Over the last five years, many community events in Fall River were organized by Patti Rego at Viva Fall River. With state grant funding coming to an end, Ms. Rego is moving to a new position, and the future ot the organization is uncertain.
Viva Fall River started five years ago as part of a program to encourage downtown development funded by MassDevelopment and its Transformative District Initiative (TDI). Money for the program has been cut this year. Even though Viva Fall River has funding from other sources, it is not enough to sustain the organization, an obstacle many non-profits face.
Ms. Rego has started a new job leading community engagement and communications at the SouthCoast Community Foundation. Even though event planning is no longer in Viva Fall River’s immediate future, Ms. Rego will still play a role in ensuring the public is informed about the great things happening in the city.
Over the last five years, many of the community events in Fall River had Ms. Rego and Viva’s imprint. The organization opened a local city tourism and maker shop on Purchase Street, selling the creations of local merchants. The shop will close at the end of September.
In working with the local TDI, Viva Fall River also organized workshops promoting small business development.
Many of the events organized by Viva Fall River have been taken over by the Fall River Arts and Culture Coalition (FRACC). Ms. Rego hopes the spirit of Viva will live on through partnerships within neighborhoods across the city.
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