CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WPRI) — Rhode Island native and Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis and her husband Julius Tennon are donating $1.2 million to transform community services in Central Falls.
Angelo Garcia, chair of the Davis-Tennon Foundation, told 12 News the future Mary Alice Davis Family Engagement Center, named in honor of Davis’s mother, will create a one-stop center where families can find everything from rental assistance to help paying utilities, immigration services and a food pantry.
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Garcia grew up with Davis in Central Falls and is also the founder and executive director of the Segue Institute for Learning. He said Davis and Tennon have been looking for ways to make a greater impact in the EGOT winner’s home city.
“She was raised with really strong family values. I tell people ‘Because we’re poor it doesn’t mean we don’t have pride,’ right?” Garcia explained. “I’ve always known that there was a desire for her, when she got to a certain place, where she’s like, ‘I’m going to give back to the community.’”…