David Zapatka is president of Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, a nonprofit group whose mission is to preserve, protect and promote the historic 1899 lighthouse on Narragansett Bay.

What is it about our fascination with license plates? Despite so many automobile styles, types, models and colors to choose from, there is never a sense of having total control over personalizing your ride. Your coolness and personal style can’t be fully achieved since we are so heavily dependent on the manufacturers creating the look for us.

Once the car becomes yours, you’re free to accessorize it to your liking with bumper stickers and rearview mirror accessories. There’s little more you can do to truly make your four-wheeled gem truly yours for the rest of the driving public to see. Years ago, most every car had an antenna offering an additional accessory option and was often adorned with flags, streamers, or little colored balls. New technology replaced the external antenna ... leaving us with only the license plate as the true option for personalizing our cars.

With the state’s Reissuance Program coming this summer at the Department of Motor Vehicles, you still have an additional choice: the charity plate. 

We were one of the last states in the country to offer a charity license plate, with the Rhode Island Community Food Bank's Mr. Potato Head plate in 2002. Our nonprofit group, the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse, was shunned by our state senator in 2007 while being told the timing “wasn’t right” for our own program. We were shocked two years later to see the osprey plate available from Save The Bay.

Not to be denied, our renewed effort received legislative approval in 2009. We had to sell a minimum of 900 sets to validate the program, but through luck, timing, and a uniquely beautiful plate, we reached that number in five weeks of sales. We’ve now sold more than 10,500 plates for the preservation of the Plum Beach Lighthouse.  

Our group is not alone in the charity plate effort, and we fully support those with similar goals. Over the years we’ve assisted several other charities hoping to emulate our success. Currently, in addition to the three already mentioned, are five other charity plates already validated by the DMV: Bristol 4th of July Parade, Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation, New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, Red Sox Foundation, and Wildlife Rehabilitators.

There are currently other charities plates approved by the legislature that have yet to reach the required minimum 600 orders required — Autism Awareness, Boston Bruins Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, #DSTRONG, Gaspee Days Committee, Providence College, RI Day of Portugal, and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Foundation — with several other charity license plate bills currently under review.

When the DMV announced its 2022 Reissuance Program, we were nervous it would compete with the charity plates. The recent announcement quelled those fears. Paying homage to the aging and original “Wave” plate, the design and colors closely resemble its predecessor. You could almost hear a collective sigh of relief from the charities, knowing their programs won’t have to compete with the new replacements. Having a charity plate set means you won’t be receiving the new wave design in the next two years as the DMV begins its replacement program.  

Please order your own charity plate set. The DMV application is available at https://dmv.ri.gov.  A charity set shows you value helping others, be it fighting hunger, preserving the Bay, supporting sports, wildlife, our famous parade, or preventing breast cancer. Most importantly, the colors of our beautiful historic lighthouse plate complement every vehicle while helping us preserve our maritime past.  

Thank you for showcasing your charitable choice on your car.