Real Jobs RI Grantees Presentation At Red, White & Brew

Community Provider Network of RI (CPNRI) Project Director, Jenna Husted, greeted the guests and introduced guest speakers from three organizations currently funded by Real Jobs RI. Eight of the RIDDC Self-Employment Project’s small business owners presented information on their new businesses to key staff from Real Jobs RI (Jessica Mayernik, Talia DeVincenzis and Maryoli Vargas) from the RI Department of Labor & Training (DLT) at the new home of Red, White and Brew in Warwick. RIDDC’s Self-Employment Project Director Sue Babin provided background information on the project, along with her thanks on behalf of the small business owners to the Dept. of Labor & Training’s grant and CPNRI for their continued support for the project. The project has helped support over 140 aspiring entrepreneurs in the 8-class series, 3 times each year for the past five years, as well as launch their businesses, sell their wares at local marketplaces and benefit from mini-grants to reimburse some of the capital investments they made. The day’s events featured current class participants as well as graduates who had the ideal opportunity to practice their elevator pitch as well as show their products to a receptive group. A few sales were made, too! Ryan Garlo, Robert Brosnahan, Rachel Ferreira, Renee Metro, Kathy Gudmunson, Carol Bruins, Michael Coyne, and Katie Lowe participated. Photography, wood carved gifts, stained glass artistry, greeting card and pressed flower creations, coffee/pastry shop, and disabilities advocate/training specialist represent the wide array of talent and creativity of RIDDC’s small business owners. Host Red, White & Brew Coffee Café and The Budding Violet, its consignment, retail counterpart are among the charter classes of this project, and are currently completing construction of their new home in Warwick, in what will become triple the size of its first home in North Smithfield. In addition, Looking Upwards project staff Andrea Rodrigues and Perspectives project staff Adrienne Tipple both presented information on their Real Jobs RI grants to train people with disabilities to learn necessary skills to become direct support staff. Today’s presentation was an opportunity for the RIDDC, Looking Upwards and Perspectives to share project information but even more important for people with disabilities to proudly talk about their small businesses or future jobs and how funding from DLT has assisted people to be part of RI’s local economy.