Rhode Island Spotlight (through July 4,2014)

These stories never fail to charm and touch the heart! A division of The Hummel Report, Rhode Island Spotlight features the unsung work being done all over the state to improve our community.

Rhode Island PBS is proud to present these short profiles produced by award-winning investigative journalist and new media entrepreneur Jim Hummel. Because these profiles are short, they fit perfectly between full-length programs.

Here are a few upcoming dates and times so you don't miss any of the special stories. Spotlights are also archived on the Rhode Island Spotlight Web site, in case you missed any.

Charitable Act - A struggling non-profit community theater relocated - and reinvented - itself four years ago with a simple mission: to give back to the community. This month Jim Hummel profiles the Academy Players, which has raised thousands of dollars for charities, other non-profit organizations and people in need. He finds they’re not only surviving - but thriving.

Rhode Island PBS
Wed 7/02 at 12:18 p.m.
Fri 7/04 at 12:18 p.m.

Tapping Into the Community - For the past three decades Tap In has been a mainstay for thousands of people in need of food, clothing, household items - and transportation to medical appointments. The all-volunteer organization is located in what some see as an unlikely place: the town of Barrington. But this week Jim Hummel finds there is a growing need throughout the East Bay communities it serves.

Rhode Island PBS
Mon 6/30 at 12:19 p.m.

True To Its Mission - The name certainly turns a lot of heads: The Providence Shelter for Colored Children. And though it has transitioned from a shelter building into a charitable foundation, the organization’s mission of helping minority children in the greater Providence area remains the same. Jim Hummel takes a look at the group’s 175-year history and finds out why some board members over the years have been the staunchest advocates for keeping the original name.

Learn
Thu 6/26 at 10:52 p.m.

Rhode Island PBS
Fri 6/27 at 12:19 p.m.
Sat 6/28 at 6:50 p.m.
Thu 7/03 at 12:19 p.m.

Worthy Goal - Two afternoons a week you can find close to 80 aspiring soccer players in classrooms well after school ends. They are there not because they have to be, but because they want to be. For the past decade Project Goal has offered more than 500 students the opportunity to improve academically, while receiving top-notch coaching from former soccer professionals and certified coaches. All at no cost to the kids. Jim Hummel finds it's a mix that is yielding impressive results.

Rhode Island PBS
Tue 7/01 at 12:19 p.m.