The Harriet Ware Society

In 1834, Harriet Ware, a young school teacher from Massachusetts, began her work to provide a refuge for children in desperate situations. The result of her vision is the Children’s Friend you see today, an organization serving over 34,000 people across our small state with flexible, effective, and culturally-relevant services.  For more information about the rich history of Children’s Friend, visit Our History page or enjoy one of our many agency videos.

Since our founding, generous donors with a long term vision saw the need to perpetuate Children’s Friend for future generations.  The Harriet Ware Society, named for the agency’s founder, Harriet Ware, honors those who help to ensure that we can continue to meet the needs of our state’s most vulnerable children long into the future.  Individuals who remember Children’s Friend in their will and who notify us of their intention qualify for this recognition and special benefits.

Thanks to the many donors who have made the future of Children’s Friend a priority, we, along with future generations of Rhode Islanders, are grateful to the members of the Harriet Ware Society for their vision and generosity.

For more information, contact Joyce LaFrance Tormey, Planned Giving Coordinator at 401.276.4318 or jtormey@cfsri.org.

The legal designation for Children’s Friend is Children’s Friend and Service for planned giving purposes.

Click here to download a Planned Giving brochure.