Seeds to serve were sewn by senior Koch

by John Howell Rhody Beat

Nov 24, 2010

PHILANTHROPY DAY RECOGNIZED - Friends Peter Koch and Karen Adams of Channel 12 share a moment during National Philanthropy Day celebrations Tuesday. Koch Eye Associates was honored as the Outstanding Philanthropic Business. Adams served as host for the event held by the Rhode Island Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Peter Koch knows how to bring the house down, not that the chief financial officer of Koch Eye Associates had that intention.

Koch Eye Associates was one of three organizations and two individuals to receive special recognition at the National Philanthropy Day celebration Tuesday morning at the Crowne Plaza. The Rhode Island Chapter of Fundraising Professionals hosted the event.

While Koch Eye Associates was recognized as the outstanding philanthropic business with less than 250 employees, the spotlight fell on Peter. Top on the list of Peter’s work with non-profits is his role as a mentor and a member of the board of the Rhode Island Mentoring Partnership.

In a brief video preceding the presentation by Mayor Scott Avedisian and event host Karen Adams of Channel 12, Peter was described as a person who would do anything for the cause – even dance.

Peter was one of the competitors in the first-ever Dancing with the Stars fundraiser held by the partnership. There was more than words to describe the event – there was footage of Peter dressed as a bullfighter in a porkpie hat and waving a cape.

The crowd of more than 600 started laughing. And then came the closing moment when Peter belly slid across the floor with his partner triumphantly standing above him. It was too much. The laughter shook the place.

“I love him to death,” Adams proclaimed as she called Peter to the podium.

Peter didn’t dance. He didn’t need to. He already had the attention of the audience.

He talked about his brother, Paul and sister, Patricia and how their sense of community responsibility was shaped by their parents.

“As an adult, the very seeds my parents had planted in me as a child blossomed into an increased awareness of how fortunate I truly am, and how I have a responsibility to assist those who are less fortunate,” he said.

He told of how his father, a physician, made house calls never worrying whether he would get paid and he read a letter he received in 1995 from a West Warwick resident. The woman told of Dr. Koch’s act of kindness on Christmas Eve, 1951. That day the woman’s parents received an invoice for scores of house calls Dr. Koch made during the year. The amount due was $379 and stamped on it was the word paid with Dr. Koch’s handwritten note “X-mas present.”

After the death of Dr. Koch on July 29, 2002, Peter and his bother and sister chose to honor his memory by performing 20 free cataract operations a year and declaring July 29th as Koch Eye Care Day. On that day all nine Koch offices are closed and all 140 employees are encouraged to spend the day with one of 25 pre-selected charities as a volunteer.

“As children, watching the fine example our father set was probably the earliest inkling we had that giving back to the community was an important responsibility,” Peter said.

The Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation award for a company with 250 employees and more was awarded to Amica Auto Home and Life for its programs promoting volunteerism among is employees and, in particular for its work with McCauley House for the homeless.

The Rotary Club of Wakefield was recognized for its ongoing work in the community with the Outstanding Philanthropic Organization award and Joan Abrams was honored with the Outstanding Philanthropic Citizen award. Abrams was recognized as a board member and president of Festival Ballet, Save the Bay and Blithewold Inc.

Honored with the Herbert E. Kaplan Youth in Philanthropy Scholarship was South Kingstown High School senior Priya Ghosh. Inspired by the quote “think globally, act locally,” she raised funds for the Crisis in Kenya Relief Fund, the Ethiopian Project and the Haitian Earthquake Relief. She reestablished a chapter of Amnesty International at her school.

Also honored as 2010 Partners in Philanthropy were scores of individuals, companies and organizations that contribute their time, expertise and financial resources to the community.