Donors, casino step up to help teen girls in R.I. shelter

PROVIDENCE — With the help of about 50 individual donors and Twin River Casino, a group of teenage girls living in Rhode Island shelters should have a special Christmas — and more.

Family Service of Rhode Island put out word Thursday that it was trying to raise money for 30 girls living in the agency’s shelters to buy them gifts and necessities for Christmas. The girls range in age from 13 to 17 years old. Girls end up in agency shelters for a variety of reasons, some including abuse, neglect, and in certain cases, the girls are the victims of human trafficking, according to Family Service.

“We are asking the community to partner with us to make Christmas morning extra special this year,” Maggie Slane, head of fundraising for Family Service of Rhode Island, said Thursday in a press release.

Through its “Adopt-A-Girl-in-a-Shelter” campaign, the agency was trying to $200 for each girl, or $6,000 total.

As of late Friday morning, the agency’s website showed that 49 donors had raised $5,807 in online donations.

In addition, Twin River has pledged to provide $200 for each girl, according to Patti Doyle, a spokeswoman for Twin River. Representatives of Family Service are scheduled to visit Twin River Friday afternoon to receive the donation, Doyle said.

“That’s obviously an overwhelming amount of support that we didn’t necessarily expect,” said Will Tregaskis, a spokesman for Family Service. “We know it will be super helpful at this time of year and on a long-term basis.”

The agency will use any additional money to support the girls in its shelters beyond the holiday season, according to Tregaskis.

“They need all the support they can possibly get, Tregaskis said.