Dengal gives for the future of others

When Frieda Dengal was young, she dreamed of being a nurse. She grew up in a working class family in Pawtucket, where money was scarce and everyone had to pitch in to make ends meet. It was, after all, the Depression era, when frugality was not just wise, but critical to survival. So, she says, there simply was not enough money for her to get the schooling that nursing required.

Now, she wants to make sure that someone else gets the opportunity she didn’t have. Dengal has been a steady contributor to the CCRI Foundation since the 1980s and predicts that in four years her total gifts will have reached $25,000.

Instead of pursuing nursing, Dengal volunteered for many years as a Red Cross Grey Lady at the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. She says she loved helping people, and one of her favorite parts was that she “got to help carry out the newborn babies.”

But her priority had to be secure employment. In an era when utilities represented one of the most solid posts of the U.S. economy, Dengal worked her entire career with the telephone company, starting off as a line operator and then moving into a position where she supervised and trained other operators for the Pawtucket and Providence branches. She retired after several decades of service with the phone company, having made a comfortable living and earning a respectable pension.

Dengal is very close with her two nieces and nephew. In fact, she proudly says, her nephew was the first male nurse at Rhode Island Hospital. She still travels regularly to see one niece in Florida who has been ill.

When she was in her early 70s, Dengal, still a Pawtucket resident, decided to go back to school. She chose CCRI for the wide range of offerings and its accessibility to students of all ages. Though she had decided that a nursing career was now out of the question, she immersed herself in classes ranging from composition to science to art. Early in her time at CCRI, she discovered that there were dozens of students in the same predicament that she faced as a young woman.

“I hope that through my little contribution, someone else can fulfill their dreams,” says Dengal. She emphasizes that she chooses to give to CCRI because “a little bit of money can go a long way here.” She hopes that student nurses will benefit and go on to serve their communities.

Director of Institutional Advancement Julie White has had the opportunity to chat with Ms. Dengal several times, and says that, “In her generous spirit, Ms. Dengal found that the stories of these students resonated with her, and she decided to do something to help.”

When asked if she can share any words of wisdom acquired in her 84 years, Dengal says emphatically, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t procrastinate – find yourself a way to get there.” With Dengal’s help, finding that way will be made that much easier for those who need it most.