All RWU freshmen taking part in Feinstein Community Connections program on Monday

BRISTOL, RI ­­– Every member of the freshman class at Roger Williams University will take part in the Feinstein Community Connections program on Monday, fanning out to do community work at 33 sites across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.

In all, some 1,300 students will take part in the 13th annual event, which this year is named for Rhode Island philanthropist Alan Shawn Feinstein, who funds the Feinstein Leadership Scholarship program at RWU. When this year’s work is complete, RWU students will have provided more than 69,500 hours of community service since the program began in 2005.

This year, for example, more than 150 students will work at the Sharing the Harvest Community Farm at the YMCA in South Dartmouth, Mass., helping to pick fresh produce for local food pantries. Also, about 100 students will work with local residents on the Bristol tree mapping project, working with the Rhode Island Tree Council and the Bristol Conservation Commission.

President Donald J. Farish said RWU is a private university working for the public good, aiming to build the university that world needs now, so it wants the entire freshman class to take part in community projects right at the start – before classes begin on Wednesday.

“We are linking them back to our value system and preparing people for life in a community,” Farish said. “Strengthening our society means not just producing well-educated students but also producing good citizens who contribute to their local communities.”

K.C. Ferrara, director of the Feinstein Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement at RWU, said, “We are the only school in Rhode Island that does this on this scale and one of only a handful in New England. We are emphasizing to students, before they even get into a class, how seriously the university takes its mission and purpose to strengthen society through engaged teaching and learning.”

New sites this year include the Providence Children’s Museum, the Roger Williams National Memorial and the Aldrich Head Start Center in Fall River, Mass. Here is the full list of sites:

1. Aldrich Head Start Center, 295 Harrison St., Fall River, Mass.
2. Artists’ Exchange, 50 Rolfe Square, Cranston, R.I.
3. Bristol Tree Mapping, corner of High and Court Streets, (Bristol State House), Bristol, R.I.
4. Camp Ok-Wa-Nessett, 900 Centerville Road, Warwick, R.I.
5. Center for Reconciliation, 275 N. Main St., Providence, R.I.
6. Coggeshall Farm Museum, 1 Colt Drive, Bristol, R.I.
7. Downtown Providence Parks, 2 Kennedy Plaza, Providence, R.I.
8. Fort Adams, 90 Fort Adams Lane, Newport, R.I.
9. Franklin Court Assisted Living, 180 Franklin St., Bristol, R.I.
10. Franklin Court Independent Living, 150 Franklin St., Bristol, R.I.
11. Highlander Charter School, 360 Market St., Warren, R.I.
12. King Park Newport, Wellington Ave., Newport, R.I.
13. Life Inc. (The Brass), 16 Cutler St., Warren, R.I.
14. Lucy’s Hearth, 19 Valley Road, Middletown, R.I.
15. Maher Center, 14 Puritan Drive, Barrington, R.I.
16. Miantonomi Memorial Park, Hillside Avenue, Newport, R.I.
17. My Brother’s Keeper, 999 Reed Road, Dartmouth, Mass.
18. Portsmouth Senior Center, 110 Old Ferry Road, Portsmouth, R.I.
19. Providence Center, 1080 North Main St., Providence, R.I.
20. Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South St., Providence, R.I.
21. Providence Books Through Bars, 42 Lenox Ave., Providence, R.I.
22. Roger Williams National Memorial, 282 N. Main St., Providence, R.I.
23. Roger Williams University shoreline cleanup, 1 Old Ferry Road, Bristol, R.I.
24. Roger Williams University tree mapping, 1 Old Ferry Road, Bristol, R.I.
25. Sandywoods Farm, 43 Muse Way, Tiverton, R.I.
26. Save the Bay, Bristol shoreline, Bristol, R.I.
27. Sharing the Harvest Community Farm, 276 Gulf Road, Dartmouth, Mass.
28. Southside Community Land Trust, 483 Leonard Jenard Drive, Pawtucket, R.I.
29. Southside Cultural Center, 393 Broad St., Providence, R.I.
30. St. John’s Church, 61-63 Poplar St., Newport, R.I.
31. Westport Town Farm, 830 Drift Road, Westport, Mass.
32. Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, 45 Eagle St., Providence, RI
33. YMCA Camp Watchaug, 160 Prosser Trail, Charlestown, R.I.

Students will be working at the sites between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, wearing bright yellow T-shirts. The media are invited to interview students at any of the sites. Look for team leaders wearing blue T-shirts.

About RWU: With campuses on the coast of Bristol and in the heart of Providence, R.I., Roger Williams University is a forward-thinking private university committed to strengthening society through engaged teaching and learning. At RWU, small classes, direct access to faculty and guaranteed opportunity for real-world projects ensure that its nearly 4,000 undergraduates – along with hundreds of law students, graduate students and adult learners – graduate with the ability to think critically along with the practical skills that today’s employers demand. Roger Williams is leading the way in American higher education, confronting the most pressing issues facing students and families – increasing costs, rising debt and job readiness.