Thank you to my regular donors and neighbors
ABOUT US
Shawn O'Rourke is founder and President of We Rise by Lifting Others. Recognizing a great need within the community, she has found ways to create connections serving, in many ways as . . .her brother's keeper.
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Educated in RI, she is a local and is keenly tuned into the issues and needs within the community. She attended URI home economics.
Her world view and cultural sensitivity comes from her days as a flight attendant for American Airlines. Based in NY, she flew all over the world and was cited for customer service excellence.
She decided to end her globe-trotting after 10 years and became account executive at WPRI-TV where she was honored to receive Salesperson of the Year. She worked at Fox 64 as General Sales Manager and later as sales manager for Cablerep, an advertising arm of Cox Media. She leveraged her creative powers while working as a Design Consultant for Raymour and Flanigan. The connections she made during this time would become invaluable to the calling on which she was about to embark.
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Represented here are the roles and accolades that Shawn has acquired over the years but the one that was gnawing at her and reflected Shawn's real passion and, the one to which she decided to devote all of her energy was a call to serve as her brother's keeper.
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Shawn saw the need within her community and it moved her deeply. She began making connections, gathering donations, keeping an ear to the community to determine the needs. It started with 3 winter jackets that her grandchildren outgrown. She brought them over to McAuley Village with the hope that someone could get a few more years of wear out of them. She met Karen Agin who enthusiastically accepted the donation and after this joyous discussion Shawn asked, "what else do you need"? The rest, as they say, is history! We Rise by Lifting Others blew up with a sound mission and vison and an ambitious leader at the helm.
Shawn currently works with seven different charities. She maintains an alliance with Johnson and Wales who donates breads & cakes weekly which she distributes to area homeless shelters. Her motto is "Let them eat cake" and she ensures that homeless people all around the local metro area do!
Shawn has adapted various technologies to run "We Rise by Lifting Others". She solicits donations on the app Nextdoor, although quite frankly, isn't needed as much anymore as people know who she is and what she does. Unless Shawn needs something specific. i.e. Socks or someone needs a microwave , etc . Her porch in Cranston frequently groans from the weight of donations from bags of groceries, clothing, toys, furniture and anything that helps people get by. Shawn was named one of Top 100 Neighbors in the US by NextDoor for her charitable efforts.
It's seven years now since Shawn set out on her new mission resulting in hundreds of families and individuals being connected to the items they most need.
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She was cited by the city of Cranston for her work with another collaborator in procuring 1000 blankets for Providence Rescue, providing blankets for those who sleep rough.
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Shawn is quick to share that she might be the visionary and the initiator of We Rise by Lifting Others but it is only possible through the donations and connections with the community. It is their support that makes it work. Shawn is widowed has one daughter and son in law and three grandchildren who live in Ct
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