04/30/2003

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 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

There will be an ongoing 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."

Request Line Entertainment, along with four other DJs, and the Attleboro Moose Lodge 463, 241 Thacher St., Attleboro, will host a benefit for the fire victims Saturday, May 10, from 7 p.m. to midnight. Scheduled to play will be DJ Ricky Williams, DJ Muggs, DJ Sonny Dee, DJ Anthony Rufo and DJ Eddy Mac. Admission is free, however, all donations will be given to The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund being administered by the Rhode Island Foundation. For more information, call Request Line Entertainent at 723-8355 or the Moose Lodge at (508) 222-9756.

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 at 3 p.m. Bands 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.