Pinellas County, Fla. (June 15, 2020) – RCS Pinellas Board Chair David Siracusa has been recognized by Nonprofit Pro as the 2020 Board Member of the Year for his dedication to and active support of RCS’ mission of feeding the hungry, helping families facing homelessness return to self-sufficiency and empowering survivors of domestic violence.
Each year Nonprofit Pro chooses nine individuals to be recognized.
“When we look around our community, we see the incredible work that each and every one of you is doing to change the world — be it providing health care or education, saving the environment, reducing waste, feeding the poor, building homes, etc. — and we are simply awestruck. To the most passionate, hard-working, selfless people we know, we commend you and thank you for your countless hours of dedication, resourcefulness, perseverance and resilience to the causes you care so deeply about,” wrote editor-in-chief Nhu Te of the awardees.
Siracusa is very involved in Tampa Bay, a place he has always called home, is the proud father of two boys, and he and his wife of more than 20 years do everything they can to help the community they love so much.
“As RCS Pinellas Board Chair, Siracusa is an unpaid volunteer, working diligently on our behalf to build partnerships with other businesses and nonprofits in the community,” said President and CEO Kirk Ray Smith. “His tireless advocacy has singlehandedly led to significant increases in support and community awareness of RCS’ programs and impact, enabling 130,000 individuals and families each year—or about 15 percent of the Pinellas County population—to have food, shelter and support. He lives the mission every day.”
For the last four years, Siracusa has been proud to contribute financially to several charities, being a major sponsor of 15 fundraising events a year for six local charities in the Tampa Bay area. In that time, he contributed $100,000 to RCS Pinellas alone. And in 2018, Siracusa reached a personal goal of donating more than $100,000 to meaningful charities in a single year.
Siracusa is particularly an advocate of volunteering with RCS, which enables them to keep staff small even as they serve 130,000 individuals and families. For example, as just one of RCS’ 2,500 volunteers per year, Siracusa helps serve 70,000 through the food bank that distributes more than 6 million pounds of food. Siracusa also enables the nonprofit to provide outreach to 17,000 women and children and shelter 300 women and children through Haven of RCS, which provides safety, security and support to women and children facing domestic violence.
These are just a few examples of Siracusa’s dedication to others and helping in any way he can. Anyone who knows Siracusa would tell you that he is a consummate optimist, who never fails to put the needs of others above his own.
RCS Grace House, an apartment-style family shelter, resonates deeply with Siracusa and his philanthropic leanings. He’s particularly proud of those who come through the shelter on the way to a better life and then, in turn, volunteer to help others going through similarly tough times. Siracusa’s whole life is about paying things forward and using all of his resources to make a difference in the lives of others. His work for Grace House as an advocate, donor and volunteer has changed countless lives and provided new hope for those who had none.
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RCS Pinellas (RCS), established in 1967, is a registered 501(c)(3) organization that addresses the needs of the hungry, homeless and victims of domestic violence in Pinellas County. This mission is advanced through five distinct but integrated programs: RCS Food Bank, RCS Basic Services, RCS Affordable Housing, The Haven at RCS Domestic Violence Shelter and RCS Grace House. These programs operate in more than 60,000 square feet of service space and serve more than 130,000 participants annually throughout Pinellas County. In 2019 RCS was awarded GuideStar’s Gold Seal of Transparency for the second year in a row and the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce Biggest Community Impact award. For more information, visit www.rcspinellas.org or call 727-584-3528.