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Club Newsletter
The Rotary Club of Wakefield,
Rhode Island
Thursday, 07/9/2020
 
Place & Time:
Hybrid Virtual & Arturo Joe's
140 Point Judith Road, Narragansett, RI  02882
Meeting Thursday @ Noon
 

 
 
RITUALS
Moderator: Glen Zibolis,
President: Richard Pike
Hybrid Restaurant and Virtual Zoom Meeting
Invocation Tom Tarzwell
Reporter: Judy Fortier
Photographer
 
Attendance
Guests:
District Govenour Charlene Jarest Rotary Club of Fall River
Billy Roberts , Cape Cod Barnstable Sunshine Club. District Governor Elect.
Dick's guest is Mary Roda!  Welcome back Mary, we miss you!
Carolyn and Helene Vincent  
 
 
Happy Bucks - Sunshine
Sunshine:  Zoom was muted during this point so no info to report
 
Happy Bucks: Beth - $10 for catching up and for her birthday on Saturday.  Jay gave $ for having granddaughter last week. Dick - told a joke.
 
Donna gave an update that I couldn't hear.
 
Club Business and Announcements
 
Program
Martin Vincent  introduces Beverly Wiley
 
Martin met Bev through the Leadership RI  program . Bev was a co-program coordinator. Currently Bev RI Softball Commissioner and lives in Foster, RI.
 
Background:
Beverly grew up in the Norwood section of Warwick where her family has lived for over 120 years. Very few black families lived in Warwick.
Bev is the youngest of six children with a big age gap between siblings. All her siblings experienced racism throughout their lives.
 
Parent's credo - "You are a Wiley, you have to be twice as good  and work  twice was hard."
One of her sisters worked as a microbiologist, a brother became the first black district court judge in RI. Another brother attended URI and became the first black man to become a member of a fraternity.
 
Beverly thought things would be better for her as she was growing up.

During middle school and high school  Bev began to be racially targeted more frequently.  During this time Bev got involved in Nazarene Church which provided her with social and community support.    
 
 Bev gave many examples of the unconscious and conscious bias that black people face day to day and feels that no one is born a bigot. Unconscious bias is more prevalent than conscience bias.
 
Even now, after living in her neighborhood for 20 wears, people don't wave back.
 
After living out of state for a period of time Bev moved back to RI and found much of the conscious and unconscious bias she experienced growing still exists. It is and continues to be difficult living and working in an area where she'd always be judged by the color of one's skin. 
 
 For more information on Bev's presentation, please reach out to Bev directly atbwiley@uri.edu or contact Martin.
 
The Article Below Was Online About Bev Whily

Bev Wiley honored with “Women of Achievement” Award by local YWCA

Sept. 27, 2019

Community College of Rhode Island Athletics Compliance Officer Bev Wiley, a trailblazer for gender equity in sports, is one of 13 honorees selected for the YWCA Rhode Island’s 15th annual “Women of Achievement” Awards.

Established in 1858, the YWCA is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, standing up for social justice and strengthening communities while providing cultural, educational and recreational programs for women, girls and young children. Each year since 2005, the YWCA has selected its “Women of Achievement” from each state, recognizing women whose accomplishments span the fields of industry, culture and public service. The entire YWCA Rhode Island field will be honored at this year’s awards luncheon November 14.

“I was humbled and flattered at the same time,” said Wiley, also a former YWCA Rhode Island Greater board president in the 1980s. “I am forever grateful.”

Wiley’s accomplishments on the local and national sports landscape span decades, from rebuilding CCRI’s softball program into a regional powerhouse in the mid-2000s to serving in a variety of roles for USA Softball, including her current position as State Commissioner.

“We are so proud of Bev on this well-deserved honor,” said CCRI President Meghan Hughes. “For years, she has played an integral role in the success of our student-athletes, both in and out of the classroom, as an advisor, coach and role model. She works tirelessly to enhance gender equity at all levels and gives so much of her free time to create opportunities for women in athletics so that they, too, can become leaders within their community.”

Through the years, Wiley has remained involved with athletics both on and off campus and has earned numerous awards and recognitions. As a philanthropist, public address announcer, and pioneer for women’s sports, she is widely considered a role model among female student-athletes for her accomplishments at all levels.

A former player, coach and umpire, Wiley was selected Commissioner of USA Softball Rhode Island – the state affiliation of softball’s national governing body – in 1992, becoming one of only 10 female commissioners in the organization out of 99 associations nationwide in what was then, Wiley said, a “male-dominated” sport.

“I wasn’t going to apply, yet I remember thinking, ‘I’m always encouraging women to get involved, so I should at least throw my hat in the ring,’” said Wiley, who ran the state’s female softball program for 12 years prior to becoming commissioner. “I had no expectations. Lo and behold, I was selected.

“Softball is strong in the women’s sports arena at the collegiate level and at the national and international level, yet females aren’t as represented in the leadership positions”

Twenty-seven years later, Wiley is also USA Softball’s Northeast Region Vice President with one of 19 seats on the Board of Directors at the national level. In October, she will travel to Oklahoma City for the tryout camp as part of the National Women’s Team selection committee to finalize USA Softball’s 2020 National Team, which will compete in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo for the first time since 2008.

Her tenure at CCRI began in 1999 when she replaced former coach Conrad Fecteau and turned the softball program into one of the best at the NJCAA Division II level, becoming the college’s all-time winningest coach with 108 victories and three consecutive Region XXI titles during an 11-year span. While coaching, Wiley served as a Student-Athlete Academic Support Program (SAASP) Advisor and in 2009 took on additional responsibility as CCRI’s first Compliance Officer, tasked with ensuring regulations and guidelines are followed within the Department of Athletics in addition to complying with NJCAA Title IX and gender equity policies.

“My goal has always been to make a difference and to be a role model to young people, especially women and girls, but all young people,” Wiley said. “I’ve had opportunities in my life and I want to make sure I pay it forward and provide the opportunity for others as well.”

Wiley is also the Board Chair of Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and serves on the Advisory Committee for Rhode Island Sports Commission. In 2014, Words Unlimited – the state’s organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and publicists – honored Wiley with its Amby Smith Lifetime Achievement Award. She also serves as President for the Rhode Island Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (RIAIAW) and is a former trustee of the CCRI Foundation.

Wiley lives in Foster, RI.

Photos
 
 
 
Next Meeting:  Thursday, July 16, 2020
 
Many thanks to the reporters and photographers!
 
Please make every effort to attend our next Wakefield Rotary meeting.
Better yet, bring a friend!
 
 
 
 
Upcoming Events
Board of Directors Meeting
Old Mountian Lanes
Jul 21, 2020 5:00 PM
 
Event Planning Committee
Tarzwell Law Offices
Aug 12, 2020 5:00 PM
 
Board of Directors Meeting
Old Mountian Lanes
Aug 18, 2020 5:00 PM
 
Event Planning Committee
Tarzwell Law Offices
Sep 09, 2020 5:00 PM
 
Board of Directors Meeting
Old Mountian Lanes
Sep 15, 2020 5:00 PM
 
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