During the Pawtucket Foundation's Annual Meeting, Executive Director, Thomas Mann announced the winner of the Downtown Name-the-Neighborhood contest. DOWNTUCKET, a catchy mashing of Downtown and Pawtucket, submitted by downtown resident and entrepreneur Alison Bologna, was chosen by a judging panel as the winning entry. For her effort, Bologna was presented with a check for $500 and will be recognized by the Foundation at their Seventh Annual Awards Celebration on April 27, 2010. As part of Bologna's submission she citied Downtucket as the kind of unique and edgy name that helps to define an urban district that is already attracting trendsetters. The Foundation pledged to continue working with the City, businesses and residents to develop a marketing campaign around this new name. The naming contest, sponsored by the Times and Alliance Blackstone Valley FCU called for submissions to identify a name for Pawtucket’s downtown neighborhood that markets the positive attributes that make the neighborhood an attractive place to live, work and visit.
The Pawtucket Foundation co-chairman Jack Partridge and executive director Thomas Mann, made a presentation to City Council on April 9, 2009, at the request of City Council president Henry Kinch, Jr. The purpose of the presentation was to articulate the mission focus and recent work of the Foundation and to foster a better collaboration between the efforts of the Foundation, City Council, and City Administration. Executive director Mann made a detailed presentation outlining specific recommendations relating to commuter rail, economic development, and the riverfront. The Foundation's recommendations to the City Council are available here: Recommendations for City Council.pdf
Members
of the community gathered on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 to explore
potential uses for the Pawtucket Congregational Church, 40 Walcott
Street in Pawtucket. The Church is for sale with two goals determined
by the congregation: the historic architecture of the building is to be
preserved and the building's use must benefit the community. The
planning charrette, hosted by the Pawtucket Foundation, proposed six
potential uses for the church, then asked participants to spend one
hour exploring those ideas or other concepts in small groups. Results
from each group were presented. Over 40 people offered input during
the charrette.
A full report of the charrette's findings is
currently being tabulated and will be available in the near future.
The Pawtucket Time's article is available online at: Congregational Church future subject of talks.
On Saturday, August 2, 2008 Bristol County Savings Bank Charitable Foundation honored The Pawtucket Foundation and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. As part of their sponsorship of the Pawtucket Red Sox Bobblehead Doll night, (children 12 and under received a free Pedroia Bobblehead doll upon entrance into the ball park) Bristol County Bank officials honored two organizations in Pawtucket for their hard work and dedication. Members of Foundation staff and Board of Directors were called out to the pitcher's mound and presented with a donation in the amount of $19,500!
Bristol County Savings Bank has always been an enthusiastic supporter of the Foundation and the initiatives in which we are involved. This generous contribution from the Bank—their annual contribution--represents the single largest contribution to the Foundation this year. We thank Dennis Kelly and Michele Roberts of Bristol County Savings Bank for their continued support.