MIDDLETOWN — Dr. Timothy Flanigan, a professor of medicine at Brown Medical School and infectious disease specialist at The Miriam Hospital who volunteered in Liberia for two months during the Ebola crisis in 2014, was recently recognized by the Kraft family and the New England Patriots Foundation for his longtime commitment to volunteering as founder of the Star Kids Scholarship Program.
The program provides educational opportunities in the form of tuition aid to non-public schools and mentoring assistance to more than 200 local, disadvantaged children through its wide-ranging scholarship program. A Catholic deacon of the Diocese of Providence, Dr. Flanigan was recently awarded a $10,000 grant on behalf of Star Kids as part of the prestigious 2019 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award he received at Gillette Stadium, along with 25 other dedicated volunteers, from more than 350 nominations received from throughout New England for this year’s awards. The award recognizes those who exemplify leadership, dedication and a commitment to improving their communities through volunteerism.
Deacon Dr. Flanigan founded Star Kids in 2000 with fewer than 10 children, believing that the best way to assist at-risk children was to equip them with a good education and related supports. Since then, two chapters of Star Kids — one serving Newport County and Fall River, Mass., and the other serving New Bedford, Mass. — have helped hundreds of low-income students, whose parents have been incarcerated or battled substance abuse, change their expectations of themselves and reach their potential through education. Nearly 94 percent of Star Kids graduate from high school, and 92 percent pursue post-secondary education. Others join the military or find gainful employment.
