Raising a glass to 2019 and the year ahead during WBNA’s 2020 Annual Meeting
Over a hundred neighbors packed Pizza J for our Annual Meeting, a festive event that celebrated what we’ve accomplished in 2019, our annual Award winners, and highlights of what’s to come in 2020.
YEAR IN REVIEW
Executive Director Kari Lang walked us through the achievements of our last year and our goals for 2020 with the annual Director’s Report and Year-in-Review presentation.
2019 was marked by important work for both people and place. We celebrated a year that was rich with community building at our monthly Neighborhood Nights meetings and beyond, as we dove into issues such as affordable housing, the Cranston Street Armory’s future, and what neighbors can do in the face of climate change.
We also engaged with unprecedented neighborhood development in 2019. Neighbors and our Community Development Committee weighed in on projects ranging from hotels, to infill mixed-use construction, to the headquarters of Community MusicWorks and Big Nazo. While many of these projects involved a strong public process, WBNA is deeply concerned about one that did not: a recently proposed development of the former Citizens Bank building and adjacent lots at Canonicus Square.
There will be more to come about the Citizens Bank project, as it is the most prominent and impactful development site in the neighborhood, shaping both Cranston and Westminster Streets. Until then, WBNA will continue to join together with other organizations and individuals to stand up for best practices in urban planning, quality construction, human-scale design, and people-centered development that includes affordability.
AWARD WINNERS
President Caleb Borchers, along with WBNA staff members Kari, Rod, and Jessica, presented this year’s WBNA Awards, which honor outstanding service to our community and those who lead initiatives and projects that support the WBNA's mission.
WBNA recognizes the importance of having strong neighborhood schools. We know from our members whose children attend these schools that, every day, there are important successes happening within them that often go unrecognized. To celebrate these successes and the people who work tirelessly and with excellence to make them happen, WBNA has launched a new annual award, the Neighborhood Public School Hero Award!
We congratulate the exemplary educators receiving our inaugural Neighborhood Public School Hero Awards: Gina Sousa from Asa Messer Elementary School, Ekaete Okon from Carl G. Lauro Elementary School, and Angel Brown from West Broadway Middle School.
Our Neighborhood Action Award was presented to Children's Friend for its beautiful restoration of the former Asa Messer School Annex that included neighbors at the planning table. We also thank Children’s Friend for its generous partnership, as it has welcomed West Side Play Space, a WBNA program, into its new building, and has provided ongoing support to our Toy Drive as part of WBNA’s Live Local, Give Local neighborhood giving campaign.
Superlative Steward Awards were given posthumously to Ann Hill and Filomena Lupo, WBNA Board Members whose decades of activism for our community have had a lasting impact. WBNA has been advocating for neighbors since 1983. But there are many who came before us, who in many ways made the work we do today possible. Ann and Filomena’s will to fight for neighbors inspired and taught us, and we are proud to honor their contributions that can still be felt today.
2020 Award Recipients
Neighborhood Action Award
Children’s Friend
Superlative Steward Award
Ann Hill (posthumous)
Superlative Steward Award
Filomena Lupo (posthumous)
Neighborhood Public School Hero Awards
Angel Brown, West Broadway Middle School
Ekaete Okon, Carl G. Lauro Elementary School
Gina Sousa, Asa Messer Elementary School
Our Board
Retiring board members Pam Elizabeth, Melissa Riley, Joe Roch, and David Stuebe were recognized for their work and dedication by Nominating Committee member Dr. Eugenio Fernandez.
Pam, whose volunteerism is deeply appreciated. Melissa, our champion of West Side Thursdays, the Yard Sale, and other WBNA events. Joe, who for years has led the annual House Tour, WBNA’s only fundraiser on which we rely for our operational budget. And David, whose work on social justice issues including affordable housing and housing-insecure community members will continue at WBNA. We will miss you all, but are encouraged knowing that your commitment to the neighborhood continues on!
Dr. Fernandez then led the welcome and voting in of our 2020 Board of Directors. WBNA board members are neighbors who volunteer their time and talents to help guide the organization according to its mission and goals. A public nomination period for board, committee, and award candidates is held in November of each year.
The Year Ahead
In 2020, WBNA will further its advocacy for affordable housing, as we continue to work with Homes RI as an organizational partner, show up at city and state hearings on housing related issues, and plan for expanding and building affordable housing units on WBNA properties such as 1192 Westminster (already containing affordable housing and office units) and our former community garden plot on Bridgham Street.
Another focus in the coming year will be to deepen our support for neighborhood public schools, and explore how we can better serve and connect with the educators, administrators, and families within them. We invite interested neighbors to join in this work through our Neighborhood Public Schools Ad Hoc Committee. As we have for years, we will continue to hold our annual “meet the principals” meeting, and advocate for school resources and facilities improvements.
WBNA events and programs, Neighborhood Nights, fighting for the Cranston Street Armory’s future, and our role as a watchdog for people-centered and human scale development in our urban neighborhood are ongoing, and we invite you to join us in any of this work! We are people powered, and strive to shape our neighborhood as a place for all people, guided by community voice, advocacy, and equity.
WBNA is most appreciative of the warmth and willingness of Pizza J to host this year’s Annual Meeting. We also thank The Feast Church for audio visual support, Board Member Noel Sanchez for translation support, and all neighbors who came out to celebrate with us.