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Lillian Sparfven & Ethel Ferrara Fund
Nursing has been part of Lillian “Penny” Sparfven’s life for more than 65 years. Her love for nursing began as a student at Warwick Veterans High School, when she began volunteering at Rhode Island Hospital and working at the former Jane Brown Hospital. After high school, she graduated from the former St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in 1960 and went straight into the profession.
She worked as a visiting nurse and at nursing homes and hospitals until her retirement in 2005. She continues to be active in the St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing Alumni Association and the Nursing Foundation of Rhode Island.
“I just like improving the health of patients. I loved bedside nursing,” she says. “Nurses are a great part of patient care. We have more time to spend at the bedside.”
Nursing runs deep in her family. Her mother, Ethel Thompson Ferrara, and her aunt, Helen Geary, followed Penny into the profession, graduating from the former Rhode Island School of Practical Nursing in the mid1960s as Licensed Practical Nurses. Her mother spent 24 years helping residents of the same nursing home in Warwick.
“In addition to her work, my mother’s activities were many, among them serving on the Board of Directors of the Warwick Historical Society and local senior centers. She also enjoyed traveling,” Penny remembers. Penny was introduced to the Rhode Island Foundation when she began serving on its Nursing Scholarship Committee, which awards aid on behalf of many funds like Penny’s at the Foundation.
“I always came to meetings. So, I saw how their finances were being handled and I thought that would be a good place for me, too,” Penny explains. “My mother loved nursing as much as I did. I figured creating a fund at the Foundation would be a good way to honor her. I am passionate about helping others to also be part of the nursing profession.”
“I believe this fund will provide scholarships for nursing students and meet my goal while we continue to encourage young adults to further their education into nursing."
