05/06/2003

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, 1 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. May sessions will be held in the cafeteria of St. John the Baptist School, 17 St. John St., West Warwick, at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, May 13 and 27. For more information, call 943-9266.

Other fundraisers
There will be a continuing 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 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 Entertainment at 723-8355 or the Moose Lodge at (508) 222-9756.

Oasis Salon and Spa
, 1037 Aquidneck Ave., Middletown, will hold a cut-a-thon Sunday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Haircuts, mini-facials and manicures, children's manicures, facial waxing and massages will be offered. The first $1,000 raised will go toward the Gina Marie Andreozzi Scholarship Fund, named for a founding member of the salon who was killed in a 1996 car accident. It is given to a graduating high school student with an interest in business or the arts. All remaining money raised will go to The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund. For information, call 846-444.

The Valley Country Club, 251 New London Ave., Warwick, will sponsor a golf tournament on Monday, May 19, at 1 p.m. All money collected will either benefit The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund or a monument at the site. Cost is $100 per player, or $400 per foursome, and includes 18 holes of golf, cart, dinner and prizes. For non-players, tee signs are available for $50. To register to play or to sponsor a tee sign, call Pat at 821-1115 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. All checks must be turned in to the Valley Country Club by Friday, May 9. Rain date is Tuesday, May 20.

The Coventry/West Greenwich Emblem Club 436 will present "Father Misgivings" Saturday, May 17, at the Coventry/West Greenwich Elk's Lodge, Nooseneck Hil Road, West Greenwich. A roast beef dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by the show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20. Reservations deadline is Saturday. For information, call Pearl at 397-5927, Barbara at 821-8135 or the Elks Lodge at 397-9491. All proceeds will be donated to The Station Nightclub Fire Relief Fund.

The Continental B & T Softball Club will sponsor the First Keith Mancini Memorial Softball Tournament, scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26. There will be men's, women's and co-ed divisions with trophies and T-shirts (provided by area businesses) to the winners in each division, plus other giveaways and events. The entrance fee for each team will be $100. All proceeds will go to The Station Fire Victims Fund. For more information and team registration, call Ralph Tedeschi at 258-5219.