Come Back Soon for
Photo Highlights of the Celebration of the Legacy
of George A. Wiley Event
at CAV on June 24th
Our Mission: The George Wiley Center is a statewide group actively committed to local community organizing for the purpose of creating social and economic justice through changes in public policy.
Thank you to all for your thoughts and prayers for the complete and speedy recovery of our founder and director Henry Shelton.
Evidently, it is having a tremendous impact. GWC board member Maggi Rogers held a strategy planning meeting with Henry at his
temporary "office" at Kent County Hospital on Saturday, January 9, and he is getting stronger every day.
We expect him back at the helm before long. Henry is particularly encouraged to know our members are keeping the pressure on
the state's policy-makers, having held two actions in the past week.
Our New Year's resolutions for Governor Carcieri were delivered on December 30, 2009 and our rally in
support of Representative Art Handy's affordable energy legislation was well attended at the statehouse on January 4, 2010.
A copy of the resolutions to the Governor follows:
1. That the Governor, along with our congressional delegation, urge President Obama to initiate a pilot public jobs program for RI and the nation similar to FDR’s Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s.
2. That Governor Carcieri order the shorter food stamp application be implemented and made available no later than Mon, Jan. 4 and that food stamp offices be opened each Saturday starting on January 9 for needy people.
3. That DLT Director Sandra Powell hire 40 new workers and train them as soon as possible so that the waiting period for the unemployed can be shortened considerably.
4. That Deborah Gist recommend each RI community pilot a breakfast in the classroom program in at least one school (as Central Falls has recently done) so that RI can rise from one of the bottom states in the nation to one of the leaders in serving breakfast to low-income schoolchildren, improving scholastic grades and overall health of students.
5. That Dr. David Gifford push for the 35, 000 people on WIC to be able to use EBT cards to purchase food instead of the cumbersome coupons that currently exist in RI.
6. That new EDC Director Keith Stokes stress expansion of the food stamp program as a major conduit for millions of new federal dollars to assist the RI economy.
7. That Governor Carcieri offer strong support for the Affordable Energy Legislation currently being finalized by Representative Art Handy’s commission in the House of Representative.
8. Expedite implementation of weatherization programs to help keep families warm while also expanding green jobs in RI.
