Gloria's Rainy Day Fund
With gratitude and in memory of her mother Gloria Quinones, Barb Protacio '81, Vice President of 1stGenYale, is leading the creation of the Gloria's First Gen Rainy Day Fund.
This fund contributes directly to the Yale College Dean's Safety Net which is designed for high-need students who experience emergency and unexpected financial hardship.
Gloria's Story
Gloria was the daughter of a Mexican immigrant father and a first-generation American mother of eastern European descent. She had a lifelong love of reading and learning; her 1940s high school yearbook even called her "crazy about college.” Unfortunately, cultural and financial circumstances prevented her from attending. Decades later, Gloria and her husband Jim took out loans to send their two children to college, and later she delighted in giving small savings bonds and silver dollar coins to support their grandchildren's college education. Her daughter, grandson, and granddaughter all graduated from Yale. Gloria passed away in April 2023.
Yellow Rain Boots
Gloria’s first emergency gift was a pair of rain boots for a first gen first-year who had been enduring puddles of water forming around her feet in class, and shoes so wet that they squished. Yellow children’s rain boots were all Gloria could find in New Haven on short notice! Thanks, Gloria, for the rainy day rescue! Now it's Barb's turn to be a safety net to other first-gen students at Yale.
How to Donate
To make your tax-deductible contribution, sign up at tinyurl.com/GloriasFund. Yale Development will contact you directly to confirm the outright gift amount and/or pledge schedule. Your gifts will go directly to Yale, not to 1stGenYale. Barb is initiating this fund with a $5,000 gift. The 1stGenYale Board of Directors supports this initiative—will you join us, too?