Annual Meeting - Celebrating 10 Years of Empowering RI Youth
The Empowerment Factory (TEF), celebrating 10 years as an organization, will host its Annual Meeting, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, from 5:30 – 7:30pm, at The Hope Artiste Village, 999 Main Street, Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Admission is FREE to friends and supporters of TEF and an RSVP is greatly appreciated here: https://empowermentfactory.org/2024-annual-meeting/.
Guests can look forward to a purpose-filled evening supporting local at-risk youth, opening with socializing and refreshments, a special art activity, a 50-50 raffle and other prizes, followed by a 6:30pm award recognition ceremony honoring community partners and volunteers.
“People can make a real difference in the lives of the children of Rhode Island by collaborating with us,” said Gail Ahlers, Founder and Executive Director of The Empowerment Factory (TEF). Ahlers often encourages community members to become more involved through volunteerism, advocacy, and general support.
“We are at a pivotal time in the evolution of our organization as we strive to help more children with quality programming,” she said. “We invite you to get involved by attending the annual meeting. It’s a great opportunity to discover more about how we change the trajectory of children’s lives in a positive direction.”
Natalie Benkovich, President of The Empowerment Factory Board of Directors, said, “In the next decade, TEF is poised to elevate the quality and scope of its programs providing children throughout Rhode Island with the skills they need to lead happier, healthier, more empowered lives. TEF promotes creativity, self-esteem, and civic pride, while helping children from low-income areas to feel seen and able to play an integral role in the world.”
Additional board members include: Judy Cepeda, Vice President, Melissa Hamlin, Treasurer; Karen King, Secretary, Alicia Fernandez; Julianne Brown; Lucia Bernice Delaroca; Lysa Teal; Stephen Larbi; Hope Ricciotti.
This year’s honorees are:
Community Partner: TEF is honoring Old Slater Mill, part of the Blackstone River Valley National Park, for their partnership to offer summertime field trips to 400 Pawtucket elementary students to this national historic landmark. Old Slater Mill is considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Check out the video about this field trip on YouTube.
Community Champion: Sandra Cano, former Director of Commerce for the City of Pawtucket, has been a steady friend and supporter of The Empowerment Factory since the organization was established a decade ago. She served as a Rhode Island State Senator for District 8 and as Chair for the Education and International Women’s Day Committees. She is known as a strong proponent of Pawtucket education, particularly among multilingual learners.
Volunteer of the Year: Allison Soriano is valued for her commitment and dedication to programming and outreach. She is an asset to the team in the office and at our popular Art in the Park events.
Young Artists: Marium and Ibrahim Ansari, Pawtucket residents and elementary students, are being recognized for their participation and persistence in creative endeavors at Art in the Park and Nature Drawing programming. TEF staff and volunteers are enthusiastic about their continued creative journey.
Founded in 2014 by Gail Ahlers, Executive Director and ‘Ambassador of Joy,’ The Empowerment Factory (TEF), provides Rhode Island youth with a wide range of enrichment programs to encourage every child to feel they matter and can make a difference in the world. TEF has created solid partnerships with a range of school, youth and government organizations to conduct in-school, after school and summer learning for Rhode Island elementary students with a focus on Pawtucket, Central Falls and Providence, where two-thirds of children live below the poverty line. School programming combined with well-attended community events, TEF’s mission has had a positive impact on more than 8,000 youth, primarily from underserved communities.
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/2722690-0
