Deborah E. Wiley Fund

Deborah Wiley’s roots in Little Compton go back 100 years, when her parents became “summer residents.” She has been going to the town’s Brownell Library since she was a little girl. That’s why she decided to create a way to support the library long-term.

“As a little girl I went into the library. It was sort of a stoic place. I’ve also watched over the years how the library has changed and become a community center. I have lived in Little Compton since I was one year old. I’m very attached to the community and have watched as it has provided more programs for the year-round residents,” says Deborah.

She was familiar with the Rhode Island Foundation because of her service on the boards of the Sakonnet Lighthouse and the local chapter of the National Society for Colonials Dames, both of which have funds here; and her seat on the board of The Nature Conservancy, which receives grant support.

“The library doesn’t have any source of investment and I wanted to make a lump sum endowment. I could have set up my own fund for them, but it just seemed easier for me and the library to have the Foundation do that work,” Deborah explains.

The Brownell Library, built in 1929, was bequeathed to the people of Little Compton by another local philanthropist, Pardon Brownell in 1921. Today it offers much more than it did when Deborah first started going there as a child. Patrons can check out bird watching and beachcombing kits, get passes to local museums and historical sites, and research family genealogy. There is even an Orion Starblast 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope that patrons can borrow.

“The library has made some terrific moves. There are still people, even in Little Compton, who don’t have a computer. You can go to the library and use them. People who don’t have access to the internet can park outside the library and use its WIFI. There are so many services and resources that people need, that a library can provide,” she says.