Cranston police and fire 5K honors late firefighter→

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Cranston police and fire 5K honors late firefighter

A beautiful bright Sunday set the stage at Garden City Center for the annual Cranston Police & Fire "Hot On Your Heels" 5K.

This is the third year the event has been a fundraiser for the Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation. Pagano was the Cranston resident and firefighter who was shot and killed by his neighbor in May 2008.

"The foundation provides grant money for character building programs for kids K-12 in Cranston. He loved the community, he loved the brotherhood, he loved the firefighters he worked with, he was all about his family, loved his kids, and that's why we decided to make his legacy about children," said his sister Lisa Pagano, who’s President of the Foundation.

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Chili cook-off another fiery success→

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Chili cook-off another fiery success

The second annual Lt. Jim Pagano Cranston Firefighters’ chili cook off held on Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Blue Moon Pub on Park Avenue was a resounding success. The weather was perfect, the guests were treated to top-notch chili and DJ Cush entertained the crowd all afternoon. The event was a total sell out of all 400 tickets.

According to Lisa Pagano, President of the Pagano Foundation and Jim’s sister, the day was amazing. “It was a great showing. Everyone came out, all of our friends, the community, we all had a wonderful day,” she said. In fact, the event was so successful, that by four o’clock that afternoon, they had completely run out of chili.

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LT. JIM PAGANO FOUNDATION AWARDS $7,500 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TO FIVE SENIORS GRADUATING FROM CRANSTON HIGH SCHOOLS

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The Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation awarded $7,500 ($1,500 each) in college scholarships over the last two weeks to five graduating seniors from Cranston West, Cranston East, and the New England Laborers/CPS Construction and Career Academy.  Scholarship awards were based on academic merit, behavior, attendance, and overall achievement while in school, taking into consideration extracurricular activities and community service.

“The selection criteria were based on the values of commitment and achievement in school and in life as values leading to good character. My son, Jimmy, strongly encouraged these values with his own two children, and it is those values the Foundation hopes to promote in students this year and hopefully years to come”, stated Rose Pagano. 

Mikayla Albanese, a student at the NEL/Construction and Career Academy was presented the scholarship at their Honors Night on May 17th.  She is currently taking college courses at CCRI and plans to attend full time in the fall.  Awards on May 18th were presented to two Cranston East seniors, Stephanie Lemus and Katerina Rodrigues, attending University of Rhode Island and Quinnipiac University respectively.  On May 24th at Cranston West’s ceremony, Jean Pagano of the Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation awarded the scholarships to Savannah Bissitt and Kyle Poland.  Savannah will be attending RI College, and Kyle will be attending URI.

Jean, a Foundation board member and Jim’s sister, stated in her CHSW presentation that “As a proud graduate of CHSW class of ’82, Jim would be beaming with pride that we are able to assist seniors in furthering their dreams.  And while his life was cut short in 2008, he always emphasized academic achievement, sports participation, community involvement and kindness to all while he was alive. It is the purpose of the Foundation and these scholarships to honor Jim’s legacy, propel those values important to him among our community youth, and promote courage, confidence and good moral character in life’s pursuits. Congratulations, and may all your dreams come true.”

Request for Proposals: Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation to Award up to $22,500 to Cranston Youth in 2017

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The Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation will be awarding a total of $22,500 to organizations that support academic enrichment and to Cranston students entering college. The Foundation is currently accepting applications from worthy programs, including after-school activities or summer camps, and will continue the tradition of awarding scholarships to 5 high school seniors planning to attend college in the Fall.

“We continue to be grateful to our community that supports the Jim Pagano Foundation each year. It is  because of that support we are able to grant money to character-building programs that honor Jim’s legacy and keep his values and memory alive,” stated Lisa Pagano, president of the Foundation. Said Pagano, “Over the past few years we have worked in partnership with the Cranston Public Schools in an after-school STEM robotics program for 6th grade students, and it was widely received. We hope to hear from folks around Cranston with proposals who wish to conduct these types of academic enrichment programs going forward.”  Grant guidelines and the official application can be found at www.jimpaganofoundation.com/ourwork, and the deadline for proposals is March 20, 2017. Final awards will be granted on April 20th.

Again this year, the Foundation will be awarding college scholarships to graduating seniors at CHSW, CHSE and the NEL/CPS schools. There will be five recipients each who will receive an amount of $1,500.  High school seniors can access the scholarship guidelines and application through their guidance counselors.


The Lt. Jim Pagano Foundation makes charitable grants to individuals, groups and/or organizations that improve the quality of life for children, and foster character building and a strong foundation for their future. By funding these programs, the Foundation hopes to develop future heroes and leaders who will in turn do the same in their communities.