04/26/2003

Donations to The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund should be sent to the Rhode Island Foundation. Checks should be made payable to The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund, c/o Rhode Island Foundation, One Union Station, Providence, RI 02903. Please mark "Station Nightclub Fund" on the envelope.

Victims and families seeking assistance should call (877) 748-3700.

Counseling, medical support

The American Lung Association of Rhode Island's Call Center has registered nurses and respiratory therapists available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. to answer questions about lung damage from all sources, including fire. The center's number is (800) 548-8252.

Friends Way, 146 Duke St., East Greenwich, a children's bereavement center, is offering the following services to the families affected by The Station fire. Peer-based support groups for those ages 3 to 19 are meeting every other week. Specialized groups are offered for children who have lost a loved one and for children whose loved ones have suffered a traumatic injury. There will be a one-week camp for those ages 8 to 16 the last week of July at Camp Davis in Charlestown, sponsored by the Rhode Island Juvenile Officers Association. For more information, call Sue at 884-0200.

The Rhode Island Victims' Advocacy & Support Center (RIVASC) and the Diocese of Providence will sponsor bimonthly informational support sessions for families and friends directly affected by The Station fire. The sessions are designed to provide information about practical issues that arise in the aftermath of violent death, as well as group support offering coping tips and linkage with others who share a similar loss. Sessions will be facilitated by counselors and victim advocates with expertise in dealing with violent loss. The last session will be held in the St. John the Baptist School cafeteria, 17 St. John St., West Warwick, Tuesday at 7 p.m. For more information, call 943-9266.

The Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals' Division of Behavioral Healthcare Services continues to respond to the mental-health needs of survivors, family members of victims, first-responders and health-care workers involved with the fire at The Station in West Warwick. For information on where to seek help in your community, call 462-3291, weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., or visit MHRH's Web site at www.mhrh.state.ri.us.

The Kent County Mental Health Center provides free support groups for family members of victims, witnesses and survivors at the center's Warwick office, at 300 Centerville Rd. Support groups are offered Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and are open to adults and children. For more information, call 738-4300.

Other fundraisers

The Kathy Sullivan Benefit will be held tomorrow from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Venus De Milo Restaurant, Swansea. The restaurant has donated the facility, the staff and the buffet for the event, which will feature an auction and musical performances by Centerfold, Just Before August and The Senders. There is a $20 minimum donation per ticket and they are available at the door. Checks should be made payable to The Kathleen Sullivan Fund.

Lois Guise, the bereavement program manager for Home & Hospice Care of Rhode Island, will facilitate bereavement-support group meetings for families and friends of The Station fire victims Tuesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express, Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick. Meetings are free. To register, call 727-7092.

The South Attleboro Knights of Columbus, 304 Highland Ave., South Attleboro, will hold a fundraiser for victims of The Station fire today from 6 to midnight. The evening will consist of a chicken and pasta dinner followed by the music of To The Limit. All proceeds will benefit The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund. Tickets are $15. For information, call Jim at 333-4946 or Joe at 728-4233.

A benefit concert for Donovan Williams will be held tomorrow, from 1 to 9 p.m. at the Westerly Elks Club, Dixon Street, Westerly. Matthias Steele, Inside Out, The Mike Crandall Band, Bad Eddie, Crutch Woman, Anything and Everything will be performing, and there will be a buffet from 1 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $15. All proceeds will go to the Donovan P. Williams Charitable Fund. For information, call 596-9175.

A buffet benefit for Gina (Cattalozzi) Gauvin will be tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Silvio's Restaurant, 131 Greenville Ave., Johnston. Tickets are $20. All proceeds will go to the Gina Gauvin Fund being administered by Citizens Bank. For more information, call Rnee Renee at 273-3003 or 233-0899.

Beginning Monday there will be an Entertainment Auction on eBay to benefit The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund being handled by the Rhode Island Foundation. The auction is being run by Renee Bourque, best friend of victim Katherine O'Donnell. Tickets, autographed photos and other items will be added as the auction goes along. Items can be located by searching under the seller name " "stationfund." "

Overflo's, Wave Avenue, Middletown, will be the site of a benefit concert and buffet to raise money for the family of Station fire victim Lisa Jean Kelly on Sunday, May 4, at 3 p.m. Bands schedule scheduled to perform will be Nuclear Device, ACME Trucking Co., Black and White and Gregg Hodde and the Blue Miracles. Tickets are $15. For more information, call Overflo's at (401) 846-3357 or Greg at (508) 761-5660.