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Newport, Rhode Island, was Marea Elena Lewis's world, and she knew it like few others did. Her family's roots were firmly planted, stretching back to her grandparents, who emigrated from Greece in the late 1800’s and made Newport their home. Born in 1949, she grew up steeped in her community, its history, and its people, becoming, as those who knew her recall, a comprehensive source of knowledge about all things Newport. She volunteered at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, brought food to homebound seniors, and quietly saved her money across a handful of small local bank accounts, never drawing attention to herself or what she was building.

Her love of Newport ran deep, and nowhere more so than in her care for its children.

Marea devoted her career to the city's public elementary school, working as both a teacher and guidance counselor. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in education from the University of Rhode Island - a reflection of a woman who never stopped learning and who believed in the power of education. Marea taught every elementary level with equal enthusiasm. When asked which grade was her favorite, she smiled and said simply, "All of them."

Her own love of learning was expansive. She immersed herself in language, travel, and the arts, always driven by genuine intellectual curiosity. It was that same spirit of curiosity and discovery that she worked to cultivate in her students.  As her cousin and executor Charlie Zoulias recalls, "She loved kids and loved helping them progress – all through a sense of joy about excelling and learning." She believed that education didn't stop at the classroom door, and that children deserved experiences that could expand their sense of the world around them.

More than 25 years ago, Marea began laying the groundwork for a fund that would provide enriching outside-the-classroom learning opportunities through field trips for Newport's public elementary school children. Her estate planner guided her to the Rhode Island Foundation as the right home for the fund, and through a bequest following her passing at the age of 75, her vision became a reality in the form of the Marea E. Lewis Fund.

"I think it's a heck of a prize,” shares Charlie. “When she made the decision to do this, she had no concept of the impact that she would make for the school children in Newport. If it helps those kids, she'd be happy."