 Note: The Wildenhain Animal Shelter is located in the southeast corner of Slater Park.