RI Pride relocates to new digs in Providence
Rhode Island Pride recently settled into roomy new digs at 180 Allens Avenue, near Conley's Wharf. The organization had occupied office space at 58 Seymour Street in Providence, RI for the last 10 years.
Recently, the building which houses Pride was sold to Meeting Street School, which plans to convert the land into an athletic field.
Pride was given a limited amount of time to vacate the space and find new offices before mid-February.
Fortunately, the new facility has enough space for the organization to conduct regular meetings and trainings, in addition to providing storage space for equipment and paraphernalia. The search for a new location had included East Providence and Pawtucket.
However, Pride co-chairs Rodney Davis and Kurt Bagley preferred that Pride remain in Providence, where most of the organization's activities take place. The office is just a few minutes from downtown and is easily accessible from I-95.
In order to help with the increased rent and heating expenses, Pride has also launched a major fundraising drive, with a goal of raising $50,000. The need for money resulted from a shortfall of revenue, according to Davis.
Last year Pride was forced to relocate from Station Park, which held the festival for many years, to nearby Burnside Park. The use of the park and the Fleet skating rink drove costs up for the organization.
"This new location required that we take on additional expenses for personnel from the city, so that's where a lot of our surplus began to go. The flow of money coming in slowed down," Davis says.
Pride is encouraging people in the community to host house parties to raise money. The organization is also seeking sponsorships from local businesses.
For more information about Rhode Island Pride, go to www.prideri.com or call 401-467-2130. There will be an open house at the new Rhode Island Pride offices on Friday, March 28.