11/26/2022
2023 OPAL Award Honoree Pia Giannone is not only deeply honored to receive this award but also humbled to join the pantheon of volunteers, activists, and philanthropists who have accepted it before her.
While service to the community has always been of paramount importance to Pia, she feels that joining the Rotary Club of Boca Raton in April 2013 has opened new doors. Through her involvement with RCBR, Pia is a weekly volunteer in the Boca Helping Hands kitchen and also supports the Fuller Center Adopt-a-Class Program. She has donated to Place of Hope, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Lake Region Rotary Club in Bridgton, ME. She is a member of the Florida Intergenerational Orchestra Board of Directors. She was recognized for her commitment to her community as the RCBR’s 2015 nominee for the Junior League of Boca Raton Woman Volunteer of the Year.
Although Pia has been actively involved with various organizations in the Boca Raton community for more than 40 years, the work that has most resonated with her has been as the RCBR Scholarship Chair and as a member of the Palm Beach State College Foundation Board. Pia became RCBR Scholarship Chair in 2017. In that role, she was tasked with strengthening the club’s relationship with both Florida Atlantic University and Palm Beach State College. She coordinates the mentor program that places scholarship recipients with Rotarian mentors. The subsequent relationships that develop provide a unique and invaluable experience for recipients and Rotarians alike. This year alone, there are 45 students who were awarded RCBR scholarships.
Pia believes her greatest accomplishment as a Rotarian was to establish scholarships for the PBSC Career Programs. For the 2022-2023 academic year the Club is providing 12 scholarships to students in the HVAC Technology, Automotive Mechanics, and Marine Services Technology programs. Inspired by a former student and scholarship recipient, Pia also helped establish a scholarship for eight students in the School of Public Safety who qualify for the paramedic program and are working toward a career as a firefighter. She passionately believes that all of the scholarships she has helped to create and award, both traditional and vocational, fully embody the RCBR tenet “changing lives and building futures”.
For more than 20 years, Pia has been a benefactor to St. Jude’s Parish and School in Boca Raton. Recently, she personally endowed the Service Above Self Scholarship for two graduating eight graders. The scholarship recognizes two students who have demonstrated a commitment to making a difference in their community. In 2019, Pia received the Educator Recognition Award for her efforts within the St. Jude community.
Commitment to service and education have always been an integral part of Pia’s life. She understands the profound impact that community partnerships and scholarship can have on people's lives today and in the future. She has often said and whole-heartedly believes that “an investment in education is the greatest gift one can give.”
Join us as we honor Pia Giannone at our 25th Annual OPAL Awards Gala on January 14, 2023 at Boca West Country Club. Visit opalawards.com to purchase tickets or to sponsor this event.
