BY DAVID ROSARIO
PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Stephen Sirgiovanni was born and raised in Howard Beach, and he attended St. Helen Catholic Academy. His father was one of the founders of the New York State Kiwanis. It was this exposure to the community service group that inspired him to want to become involved with the Kiwanis in some capacity.
MOTIVATION TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY: Sirgiovanni hopes to raise money for the Kiwanis Pediatric Center in order to help find cures for diseases such as diabetes, autism and Lyme disease. He has worked extensively with anti-bullying organizations to prevent all forms of bullying and cyberbullying. Expanding the free youth summer camp, Kamp Kiwanis, is another one of Sirgiovanni’s chief goals as governor of the New York District Kiwanis.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND AND CAREER: Before being elected governor of the New York District Kiwanis, Sirgiovanni previously served as lieutenant governor of Kiwanis Queens West. “Ten years ago I joined not thinking anything about becoming governor,” Sirgiovanni said. “Then [about] five years ago, I was asked about being governor of the club.”
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Sirgiovanni says that the biggest challenge he has faced is that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that he wants to do. “This is a volunteer job. I don’t get paid,” Sirgiovanni said. “But I do it because I want to make a difference and I want to give back to my community.”
GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS: “Being able to do all of the good community service that I get to do is the best part of this job,” Sirgiovanni said. He said that working with organizations like the Ronald McDonald House, the New York Mets and various food pantries throughout the district are some of his proudest accomplishments so far in his career with the Kiwanis.
