'Our own village': BASICS looks ahead, prepares to celebrate new headquarters

The Cranston Herald ·

Seven years ago, when Cranston’s school district was forced to cut elementary music, middle school sports, and other programs and activities in the face of a financial crunch, a small but determined group of parents got together one night at Chelo’s on Reservoir Avenue and decided to build a musical bridge.

“Our motto was ‘Just fix it.’ We didn’t want to hear who did what, why the cuts were being made, what happened in years past. Take control of the situation at hand, stop all the blaming, and fix it,” said Kerri Kelleher, president and co-founder or Benefiting All Students in Cranston Schools, or BASICS.

The group started with a simple plan to provide support for kids who wanted to play musical instruments.

“The first year we did just band and strings, copying what the district had cut,” Kelleher said.

As need and demand increased, the group added glee and guitar. Over the past six years, more than 1,000 children have participated in a BASICS program.

With the recent return of elementary music to the district, Kelleher and her husband, Pete, thought they were through. But that was not the case.

Instead of closing up shop, they tweaked and tinkered with the programming. They now run a “Kids4Kids” program, where they work on community service and philanthropy. They are continuing the different glee groups, and adding a yoga and life skills class. They are keeping the guitar lessons and the popular art classes. There will not be any more instrumental classes since that programming is now back in the elementary schools, where Kelleher feels it belongs.

With a changing landscape, Kelleher felt it was the right time for BASICS to have its own space.

“With the success of Kids4Kids, there came a big request for family-friendly activities and programming. We had to decide if we wanted to spend the money on renting space in schools, or use the money to be on our own, taking things to the next level,” she said.

That is where the idea and need for a BASICS headquarters came from.

“We are working with Cranston West graduates Adam Ramsey and Evan Perry, who own Advanced Production and Design. They have been with us since basically the beginning, doing all the sound for our concerts. We are renting space from them. We felt it was the opportunity to test the waters without getting in too deep,” Kelleher said.

“I met Peter and Kerri back when they first started and was pleased to help in any way possible initially with their spring concerts,” Ramsey said. “To many I would say the BASICS program revolved around musical programming for the students in the Cranston district, but it by far developed beyond that, creating a community programming effort, providing an outlet for students to express themselves, gain new experiences, skills, and continue their education in an exciting and ever thriving environment. But further than that, what the students don’t see is really what BASICS and the parents involved have done to create it as a community outlet for parents to share news in schools, reach out for help with problems they are facing within the schools, and keep up the awareness and changes as they are brought to the front.”

Longtime BASICS supporter and member Tammy Eaton also spoke of the importance of the group.

“While I don’t consider myself a founding member of BASICS, I did join shortly after their very first meeting,” she said. “I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for the children in elementary school to still be able to learn an instrument since it was being eliminated from the school day. I also liked the fact that it was citywide, and the children would have the opportunity to meet other children from different Cranston schools. There was also a time that each of my own children were enrolled in the program. Although they have now aged out of the program, they still volunteer every year during the BASICS concert.

“I still have tears in my eyes every year during the concert seeing how hard the children and their instructors have worked,” she continued. “There have been so many children who have enrolled in this program over the years, some of them have been with us since the very first session, while new children continue to enroll each year. Kerri and Pete have also done an amazing job of expanding the amount of programs offered by BASICS. I am amazed and continue to be amazed at the hard work and dedication the BASICS members, volunteers, and sponsors show us every year. Without their hard work and dedication, we could not do what we do.”

Kelleher does acknowledge there are times when the BASICS Facebook page has veered off from what was initially envisioned as a source of information into a place where negative comments have been popular and some misinformation has been given to parents.

“I feel we provide a necessary outlet for people to vent, network and share information. I know this is not always welcomed by the Cranston administration. We all are learning to look at things from many different sides. When people use the page for information, they are empowering themselves,” she said.

One point that Kelleher drives home is that inclusion is not an issue.

“Everyone is welcomed,” she said. “This year we have over 100 kids involved with the kindest hearts. The community of families, support, and friendship is amazing. We are our own village,” she said.

One family that has specific personal experience with BASICS and the kindness shown by the group is the Coie family of Cranston.

“We have been part of BASCIS for the past three years. It has been amazing for two of our children. One has multiple chronic illnesses and has fought since birth, the other has watched him, feared for him, and empathizes with him. She struggles her own battle,” Laura Coie said. “Life has never been easy for them, and BASICS has helped them find an outlet for release. Music is powerful, and with it we have watched our children come out of their shells. BASICS has given them a safe, accepting place to make and build friendships, sing songs that speak to them and empower them, and to develop some solid music foundations. I can assure that they wouldn’t be as adjusted today without the experiences BASICS has provided.”

Kelleher knows there are miles to walk and mountains to climb before she can rest, but she is determined to make all the programs successful.

“We have always been a citywide organization. We are need blind – we never turn a child away for financial reasons. We have kids who have aged out of the student program and are now student mentors. We are not going away, and I would do it all over again,” she said.

The BASICS headquarters grand opening is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23 at 250 East St. in Cranston. There will be family activities, live entertainment, balloon twisting, bounce houses, and prize bags for the first 50 kids who stop by.

For more information, visit basics-ri.com or the group’s Facebook page.