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Dr. Daniel R. Gaccione considers himself to be somewhat of a family and community historian, committed to preserving stories deeply rooted in Westerly’s Italian American heritage. This newly established scholarship fund honors two remarkable women at the heart of those stories. The examples of strength and caregiving demonstrated by his great grandmother Theresa and grandmother Raffaela fueled a personal desire to support other women in their quest to study and receive degrees in the health sciences.

Theresa and her husband Vincenzo arrived from Acri, a small town in the region of Calabria, Italy, in the early 1900s with $3500 and a vision for their future. The couple purchased nearly 200 acres near the Pawcatuck River in Westerly, eventually parceling the land out to their children and grandchildren in order to create a neighborhood where everyone looked out for each other. Dr. Gaccione recalled with affection that “as a kid, it seemed like whenever I went outside, there would be ten people yelling out of windows from different houses telling me to put a coat on!”

The same care Theresa showed her family also extended throughout the community. Without formal education beyond the second grade, she became the self-appointed midwife for the entire neighborhood, delivering babies well into her seventies. Eventually a group of local physicians told the 78-year-old that she would need medical school credentials to continue performing these services. “She was the inspiration for establishing the scholarship,” Gaccione explains, “as Theresa, like many women of her era, did not have the resources to attend college or medical school.”

Dr. Gaccione’s “Nani” Raffaela, whose name translates to “God heals,” carried forward the family tradition of caregiving. A vibrant personality who spoke almost no English, she welcomed her young grandson for Friday night sleepovers that included big Italian breakfasts, always making sure that everyone was well fed. Her warmth and devotion to family exemplified the same nurturing spirit that defined her mother-in-law Theresa’s life.

The newly endowed Theresa and Raffaela Women in Healthcare Scholarship Fund supports scholarships for Westerly High School (WHS) graduating seniors attending an accredited institution of higher education and planning a career in healthcare, with a preference for female students.  

“There are so many capable young women out there who have an interest in patient care,” says Dr. Gaccione, a Providence College and Brown University Medical School educated physician. “I want to lend some assistance with the hope that finances alone will not prevent these WHS graduates from pursuing a degree in the health sciences.”

Dr. Gaccione first learned of the Foundation through a fund established by family members to honor the memory of his cousin, Krista Martin. Appreciating the Foundation’s professionalism and streamlined process, he knew it was the right place to ensure that the legacy of his grandmothers lives on. “The ease of working with the Foundation and their ability to handle all aspects of the administration of the scholarship were important to me,” he notes. “Simply stated, the Foundation does great work helping Rhode Islanders memorialize the people they love.”