In wake of tragedy, Brown community comes together to celebrate and thank Providence
From supporting small businesses to volunteering with community organizations to thanking first responders, Brown Loves Providence returned care and connection to the city Brown calls home.
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Brown community members Abdullah Shihipar, Anne Kerkian, Ruth Colwill and Jessi Samuel deliver gift bags to local businesses as part of Brown Loves Providence. All photos by Nick Dentamaro/Brown University.
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To support the effort, Brown students and employees displayed “Brown Loves Providence” posters and stickers.
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Many also took time to write personal notes and letters thanking Providence and its residents.
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A visible show of love was also central to the effort. Here, a Brown Loves Providence billboard, displayed during the campaign, greets drivers heading south on Route 95 into the city.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In the weeks following the tragic Dec. 13, 2025, shooting at Brown University, local organizations, leaders and residents showed up for the Brown community in extraordinary ways, offering support that helped students, faculty and staff find comfort during a time of grief and uncertainty.
To reciprocate that care, the University organized Brown Loves Providence, a campus-wide initiative aimed at channeling the Brown community’s gratitude into visible support, creating a tangible impact throughout the city by encouraging local spending, giving and volunteerism. Over the past month, thousands of students, faculty and staff participated in that effort by shopping and dining locally to support neighborhood retailers and restaurants, donating to nonprofits serving city residents and volunteering with community groups.
Many took to city neighborhoods to say “thank you” in person, delivering cards, gifts, baked goods and other small tokens of appreciation to first responders, small business owners and residents. Susan Ely, communications and special events manager for Brown’s Graduate School, was among those who participated.
“As a Brown employee living within a mile of campus, so much of my life is intertwined with the city,” Ely said. “These are the neighborhoods, restaurants and parks we all share. Friends from my neighborhood, gym and rugby club are students, staff, faculty and alumni. It was meaningful to hear how residents and businesses I pass every day stepped in to help, and this felt like a small way to be part of saying thank you.”
In total, Brown’s community wrote 406 handwritten appreciation cards and visited neighborhoods across Providence to deliver gift bags to 78 organizations — from local coffee shops and boutiques to nonprofits, hospitals and firehouses.
Aligned with the campus-wide Brown Ever True recovery effort, Brown Loves Providence channeled the Brown community’s gratitude into visible support, creating a tangible impact throughout the city by encouraging local spending, giving and volunteerism.
A visible show of love was also central to the effort, said Matthew Guterl, Brown’s vice president for diversity and inclusion with posters displayed in campus windows, a digital billboard and a projection of “Brown Loves Providence” illuminating the Lindemann Performing Arts Center along Angell Street.
“For months, we were surrounded by signs of Providence’s love for Brown,” Guterl said. “Seeing that reflected back — in handwritten notes, on billboards and projected onto the Lindemann — was incredibly powerful. But what mattered most was watching members of our community out in neighborhoods across the city, showing up in person and returning that love.”
Many expressed gratitude through everyday choices, supporting Providence businesses and nonprofits through local spending and donations. Most did so independently, while 116 participants submitted receipts through a “donate and shop locally” giveaway, generating $5,542 in spending at area businesses. Others purchased special campaign apparel with 100% of net proceeds going back to the Providence community.
During Reading Week, Brown student-athletes Tommy Dunn and Danny Thompson read to students at Alfred Lima Elementary School as part of Brown Loves Providence.
For Dr. Stephanie Graff, associate professor of medicine at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School, that meant being intentional about where she shopped.
“After Dec. 13, I loaded up the kids and went to Trader Joe’s for our weekly groceries,” Graff said. “It’s not my usual neighborhood store, but after learning that they opened their break room to Brown students — offering them a place to gather, have a snack and stay warm — that’s community. Part of Brown Loves Providence is showing up for the businesses that showed up for us.”
Ongoing connections between Brown and Providence
Messages of gratitude for the Providence community were shared widely across Brown social media channels, including posts from leaders at Brown’s Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women, who wrote:
“We are lucky to be located in Providence and are grateful for strong relationships with so many community partners — from Allegra, the local print shop that produces our materials, to Sydney Café, where ideas are exchanged and work takes shape, to the Providence Public Library, a trusted and valued collaborator. These partnerships enrich our work, strengthen our connection to the city, and remind us that what we do is deeply rooted in community. Thank you, Providence.”
That same spirit of appreciation and connection shaped volunteer efforts across the city. During “Reading Week” at Providence’s Alfred Lima Elementary School, the Brown University Library recruited more than a dozen volunteers from across campus to read in classrooms and spend time with students. In total, Brown staff and students contributed time and support to 19 classrooms that week — roughly one-quarter of the school’s 80 total visits, according to Tasha White, library media specialist for the school.
“Reading Week is about more than books,” White said. “It's about sharing joy and stories across our community. When guests from places like Brown step into our classrooms, our students feel seen, valued and inspired.”
For Brown junior Danny Thompson, spending time reading with local kids was a joyful way to say ‘thank you’ to a city that supported the University through a difficult time.
“On the morning of Dec. 14, I walked to the Ratty unsure of what the state of our university would be,” Thompson said. “Then I looked to my right and saw the words ‘Ever True’ carved into the snow. Though a small gesture, it embodied the strength and unity of our community. In the following days and weeks, Providence has been there for us at every step, offering unwavering love and support. Brown Loves Providence is a way to thank those who have done so much for us — and to show that same spirit back to the city.”
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As part of Brown Loves Providence, many Brown community members took to city neighborhoods to say “thank you” in person.
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Groups joined together to deliver cards, gifts, baked goods and other small tokens of appreciation.
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The visits extended to city leaders, first responders, small business owners, residents and more.
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In total, Brown’s community wrote 406 handwritten appreciation cards and delivered gift bags to 78 organizations across the city.
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Brown students and employees also purchased special campaign apparel with 100% of net proceeds going back to the Providence community.
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Students found creative ways to give back to the city, including organizing a “Thank You PVD” benefit concert in early March at the Strand Ballroom and Theatre.
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Campus groups gathered at local restaurants, including Brown’s Staff Advisory Council at Providence’s Flatbread Company.
Students found other creative ways to give back to the city, including organizing a “Thank You PVD” benefit concert in early March at the Strand Ballroom and Theatre. The event drew hundreds of attendees and featured a lineup of student musicians alongside local performers.
Proceeds from the concert’s ticket sales and additional donations contributed to the initiative’s total impact, helping Brown Loves Providence raise tens of thousands of dollars. All funds raised will be distributed to local nonprofit partners through sponsorships and programmatic support, according to campus leaders.
Though the Brown Loves Providence initiative has come to an official close, the University’s commitment to working with and supporting local partners across the city and state remains steadfast, said Mary Jo Callan, vice president for community engagement at Brown.
“Our connection to Providence isn’t tied to a single moment — it’s ongoing,” Callan said. “This initiative created real momentum and deepened relationships across the city. The next step is to build on that — to keep showing up, keep supporting local businesses, keep listening and continue to find meaningful ways to support our community.”
Samples of the flowers community members have placed at memorials to the victims of the mass shooting on campus are being held in trust at the Brown University Herbarium.
Brown University students, faculty and staff are uniting to thank and honor Providence and its residents, businesses and officials through acts of appreciation including coordinated giving, local spending and volunteerism.
Starting in an entry-level role and rising to lead cook at Andrews Commons, Hout Seng channels his passion for food to create moments of comfort, joy and belonging for Brown students.
