'Townie Project' Fundraising Kicking Off

Starting this weekend, the “Townie Project” kicks off several fundraising events to help raise $90,000 to restore the East Providence High School gymnasium back to its glory days.

The first fundraiser is tonight -- a pasta dinner at 5:30 pm in the high school cafeteria. The cost is $10 and there will be music and a raffle.

"It will be a fun night for everyone," said Shane Messier, the dean of students at the high school and one of the most active volunteers in the grassroots effort to renovate the gym.

Then on Saturday, May 25, the Townie 5K run or walk will start at 9 am at the high school. It, too, will include music and a host of other activities, including a BBQ, to turn the event into a festival, said Messier.

Then next Saturday, June 2, there will be a Bowl-a-Thon at the Bowling Academy from 4 to 6 pm. That’s designed primarily to get high school students and teachers involved as much as possible. 

“We’re looking for teams,” said Messier, who has issued a challenge to the School Committee and the City Council to form their own teams. 

Three weeks after the Bowl-a-Thon, on June 22, there will be a motorcycle run, a pig roast and a fun day planned at the Whiskey Republic nightclub in Providence, he said. 

"That's really an adult event," Messier said.

You can more details on all these events at the website for D'Amours Step, the nonprofit organization that jumpstarted the Townie Project. 

D'Amours Step was started by 1999 East Providence High School graduate John Carnevale, a mechanical engineer for Raytheon in California. The nonprofit is building a medical center in Uganda and providing medical care and education to other communities worldwide. 

"He wants the gym to be his first project in East Providence," said Messier, who participates in a weekly conference call with Carnevale and 15 to 50 other volunteers. 

"We want to show people we can came together and do what we need to do to make Townie Pride mean something again," Messier said. “We want to bring East Providence back to where it used to be through a facility that everyone can use." 

The gymnasium restoration includes replacing the bleachers, repainting the walls and refinishing the floors in the 60-year-old facility. A September opening of the refurbished facility is anticipated.

Over the next few weeks, the fundraisers are expected to go a long way toward making the Townie Project a reality.