A healthcare executive and his wife have established a scholarship for Gannon University in honor of their daughter.
Raymond and Mary Graeca’s donation established the Stephanie Rae Graeca Memorial Endowed “Power” Scholarship in Healthcare Management.
Under the “Power” Scholarship, the donation will be matched by Gannon and will benefit students from DuBois Central Catholic High School who wish to study healthcare management at Gannon.
Graeca said the amount donated was $50,000 but the actual amount of the scholarship will depend on the interest and investment earnings.
The interest earnings will be offered first to a graduate of the DuBois Area Catholic School (DACS), who is majoring in the health management program at Gannon.
If there is no DACS graduate to major in health management, then the scholarship will be offered to another non-DACS graduate in the same major.
Raymond Graeca said the scholarship is in honor of the memory of his daughter, Stephanie, who passed away unexpectedly in December 1991.
“The fact that it is named the Stephanie Graeca “Power” Memorial Scholarship gives both my wife and I comfort in knowing that Steph’s memory lives on through the education of students,” Graeca said.
Graeca also said that this was the third scholarship that his wife and he have created in their daughter’s name in the Erie diocese.
Other scholarships have been created for St. Thomas Elementary in Corry, and DuBois Area Catholic School in DuBois.
Graeca said that he and his wife are humbled to have the opportunity to financially participate in the educational process at three schools.
“We sincerely hope as recipients reflect on their learning process, they will come to appreciate that the formal education experience is just the beginning of a lifelong journey to help others in life who need the help and assistance,” Graeca said.
Raymond Graeca currently serves as CEO of Penn Highlands Healthcare System, DuBois.
His 40-year career in healthcare has included executive positions at Corry Memorial Hospital; DuBois Regional Medical Center; Garland Community Hospital, Garland, Texas; Medical City Dallas and John Peter Smith Hospital, Fort Worth, Texas.
Raymond and Mary Graeca currently live in DuBois and have three children and seven grandchildren.
Vanessa Latzer, a sophomore social work major, said she was impressed with the scholarship.
“I think it’s wonderful that they have a program like that, especially since financial problems are the main reason some people can’t go to college,” Latzer said.
The Stephanie Rae Graeca Memorial Endowed “Power” Scholarship is among the almost 200 scholarships at Gannon endowed by corporations, foundations, families and individuals.
In 2014, Gannon awarded scholarships to more than 400 deserving students from a diversity of locations, backgrounds and financial circumstances.
SAMANTHA GRISWOLD
