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| Jovany and his cousin, Summer Hazard |
Hi, my name is Jovany Chase, as an infant I was placed into foster care and eventually adopted by my foster family. My freshman year of high school I moved to Georgia with my adopted family. Shortly after that I connected with my biological family through social media and in the process discovered that I have Narragansett heritage. In 2023 I returned to RI and began to get to know my birth family. They have welcomed me and have been teaching me about my extended family and my heritage, with their help I am learning how to make traditional jewelry and handcrafts as well as learning traditional dances. Like many adoptees I didn't have the opportunity to stay connected with my roots, now that I have that opportunity I am committed to serving my heritage and my people.
Today this means working with the City of Warwick, RI, to preserve indigenous history and place names, recognizing local historical sites such as Drum Rock with historical markers and access to information through the city. The people of Warwick will be familiar with the name Drum Rock because of Drum Rock School without unIstanding the significance or historical origins of the place. Drum Rock was historically used as just that by the Narragansett people, a drum used for communicating over distance. It is my hope to have this site and other local sites in Warwick be officially recognized with informative site markers. The City of Warwick has agreed to this partnership with the condition that I raise the initial funds. Hence this fundraiser with an initial goal of $2600.
Please make a donation today to help me recover and honor the heritage that I was born into and serve and honor today.
post "fundraiser" in the what is this for box on Venmo, I will have tax deduction information if you care to deduct your donation
Thank you, Jovany Chase, Neese Nanepaushet
