Summer outing at Pell Manor beats the heat

CLASSIC COOKS: Johnston Housing Authority staffers Domingo Araujo and Brandon Privitera enjoy a break in their cooking duties at last Thursday’s Claiborne Pell Manor Tenants Association as Executive Director David aRusso looks on.

(Sun Rise photos by Pete Fontaine)

SPECIAL SOUNDS: Vocalist-entertainer Debra Celetti treats the members of the Pell Manor Tenants Association to yet another special song during last Thursday’s annual outing in Johnston.

GRAND GUESTS: These are just a few of the many people who enjoyed the Johnston Housing Authority-sponsored Pell Manor Tenants Association annual outing last Thursday.

FAMILY FUN: There were three generations of the Harris family – Sean (left), William and his grandfather William who is a member of the Pell Manor Tenants Association.

Johnston Sun Rise · Thursday, August 10, 2017 9:49 am

By Pete Fontaine

There were a number of small stories that made up the Claiborne Pell Manor’s annual Summer Outing last Thursday in Johnston.

For openers, the Johnston Housing Authority again provided a smorgasbord of food that was prepared by staffers Brandon Privitera and Domingo Araujo. Likewise, David aRusso – the JHA’s Executive Director – acted as the go-to, whether it was assisting Privitera and Araujo at the charcoal grill to cook hot dogs and hamburgers or keep the water and soda cold on that sunny but humid summer day.

The Pell Manor Outing is sponsored by the JHA and hosted by the Tenants Association, and is a right of summer and an event that aRusso makes sure is fun for everyone.

“We do this every summer for our Tenants Association,” aRusso said of last Thursday’s Pell Manor bash at the Aime J. Forand Complex on Greenville Avenue. “The people really, really enjoy this annual outing.”

Last Thursday’s outing was indeed fun for Anna Murphy, a long-serving officer for the Claiborne Pell Manor Tenants Association, who enjoyed the camaraderie of her friend Anna DePasquale while serving as the day’s official host in the absence of President William “Bill” Santilli, who was unable to attend because he wasn’t feeling well.

Then there was Debra Celetti, a familiar face when it comes to providing first-class entertainment for groups like the Pell Manor Tenants Association. While the tenants enjoyed the food and made small talk at round tables placed underneath a huge tent, Celetti sang songs under a canopy and added nice touch to the event.

Yet another interesting story took place on a wooden swing as William Harris, a proud member of the Association, enjoyed time with his son Sean Harris and grandson William Harris.

“You’re looking at three generations here,” Sean Harris said after the family finished lunch and listened to the soft sounds of Celetti’s music. “What a great day.”