THE HARRIET WARE SOCIETY (as of March 31, 2012)

Alida J. Anderson

Mildred A. G. Anderson

Lillian Barton

Mabelle H. Chappelle

Walter L. Davol

Theakston Decoppett

Louise Dempster

Dodenhoff Family

Alexander Grant

Griffin Family

Cornelia Howell

Kimberly I. McCarthy, Esq.

Aimee G. Mitchell

Emma Myrick

Horace G. Peck

Stephen Peck

Florence Y. Petri

Martha Shepard

Laura B. Sims

Charlotte Lumb Swift

Imogene Watson

HARRIET WARE AND CHILDREN'S FRIEND

It was 1834 when a young, single school teacher arrived in Providence shocked to see overcrowded and dilapidated homes, teeming with unwanted children who were malnourished, filthy and shoeless, some working 14-hour days in one of the many local cotton mills. There was no universal school, no laws regulating child labor, but there was plenty of suffering.

That teacher, Harriet Ware, appealed to churches for donations and asked the community to contribute whatever they could to help. Within two years, she founded The Children’s Friends Society, opened a home for the young with no other place to go, and took in 40 children.

Today, Children’s Friend is serving a record 32,000 people across our small state, 96 percent of whom have incomes below the poverty level and the majority of whom are in extreme poverty.

We have launched a bequest program named for our founder. The Harriet Ware Society will honor those who make bequests to help ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of our state’s most vulnerable children. We appreciate any amount that you can give and believe that Ware will smile every time someone includes a gift to Children’s Friend in their will when they are moved by the work we do.

Bequests have made it possible for us to serve Rhode Island faithfully for over 177 years.

We, and future generations, thank you for your kindness.

For more information, contact Vice President Advancement Julie Casimiro at 401.276.4359 or at jcasimiro@cfsri.org.