East Greenwich Foundation Honored by the First Lady

This week, Rhode Island native John Picerne was among those honored by first lady Michelle Obama at the White House on behalf of his Our Family for Families First Foundation. This East Greenwich based organization, founded in 2006, supports military families in pursuit of higher education by aiding children of military service members through scholarship programs as well as military spouses through grants.

Picerne’s foundation was a part of the Joining Forces Community Challenge, a cause started last year by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to recognize the efforts of citizens and organizations across the country that are working to improve the lives of military families. Our Family for Families First was voted a “People’s Choice Winner”, meaning it was among five prestigious organizations that received the most votes from the public.

And what a winner this organization truly is. Annual scholarships of up to $50,000 and grants of $5,000 are awarded to high school seniors and military spouses respectively to aid them in their pursuit of education. As the president and CEO of the Rhode Island foundation, Picerne is certainly a role model.