A few years ago, Fox Point resident Bruce Millard spent most of his time focused on typical day-to-day concerns as a statewide restoration house painter, but that changed when he saw the news image of Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea. “The picture burned into my mind,” Millard says, “and I wanted to do something about it.”
He organized a local benefit concert that raised nearly $7,000 for Save the Children. Helping out, he found, “felt a whole lot more gratifying than doing nothing.” He earned his EMT license and joined the Samaritans of Rhode Island suicide prevention hotline. Still, he asked, “How else can I get involved?”
Millard loves Fox Point and wondered why his backyard didn’t have more community building events like those he had enjoyed in other neighborhoods. He promptly started attending Fox Point Neighborhood Association (FPNA) meetings, getting involved in advocacy and event planning, and creating the new position of Community Engagement Chairperson.
Millard’s first FPNA event was a movie night last September called Fox Point Flicks, which he plans to start back up again in nicer weather. Raiders of the Lost Ark was shown on a vacant parcel of post-I-195 relocation land where Wickenden meets South Main Street.
“I expected a small turnout, but it was very well-attended,” says Bruce. “In fact, 15-20 people spotted the movie randomly while driving over the bridge and decided to pull off the highway to watch it.”
Millard admits that “imitation is the highest form of flattery,” and that he was inspired by the popular movie night held at Grant’s Block downtown. The popular West Broadway Neighborhood Association caroling event held each December also gave him the idea to create a holiday non-denominational Hope Tree on the corner of Wickenden and Governor Streets. Under a sign saying, “This Tree is for Everyone,” visitors were invited to write their hopes on a star and hang it on the tree; they ranged from big hopes like world peace to simply raising a happy family here in Fox Point.
“It was pretty wonderful; it’s easy to ruin a public art installation, but nobody did. We thought maybe only 20-30 people would create the stars, but we ended up running out of them at 140.”
The FPNA is exploring the possibility of starting a Fox Point Farmer’s Market that would also be accessible to South Providence, which is known for being a “food desert.” Since Millard believes that collaboration and idea exchanging between neighborhoods benefits the entire city, FPNA monthly meet-ups will be held at the Point Tavern for all Fox Point residents, and any folks from other neighborhoods who would like to get involved. The first meeting is scheduled for March 20.
If you had one wish to enhance life on the East Side, what would it be?
“Recycling bins alongside trash cans would make for a more environmentally conscious East Side overall, but my biggest wish for the FPNA would be that the $1.9 million project funding for the Gano Gateway becomes available. It would please neighborhood residents, alleviate traffic and safety issues, and paint a welcoming picture for people coming into Providence for the first time — like the Federal Hill pineapple archway.”
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