Posted: Friday, October 25, 2013

More than 250 people gathered to support The Providence Center at its annual “Circle of Stars” event on October 16 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. The event raised over $190,000 to support mental health and substance use services for adults, children and families.Joe Devine, partner of Bridge Technical Talent, and long-time donors Mary and Michael Schwartz were honored at the event for their philanthropic support of The Providence Center and of the community. “It is an honor to recognize Joe, Mary and Michael for their outstanding support of The Providence Center and the clients we serve,” said Dale K. Klatzker, Ph.D., president/CEO of The Providence Center.

Klatzker recognized donors for making it possible to create and sustain programs that help Rhode Island’s adults, children and families recover from the effects of mental health and substance use issues and the organization’s work to improve healthcare delivery. “In the last few years, with your support, we have worked with our fellow healthcare organizations—Care New England, Providence Community Health Care Centers and the Greater Providence YMCA, to name a few—to create a new system of care where the incentives aren’t to provide more and more uncoordinated care, but rather to help people get well and stay well.”

For more than 20 years, Mary and Michael Schwartz have shown an unwavering commitment to helping The Providence Center and truly believe in the mission to make recovery possible for all Rhode Islanders. In 2001, Maureen McDonald and Charles McDonald, MD, the founders and first co-chairs of The Providence Center’s first Golf Tournament, recruited Mike and Mary Schwartz to serve as co-chairs with them, as well as other committee members. Thanks to their leadership the tournament, now in its 12th year, has raised over $1 million to fund the important work of The Providence Center.

Since that first golf tournament, the Schwartzes have become steadfast supporters, also giving to the Charles E. Maynard Endowment and, most recently, to the TPC Facility Improvement Project with a leadership gift. “The Providence Center has saved so many lives and we tell everyone we know to help support the agency and be aware of the need to help people in their recovery journeys,” said Michael Schwartz.

Joe Devine believes in taking an active role in giving back to the community and encourages his employees to do the same. In 2011, he helped launch The Providence Center School’s iPad Learning Program and the school’s Learning through Technology Project, which provides technical resources to the students of both The Providence Center School and the Anchor Learning Academy. “Bridge is proud to share the gifts of technology with the students and I hope that others will contribute to this important initiative,” said Devine.

The speaking program included hearing the success story of Cierra, a young woman who overcame serious mental health issues with the help of The Providence Center’s adolescent partial hospital program. “The skills I learned at The Providence Center helped me get there and none of this would have been possible without the help of Allison, my clinician, and Patty, Amy and Daisy from the partial hospital program,” said 19-year-old Cierra. “Now, I’m a full-time college student.”