On October 16, 1997 at the annual banquet of Rural Opportunities, Inc. Almeta Whitis, Thomas Warfield and three other performers presented a dramatic rendition of the journey of Frederick Douglass Jr. to freedom from enslavement.  The presentation was presented as a fundraiser for Rural Opportunities, Inc. Advancement Fund and celebrated Stuart's 30 years of service to farmworkers and other rural poor.

 

In 1997 our organization now known as PathStone operated under the name Rural Opportunities, Inc.  We worked primarily with farmworkers throughout New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio.  Today PathStone operates in nine states and Puerto Rico and has dramatically expanded services into 12 lines of business serving rural and urban communities.  PathStone employs more than 600 workers with an annual budget of more than $100 million!!!