On Wednesday, March 3, General Treasurer Seth Magaziner announced the launch of the Frontline Heroes Fund, a new program to provide the children of frontline workers who have passed from COVID-19 with a $2,500 scholarship in a CollegeBound Saver account.

The Favino-Freeman family, SEIU 1199NE Executive Vice President Patrick Quinn, and RI Department of Corrections Director Patricia Coyne-Fague, Esq. joined Magaziner at the launch.

The announcement was held at the Vets Memorial Auditorium and streamed live on Facebook.

“This is our way of saying to those families who have sacrificed for the rest of us, thank you. We see you. We are incredibly grateful for the sacrifice that you’ve made for the rest of us, and you are not alone,” said Magaziner during the press conference.

The scholarship can be used to pay for a two- or four-year college degree, graduate degrees, apprenticeships, or other job training and vocational programs.

The Freeman family tragically lost Lt. Russell Freeman, a father and husband, in December due to COVID complications after an outbreak among employees and inmates at the Gloria McDonald Women’s Facility. Freeman was a 20-year veteran of the Department of Corrections.

Lt. Freeman’s son, Stone, spoke on behalf of his mother Lisa, older sister Ingrid, and younger sister Quinn. “This is a great initiative to help so many children who have lost heroes to COVID-19. Each day I remember how proud my father was of my sisters and I of our commitment to our education, and today, he is proud of our state, too. Since my dad has passed away, I find myself, at least once a day, checking the transparency report released by the Department of Corrections. And each day it’s a bittersweet feeling seeing the number one under staff deaths. It’s tough, but it’s a positive feeling knowing that no other child other than my sisters and I have had to endure losing a parent…I do ask, though, if you too are checking transparency reports or seeing numbers that you personify the number. Because when you personify the number one under staff deaths, you realize that number one was the patriarch on our family.”

“Frontline workers have been impacted, department of corrections, police, obviously health care workers, firefighters, were seriously impacted by this,” said Quinn during the conference. “It’s a heavy burden to carry. People have exhibited uncommon fortitude and bravery in these situations.”

“When we feel safe, it can be easy to forget there are people out there working everyday to keep us safe,” said Coyne-Fague.

“Rhode Island has gone through a lot in the past year, but we look out for each other, and we stand with each other, and we take care of our own,” said Magaziner. “Together we will get through this pandemic.”