Philadelphia, Pa-based professional service organization, ARAMARK, has renamed one of its ARAMARK Building Community Leadership Awards in memory of Peter Goldberg, former president and chief executive officer of Milwaukee-based Alliance for Children and Families.
Goldberg passed away suddenly last August.
“We are very excited that ARAMARK has renamed one of its national ARAMARK Building Community Leadership Awards in memory of Peter,” said Nancy Kunkler, public relations director for the Alliance for children and families.
According to Kunkler, ARAMARK, in partnership with Alliance for Children and Family and the United Neighbor Centers of America recently announced the winner of the Peter B. Goldberg Building Community Executive Leadership Award. This year’s winner is Randal Rucker, president and chief executive officer of Family Service of Greater Boston.
ARAMARK will provide a total of $100,000 in grants to three community centers for innovative job readiness programs and honor Rucker for outstanding leadership as part of the second annual ARAMARK Building Community Innovation Awards.
“By supporting breakthrough programs that prepare hard-to-employ individuals for work, the ARAMARK Building Community Innovation Awards highlight and support best-in-class programs that are proven to put people to work and serve as best practice examples of new, creative solutions that help families succeed and revitalize neighborhoods,” said Bev Dribin, ARAMARK vice president of community relations.
The Innovation Awards are part of ARAMARK Building Community, the company’s global philanthropic and volunteer commitment to strengthen community centers through grants, volunteer programs and other year-round support.
The 2012 Innovation Awards for Workforce Readiness recognize three community centers’ solution-driven efforts in connecting community needs or targeting hard-to-employ populations with innovative workforce strategies that work. This includes training people for growing industries such as green facilities management, culinary/hospitality, and health care; responding to the specific needs of target populations with comprehensive training, wraparound services, and job placement; and creating center-run businesses that act as training incubators. The winners, each to receive $20,000 grants, are: Casa Central’s Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program in Chicago, Ill.; East End Community Services’ Dayton Works Plus program in Dayton, Ohio and Family Service Agency’s Community Re-Integration program in Phoenix, Ariz.
Rucker is the CEO of the 177-year-old Family Service of Greater Boston in Jamaica Plain, Mass.
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. 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.
“I am truly honored and humbled to be the recipient of the 2012 Peter B. Goldberg ARAMARK Building Community Executive Leadership Award. This award is especially meaningful as it incorporates the legacy and vision of the extraordinary Peter Goldberg–a dynamic catalyst for continual excellence and innovation in the non-profit human service and community service field,” Rucker said. “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.”
Family Service of Greater Boston will receive a $40,000 grant as part of the reward.
“Passionate and committed leaders like Peter Goldberg and Randal Rucker inspire people at all levels. They are role models who dedicate their lives to helping our communities,” said Susan Dreyfus, president and CEO of the Alliance and CEO of UNCA. “I can think of no better leader to honor Peter’s legacy than through Randal’s leadership and success.”
