Commitment, responsibility and leadership are more than just words or slogans to our people, especially to my good friend and our Chief Marketing Officer, Ray Amelio.
Ray was recognized by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl’s office with the Citizen Service Award on May 17th, which honors individuals and organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to addressing local challenges and improving the quality of life in the City of Pittsburgh. Ray received a special City of Pittsburgh Proclamation, a personal letter of thanks from Mayor Ravenstahl, and May 11, 2012 was designated “Ray Amelio Day” in the city.
Ray contributes his time to so many charitable organizations and efforts that it would be hard to list them all in this space. But one in particular gained attention from the mayor’s office, which led to this award. Ray has been associated with the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania for the past 24 years and served as co-chair on the organization’s board of directors in 2011. He served as Board Chair for four years (1994 to 1998). This program helps provide essential support services to military veterans, service members and their families.
Anyone who knows Ray knows how near and dear this effort is to his heart. A Vietnam veteran, Ray has helped shepherd the Veteran’s Leadership Program from its infancy 30 years ago into an organization that provided essential services to nearly 5,000 of our region’s more than 300,000 veterans. To learn more about Veteran’s Leadership Program and how you can help, click here.
With thousands more returning from Iraq and Afghanistan every day, the need to support these heroes hasn’t diminished in importance. Thanks to the dedication of Ray and his colleagues, we know those returning to Western Pennsylvania will be in good hands.
Congratulations Ray. We humbly salute you.
I encourage you to share stories of the people making a difference in your community each day. They inspire us to fight the good fight and continue giving back to the city and country that have given us so much.
Robert Fragasso, CFP®, is chairman and chief executive officer at Fragasso Financial Advisors, a Pittsburgh-based investment and financial planning firm. Due to industry regulations, comments are not permitted on this blog. If you would like to contact the author, please email us at blog@fragassoadvisors.com. Bob can also be reached for comment at 412-227-3200.