URI Family Resource Partnership to present Families and Change Speaker Series KINGSTON,R.I. — Jan. 11, 2001 — Elizabeth Burke Bryant, director of Rhode Island Kids Count, will be the first to speak in this spring’s University of Rhode Island Family Resource Partnership “Families and Change” Seminar Series. Her lecture, “What are the facts about families?” will be presented Wednesday, Jan. 24, in the URI Library Galanti Lounge, 3rd floor, starting at 4 p.m. The Families and Change Seminars will be held at 4 p.m., and are free and open to the public. Seminars will be held throughout the spring semester. They are designed to highlight issues related to the children, families and communities, and provide a forum for ideas on how to meet these challenges. An important aspect of the partnership mission is to create public awareness of and involvement with the issues and challenges facing families. Seminars are scheduled each month during the spring semester: Feb. 21, March 22, and April 19. The Family Resource Partnership is committed to strengthening children, families and communities by bringing research-based support to organizations providing services to families. The partnership provides technical assistance, evaluation, training and grant-writing services to these organizations. The partnership was formed to coordinate faculty scholarship, apply research-based practices to current community issues, increase student learning opportunities, increase community outreach efforts and the University commitment to strengthening children, families and communities through the establishment of a self-sustaining partnership. Please call 277-5244 for additional information or visit our web site at www.uri.edu/frp. -xxx- For Information: Beverly O’Keefe 401-277-5244, Dave Lavallee 401-874-2116