Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island

06/17/2026

Every grant has a story!

Recently, we received these photos from Sophia Academy's 23rd Annual Commencement Ceremony, and moments like these serve as a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.

Supporting education isn't just about funding programs—it's about investing in students, their futures, and the opportunities ahead of them.

Congratulations to the Sophia Academy Class of 2026. We are honored to play a small role in helping students reach milestones like this one. 🎓✨

06/08/2026

Every opportunity starts somewhere.

Whether it's supporting educational programs, student scholarships, workforce development initiatives, or animal welfare organizations, we're committed to helping make a positive impact across Rhode Island.

Thank you to the organizations, educators, volunteers, and community leaders working every day to create meaningful change.

05/28/2026

The Hayden Foundation recently visited the University of Rhode Island for a meaningful meeting focused on student success, scholarship support, and the future of higher education in Rhode Island.

Board member Ken Barthelemy and Executive Director George Panichas met with URI President Marc Parlange, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success Dean Libutti, Vice President for Advancement Mark Antonucci, and several members of the URI Advancement and Enrollment team. During the visit, the Foundation also had the opportunity to meet one of the Hayden Foundation Scholarship recipients and hear firsthand about their educational journey and experience at URI.

It was a great day of conversation, connection, and shared commitment to supporting Rhode Island students and expanding educational opportunities across the state. 🎓

05/26/2026

The Hayden Foundation recently visited Tiny Paws Kitten Care of Rhode Island, Rhode Island’s first kitten nursery, to see the incredible work being done for neonatal and postnatal kittens in need. 🐾

The Foundation was proud to support Tiny Paws with a grant to help build out their indoor care facility, creating a safe and nurturing space for mother cats and kittens before adoption.

Board member Cindy Rondeau and Executive Director George Panichas toured the facility and saw firsthand the impact this expansion will have on animal welfare efforts across Rhode Island. We’re grateful to support organizations making such a meaningful difference for animals in our community!

05/21/2026

We love seeing the community come together for such an impactful day!

The Hayden Foundation was proud to attend Providence Promise’s Annual 529 Day celebration - an afternoon filled with family fun, community partners, incredible student involvement, and a shared commitment to expanding access to higher education opportunities. From painted flower pots and sweet treats to fire trucks and giant bubbles… this event had it all. 🎈🚒🐴

It was also great seeing Providence Mayor Brett Smiley in attendance supporting an organization that continues to make a meaningful difference for local students and families.

We’re grateful to support Providence Promise and the important work they do to help students build brighter futures through education and long-term opportunity. 👏

04/25/2026

What a day yesterday!

We spayed/neutered a total of 21 cats. 2 cats that came in for spay/neuter were already fixed so they received exams, vaccines, flea treatment, and were tested for fiv/felv. One of those cats decided he wanted to take up residence at our place so he stayed. 😬 Hes such a big cheek handsome boy we can't wait to introduce.

One of the feral cats that was there for her spay decided to give birth instead. 🤦‍♀️ So welcome another 5 kittens and one unhappy mom cat who now had to stay in our care for a couple of months. 😔 We will do our best to limit her stress.

Shout out to The Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island for allowing us to offer low cost spay/neuter to the community and for allowing us to spay/neuter feral cats at no cost due to their 2025 grant they awarded us!😻

Our goal is to spay/neuter 1000 cats in 2026 and at this rate, we will SMASH that goal! To get on our spay/neuter list, please use the following link:

✂️ Spay/Neuter? Join our waitlist https://forms.gle/9Z6wfaK86DDzM6Xv5

03/31/2026

An incredible win for an incredible organization. 🐾
The Hayden Foundation was proud to attend the unveiling of the Defender Service Award presented by Chase to West Place Animal Sanctuary at Jake Kaplan’s Land Rover in Warwick.

This was the fifth year of the Defender Service Awards, and marked the fifth consecutive year that West Place participated in the competition. In October 2025, after a 17-day public voting campaign, West Place was named the 2025 Defender Service Awards winner in the Honorees category, earning the top honor among nonprofits across the U.S. and Canada.

This recognition reflects years of dedication — and a community that showed up in a big way to support their mission.

As part of the award, West Place received a custom Defender 130 and $30,000 in funding to expand their rescue efforts, educational programming, and impact.

We’re honored to support organizations like West Place and celebrate milestones like this alongside them.

Photo 1 (L→R): Hayden Foundation board member Ken Barthelemy, Lucien Rondeau, Patrick Cole of West Place Animal Sanctuary, Hayden Foundation board member Cindy Rondeau, Hayden Foundation executive director George Panichas
Photo 2: Patrick Cole, West Place Animal Sanctuary, Director of Grants & Communications
Photo 3: Wendy Taylor, West Place Animal Sanctuary, Founder & Executive Director.

03/21/2026

Yesterday our team was at it again!💪

Rhode Island feline reproductive organs don't stand a chance against Scruffy Paws Animal Rescue! ✂️

Yesterday was a BUSY day. But our team absolutely crushed it. 5 hours. One doctor. Three techs. One receptionist. One SPAR shelter attendant. And 22 cats that were spayed/neutered! 🎉

That was 9 females that were spayed and 13 males that were neutered. 9 uteruses that are no longer. And some had seen some action. Some were in MEGA heat. Yikes. 26 trouble puffs that are now deflated puffs. 🤣

In addition to spay/neuter these cats were provided with a physical exam, vaccinated for Rabies and FVRCP, given a flea treatment, had their nails trimmed, and administered pain medication. All at an extremely affordable price.

Major shout out to The Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island for being the backbone to our affordable clinics. Thanks to their generous grant, we are able to offer these clinics to our community and rescue partners. We literally couldn't do this without them! 🫶

We are on a roll... 226 spays/neuters thus far in 2026! And its not even the end of March yet. 🙀 Can we hit 1000 this year? 🤔 We hope so! 🤞

Enjoy the most adorable, freshly altered cats that we had the pleasure of giving squeezes to yesterday! 👇

03/17/2026

Celebrating hard work, growth, and bright futures 🌟

The Hayden Foundation was honored to attend the San Miguel School Spring Awards Luncheon last Friday, recognizing the incredible achievements of these students and the dedication behind them.

Moments like these are a reminder of the power of opportunity, mentorship, and a strong educational foundation. We are proud to support organizations like San Miguel School: Providence that are shaping the next generation of leaders right here in our community.

Congratulations to all of the students recognized!

02/28/2026

20 cats cared for is no small feat! Thank you for making such a meaningful difference. 🐾

Even though 2 of our surgery days got canceled this week due to the , our team was able to get some spays/neuters in at the end of the week.

20 cats were altered, vaccinated, received flea treatment, had thorough exams, and all had their talons trimmed. 😻 Some of these cats also had other things done as a request by their owner: bloodwork, tested for FIV/Feline Leukemia, microchipped, or dewormed all at low cost.

We want to thank everyone for being understanding during the challenges of this storm and being flexible so we could reschedule you ASAP.

Also major shout out to our friends over at The Hayden Foundation of Rhode Island for allowing us to offer these low-cost clinics to our community. We couldn't do this without your support. 🐾