20-Week-Club dinner goes above and beyond for community

By PETE FONTAINE

It was called the St. Brigid’s Church 20-Week Club Dinner and held Sunday inside the Grand Ballroom at Alpine Country Club in Cranston.

However, the event was yet another example of the relatively small Roman Catholic parish coming together in an extra large way.

For example, the tireless 20-Week Club Committee, which was headed by Johnston Battalion Fire Chief Richard Boehm, held a raffle with some 26 prizes valued at over $1,500.

There was also a special raffle featuring seven prizes that ranged from a $500 gift card to Target to a New England Patriots Super Bowl framed print to a $150 gift certificate to famed Spirito’s Restaurant in Providence and two $100 gift cards to Stop & Shop.

That’s why some parishioners came armed with guests who enjoyed fun, fine food and fellowship during an event that Rev. Robert A. Rochon, the parish’s popular pastor, announced will go to a school in need that’s located in the Metropolitan Providence area.

Add to that the 20-Week Club winners in the amounts $1,000, $800, $500, $150, $100 and $60 and it was, as several people said while putting tickets inside a small paper bag in hopes of winning one of those two-dozen plus raffle prizes: “It’s absolutely amazing how such a small parish has always done nothing less than hold its events in a huge, huge way.”

As far as the 20-Week Club is concerned, Louisa Iannotti, who is often referred to as the “Matriarch of St. Brigid’s Church” and handles the parish’s public relations, perhaps best described Sunday’s 20-Week Club Dinner.

“We’ve always been small in numbers (of people),” Iannotti, who has served on the 20-Week Club Committee and countless committees during her tenure in the Roman Catholic Church, “but we’ve always strived to make all our events the best we possibly can.”

In recent years, Iannotti has somewhat relinquished her roles at St. Brigid’s and turning over duties like the chairmanship of the 20-Week Club to younger parishioners like Boehm.

After Sunday’s highly-successful dinner, Iannotti wanted it known: “Richard is our (20-Week Club) chairperson and has been for the last couple of years. He was gracious enough to accept the challenge and has done a great job every since.”

However, for those people who don’t know Boehm that well, his desire has always been to help others.

For example, he heads the Johnston Fire Department’s highly-respected Training Division and has also raised thousands of dollars while participating in various events like the Special Olympics Penguin Plunge and running in a world-class fund-raising event in Florida.

Boehm, though, refuses to take all the credit and quickly notes “we have a great committee that works hard to ensure the success of all our events. Here’s have a special thank you to Louisa (Iannotti), Frank DiRaimo, Sandy McCarthy, Joe Cichon, Doris Haskins and, of course Father Bob, for making this another success story here at St. Brigid’s.”