Roller Derby Rundown: Brown University, Getting Gored, and ECDX!

Roller Derby Rundown: Brown University, Getting Gored, and ECDX! 2015 has started out tough for the girls, but as the weather heats up, so does action on the flat track for Providence Roller Derby! PRD’s travel team the (#79) Rhode Island Riveters will skate for the first time on the rink of Brown University’s Meehan Auditorium to battle against Colorado’s (#93) Pikes Peak Derby Dames. Also as part of the double-header, PRD’s Rocky Point Rollers will go hip-to-hip with Boston’s down C-Team. It’ll be on Sat, April 25 at 5:30pm. Tickets are cheaper in advance online at ProvidenceRollerDerby.com. The weekend doesn’t just end there! The following morning, Sun, April 26, the girls will be putting on the horns and be on the prowl through the streets of downtown Providence. Why? Because it’s the annual Get Gored For Good: Running of the Bulls – a festival to raise money for the Amos House, a charity helping to combat hunger. Registered runners will make their way through the streets and obstacle courses while being hunted down by the roller girls acting as the bulls and getting “gored” (tagged with red paint). It’s an all-ages event that is still taking donations and registrations. For more information, go to GetGoredForGood.org. Finally, more great news comes PRD’s way, as for the second year in a row the Riveters will be traveling to Philadelphia on June 19-21 for this year’s East Coast Derby Extravaganza, which is three days of derby featuring selected teams and skaters from around the world. Last year, the Riveters had the opportunity to take on some of the ladies from across the Atlantic: (#60) Tiger Bay Brawlers (Wales) and (#82) Crime City Rollers (Sweden). Their opponents this year are TBA, but for this and all other upcoming bouts and news, go to ProvidenceRollerDerby.com. Don’t forget to add them on Facebook and Twitter! *Rankings are as of Feb 28, 2015. Book Review: Lt. Michael Morse’s Rescuing Providence Emergency services used to get a bad rap before September 11, 2001. After that day, there wasn’t a firefighter or police officer who wasn’t looked at as a hero. Rescue drivers (or emergency medical technicians (EMTs)) always seemed to be the forgotten middle children — not as flashy as the firefighters and not as visible as the police officers. Rescuing Providence, by Lt. Michael Morse (of the Providence Fire Department), is a great look at the tiring dedication of an EMT. At the time of this book’s 2007 publication, Morse was a 16-year vet with the Providence Fire Department, working Rescue 1, located on Allens Ave. After years on the fire truck, he made the transition to the rescue, feeling that everyone should try both. The rescue is seemingly busier than the fire truck, with more opportunity for overtime. This was a factor in Morse making his decision, as the extra money helps him support his wife and two stepdaughters. The dedication he shows is touching. Rescuing Providence covers a shift that lasts 34 straight hours over a two-day span just before Easter. Two of the shifts were scheduled, and he picks up some third-shift overtime on Rescue 3 on Branch Ave. During the course of his seeming never-ending shift, he deals with 25 distress calls. Some of the calls are serious (double shooting, congestive heart failure), while others seem like more of a waste of public dollars (three intoxications, trouble walking). It seemed like a good number of the calls were due to patients realizing that they could get a free ride to the hospital by just calling 911. But, a point that Morse makes so clear, the people calling for an ambulance are calling because they feel that their needs are emergencies, even if the outside world doesn’t agree. Morse has 25 great stories to tell after his 34-hour shift. He throws in some backstory anecdotes for good measure, which help paint more of a picture of who he is and what shapes him. A great backstory includes Morse speaking of how he met his wife and the mom and pop cleaning company they owned. He then goes into how he got accepted into the academy just before his wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He doesn’t write it as a sad story, but more of an inspiration as to how they readjusted their lives. Morse describes each rescue call with such great detail that I felt like I was on the truck as his partner. He paid attention to detail, but didn’t confuse the reader with medical talk, explaining everything as needed. My knock on this book revolves around Morse adding his own two cents. He would editorialize some things in a way that made him sound like an after-school special. It came off as hokey, making me squirm just a bit. He’s preachy, which is completely unnecessary since enough interesting material comes from his everyday life as a rescue EMT. His commentary sometimes took away from the stories at hand. Rescuing Providence serves as a great reminder of just how much work an EMT does during a typical shift. Morse and his partners, Mike and then Renato (and then Mike again), are constantly on the go with barely enough time to shove food down their throats. Their work ethic is outstanding and they seem to actually get adrenaline rushes from each call that blasts over the intercom. Morse and his coworkers (this includes all of the firefighters) know that they are making a difference in the lives of others and understand the importance of the work they do. I, for one, can’t thank them enough. Feeding the Masses The doors won’t open for another 30 minutes, but already a crowd is gathering at the side entrance of All Saints’ Memorial Church on the west side of Providence. Right at 4 o’clock a sea of people crams through the entrance, along a downstairs hallway, around a corner and into the parish hall where one of the best meals many will have this week awaits. Welcome to City Meal Site. Started in the mid-1980s, it got new life when the operation moved from the East Side two years ago. The Rev. David Ames is the priest-in-charge at All Saints, founded in 1872 and the largest Episcopal Church in the state. But like some parishes in the diocese, All Saints was experiencing declining numbers when Father Ames arrived four years ago. “All Saints is the only Episcopal church on the west side of Providence now and it has to bring value to the surrounding community, as historic buildings have to do. I saw a need and saw what was possible here and began to develop a number of programs that could meet those needs,” Father Ames said. “And the meal site is one of them.” When the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John, the home sanctuary for the diocese and the City Meal Site for decades, closed in 2012, Father Ames agreed to bring the program across town. With it came Alane Spinney, who became head chef after graduating from culinary school six years ago when the program was still at the cathedral. “I walked into that kitchen the first time and I’ve been doing it just about every Tuesday ever since,’’ said Spinney, who works as a barista at a bakery just up the street, but volunteers her time and talents here. “We try to put out the very best meal we can on our budget. Things that maybe other meal sites wouldn’t serve. And we run it like a restaurant.” And like a restaurant Spinney quickly learned what the customers like: Lasagna is a hit, tuna casserole not so much. She also has to keep in mind that many of those who come every week have dental issues and some have high blood pressure or diabetes. Spinney and a staple of others arrive mid-day Tuesday to begin food preparation. They are joined as the day goes on by an army of volunteers who all make it work as 4 o’clock approaches. “Our volunteers are the heart and soul. They make it happen. We serve between 100 and 250 people a three-course, sit- down meal, and we’ll do it in an hour,’’ she says. “There are a lot of very hungry people out there, and I’ve learned there are all kinds of hunger,” Spinney said. “There, of course, is the physical hunger. We can take care of that of that physical hunger. But a lot of people come here just to see friends. And to sit down, be served a meal and talk to each other.” City Meal Site feeds an average of 150 to 200 people a week, depending on the time of the month. And it does so on an annual budget of just $20,000 a year in donations and grants. That works out to under $3 per meal. Jack Nolan was recruited by Father Ames seven months ago to serve on the board of directors for City Meal Site, which is incorporated as its own non-profit entity and not under the umbrella of any one church, even though it operates out of All Saints. “When was the last time you bought a meal for $2.70 that was balanced and hot and served over your shoulder?” Nolan asked. “That’s incredible and can only be done with volunteers.

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