A small gesture of kindness will have a lasting effect. In November 2009, in honor of Veteran’s Day, the girls in Cranston Junior Troop 276 made red, white and blue wreaths and laid them at veterans’ memorials throughout Cranston. The troop is led by Joanne Evans and Jen Cowart. One wreath was placed on a memorial stone near Hugh B. Bain Middle School. The stone memorializes PS3 Ronald A. Gill, Jr., a spirited young man from Cranston who was tragically killed on March 25, 2007 while serving on a homeland security mission on Puget Sound in Seattle. Ron’s death was the first active duty death for the Coast Guard since the Vietnam War. Ron’s father, Ron Sr., discovered the wreath when he went to visit the memorial in November. He said, “When I saw that wreath, I was so overcome with emotion. That memorial stone means the most to us because it just says ‘Ronnie’ on it, no initials after it, and that’s really who he was. He was Ronnie.” Ron Sr. contacted the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island (GSRI) to find out who he and his wife should thank and he was put in touch with the leaders from Troop 276. Ron soon met with the girls from the troop to tell them about his son Ronnie and why the wreath they created for his son’s memorial meant so much to him. That meeting resulted in a wonderful opportunity for GSRI Girl Scouts in their senior year of high school. After Ronnie’s death, his parents established The PS3 Ronald A. Gill Jr. Memorial Scholarship Foundation to ensure Ronnie’s death was not in vain and that his legacy continues. The foundation is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit charity organization and 100% of its proceeds benefit scholarship recipients in Rhode Island. Since its inception in 2007, the foundation has granted $38,500 in scholarships in Ronnie’s name. The foundation plans to distribute $30,000 in scholarships this year alone. Scholarships range from $500 to $5,000. This year, for the first time, the foundation awarded the “Girl Scout Troop 276 scholarship”. In order to be eligible, a girl must be a registered GSRI Girl Scout and a high school senior who plans to attend a two or four year college. Part of the application process includes an essay about the impact of Ronnie’s life. Read the essays written by this year's winners: Jennifer Bevilacqua Claudia DoRego Elizabeth Hubert
Allison Tetrault Meghan McMullen The PS3 Ronald A. Gill Jr. Memorial Scholarship Foundation raises its funds through a series of special events. The next event, a 100 mile round-trip motorcycle run with full police escort, will take place on April 25, 2010. Last year's ride had more than 400 participants and raised more than $11,000. For more information, please visit www.rongilljr.org |
