Beyond The Bequest: John DiRocco's Legacy of Compassion and Impact
"Robin Hood had a huge impact on my life and helped make me who I am today. So, when this life ends, I want to say thank you one last time."
New York City native John DiRocco was first introduced to Robin Hood by a colleague at Paloma Partners. He was "mildly involved" at the beginning but was moved to become more so after attending his second Robin Hood benefit. He made a big donation that evening, but that was just the start.
John lost his father just as he began his career. The family was bankrupt, lost their home and cars and had to restart from scratch. As his professional life took off, he had a desire to give back to those less fortunate, who faced adversity not of their own making and specifically to help children.
John noticed after a while that while many titans of the finance industry were involved with Robin Hood there was a need to move to the next level and find future donors. As a result, he suggested to a Board member that they devise a way for this to happen. Shortly thereafter, that Board member invited John to be one of the founding members of the Leadership Council, which he accepted. And from there on, Robin Hood became an important part of his life.
During his time on the Leadership Council, he was very involved with early childhood initiatives. He visited community partners and saw kids with no place to go outside to play. So, he took it upon himself to run a fundraising campaign (including an event called "Playing for Laughs") which led to the funding to build a playground at a Women In Need facility that Robin Hood worked with.
John ultimately made a planned gift, giving a percentage of his estate through a bequest intention. John made the gift because he wants to instill in his seven children the lesson of giving back and to understand "the need to help those less fortunate even after my death.
"It's a bit selfish! I'm doing it to help Robin Hood, and to teach my kids, but also so I can selfishly feel good about doing all of this."