Environmental Educators from WRWC use electrofishing to catalog fish
Volunteers came out to the Woonasaquatucket River in Smithfield to catalog the fish in its waters by using a technique known as electrofishing.
- Community-based organizations in Rhode Island play a vital role in supporting vulnerable populations amid changing federal policies.
- These organizations serve as crucial infrastructure, particularly for marginalized groups such as immigrants, working families and seniors.
- Progreso Latino, Rhode Island’s largest Latino community-based organization, exemplifies this impact by offering a wide range of services and advocating for community empowerment.
At a time when federal policies and priorities are shifting rapidly – too often to the detriment of our most vulnerable neighbors – Rhode Island’s future depends on the strength and resilience of its local communities. And at the heart of that resilience are community-based organizations: the unsung institutions quietly delivering services, creating opportunity and building trust where it’s needed most.
These organizations do much more than just provide assistance. They are critical pieces of our state’s human infrastructure – especially for immigrants, working families, seniors and others who are often marginalized by traditional systems.
One shining example is Progreso Latino. Since its founding in 1977, it has grown from a modest storefront into a vibrant, four-story hub of services and advocacy – now the largest Latino community-based organization in Rhode Island. Whether it’s adult education, early childhood programs, immigration services, food assistance, workforce development or senior wellness, Progreso Latino doesn’t just meet needs – it transforms lives.
Progreso Latino’s mission of empowering communities to achieve greater self-sufficiency and economic progress is more than aspirational, it’s urgent. And in an era where immigrant rights are under threat and access to public resources is increasingly politicized, they remind us that true progress isn’t top-down – it’s rooted in community, built on trust and driven by a belief in dignity and opportunity.
At United Way of Rhode Island, we’re proud to partner with Progreso Latino and many other organizations doing this critical and often invisible work. But the need remains great.
If we are serious about justice, equity and shared prosperity, we must invest in the local institutions that are making those ideals real – one family, one neighborhood at a time.
Donate. Advocate. Get involved.
Kyle Bennett is the chief of staff and public affairs officer at the United Way of Rhode Island.
