Dear Member,
Thank you for your support and continued loyalty as a member of the 100 Club of R.I. We at the 100 Club of R.I. would like to welcome you to our first quarterly email that all our members will be receiving. We are so excited to begin communicating with you throughout the year. If you have not already done so, please visit our newly enhanced website at 100clubofri.org. For your convenience, joining and renewing memberships is quick and easy online and can be done anytime at 100clubofri.org. Membership dues remain unchanged. All active and retired first responders can join for only $50, civilians $100, and lifetime members $1,000. You are also able to order new medallions online if yours are worn. The cost for each additional medallion is $25.00. If you prefer, you can also renew your membership by sending in a check. Annual renewals will be sent out March-April. (the 100 Club of RI is an IRS recognized 501(C)(3) non-profit charitable organization; all dues are tax deductible)
Your continued loyalty to our great mission has allowed the 100 Club to support Rhode Island’s brave and worthy first responders throughout the years.
The 100 Club contributed $75,000 to the Fireman’s Memorial located in Exeter, R.I. and $50,000 was offered in grants to fire and police stations throughout our great state to assist with their needs. We donated $11,000 to the Lawing Family for a Richmond police officer who passed away from non–duty related causes. These funds helped cover any immediate needs this family had.
We were honored to present The Rhode Island State Police with a $25,000 donation in acknowledgement of their 100th anniversary. The North Kingstown police station received a grant for approximately $3,000 to purchase LED headlamps to assist in critical scenarios to enhance officer safety and operational efficiency. Also, The R.I. Police Academy received $32,000 to purchase training equipment. The Department of Parks and Recreations was given $5,000 to purchase A.E.D. defibrillators. We are honored to have our logo on these lifesaving devices. In addition, we were happy to award 10 college scholarships to students with an approximate value of $95,500 per year annually. Without your generosity, this would not have been possible. Together, we will continue to support those who unselfishly serve to protect us.
We have also begun a corporate sponsorship program. We were so grateful to receive support from the following corporate sponsors. Stephen Bestwick, managing partner at First Point Power in Cranston, R.I., offered to be the first corporate sponsor with a donation of $5,000. Thank you Stephen for your commitment to the100 Club. Also, the company, Benevity, donated $2100 as a match to one of our loyal members, James Marranan. In addition, we received a legislative grant from Speaker Joe Shekarchi for $1,000. We are working on creating a sponsorship page on our website where other corporations may donate and highlight the donations made by these charitable corporations. This has been a wonderful kick-off to a new program.
Upon your renewal, you will be receiving your new membership card and window decals with the current membership year. Your new, permanent member card will now have the look of a credit card and will replace the laminated card. Every year, you will receive a sticker to place on the back of the card with the current membership year. The stickers that were sent in the past to be placed on medallions will no longer be used.
In the future, we will be sharing more information about the upcoming events we are planning for this year! We look forward to welcoming our members to the Annual Dinner in June and the exciting Golf Tournament at the Alpine Country Club in August.
We are always looking for new members. If you know of any first responders, family or friends who would like to join, please share our link, 100clubofri.org. With your help, we can spread the word for this worthy cause! We look forward to another impactful year.
We wish you a very Happy New Year filled with peace and prosperity.
Respectfully,
Michael Bestwick, President
best4060@gmail.com (401) 219-4400