Jamaica Plain agency to receive $40K grant to commend CEO’s leadership

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The Family Service of Greater Boston based in Jamaica Plain will receive a $40,000 grant in conjunction with an award honoring the organization’s CEO for “outstanding leadership.”

Randall Rucker, who heads the 177-year-old Boston human service and child welfare agency, received the 2012 Peter B. Goldberg ARAMARK Building Community Executive Leadership Award, officials said this week.

“Rucker is a tireless and outspoken advocate for the power of community centers to help Boston’s most at-risk children and families build their lives,” said a statement from the award-granting services company.

“Rucker is widely respected for his more than 24 years of commitment to bringing together his team, public officials, the corporate world, and the private sector to drive change on the regional and national levels,” the statement added. “Rucker has pioneered efforts that encourage responsible fatherhood and urban youth character, built programs to help children and strengthen families, and forged new paths in serving vulnerable communities.”

The award honors the memory of Peter Goldberg, who, until his death in Aug. 2011, served as president and CEO of the Alliance for Children and Families and CEO of United Neighborhood Community Centers of America – both of those organizations partnered to present the award as part of the second annual ARAMARK Building Community Innovation Awards. www.aramarkbuildingcommunity.com.

Altogether, the awards consisted of $100,000 in grants. Three community centers, one in Illinois, one in Ohio and another in Arizona, each received $20,000 to honor their “innovative job readiness programs.”

Nearly 70 Alliance and UNCA member organizations applied for this year’s awards. Leadership award candidates were nominated, and an external panel of judges selected the winner.

Rucker said in a statement he is “truly honored and humbled,” to receive the recognition.

“I am a firm believer that the best and most enduring solutions to advancing civic, social and community development are realized in the transparent and trusting cross pollination of new ideas, partnerships and resources between non-profit community service providers, public systems, foundations, corporations and community participants,” his statement said.

Susan Dreyfus, president and CEO of the Alliance and CEO of UNCA said in a statement: “I can think of no better leader to honor Peter’s legacy than through Randal’s leadership and success.”

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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