GENEROSITY
Ron and Sheila Cuccaro have built a life together in Utica, raising two daughters, working and finding ways to help the community they love. Sheila moved here from Albany at age four and met Ron when she was 19. In 2027, they will celebrate 60 years of marriage. Aside from a few years in Plattsburgh and Rochester, Utica has been her home. “Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”
Ron graduated from Utica University and built his national disaster preparedness and recovery business here, while Sheila, a SUNY Poly graduate, worked as business manager for a surgical medical practice. Their family includes four grandchildren, their daughters and son-in-law. They also remember a much-loved son-in-law they lost nine years ago. Giving back has been part of their life together. “His caring spirit has led me to my volunteering,” Sheila says of Ron.
In the early years, when money was tight, they gave their time and did the work. Their children’s schools and activities offered opportunities to volunteer, and Sheila and a friend started a Montessori nursery school when none was available. They held school bazaars to raise the money to get it started. The school is still operating today.
Their service began with the Jaycees and Junior League, followed by the ARC, Utica Public Library, The Stanley, Utica University, The Community Foundation, Mohawk Valley EDGE, American Heart Association, Munson and The Center for Family Life and Recovery. Ron’s time as Chair of the Community Foundation was especially influential. It opened their eyes to unmet local needs and encouraged them to focus on people struggling to afford basic necessities.
That commitment is personal. Ron’s parents were Italian immigrants who raised five children in Utica while facing obstacles of their own. “As a first generation American I am very grateful for the values and the work ethic instilled by my family, which allowed me to succeed in my personal and professional life,” Ron says. He and Sheila are grateful to the community that helped make that possible and want other families to have access to support. Their efforts have included food assistance, homelessness, flood relief, COVID response, refugee assistance and access to medical care. They have also endowed a fund for their parish’s social outreach program. Both value diversity, equity and inclusion, and say concerns about federal funding reductions have strengthened their resolve to advocate for vulnerable residents.
For Sheila, the American Heart Association has a particularly personal connection. Heart disease has touched her family, and their first grandchild, Isabel, was born with an undiagnosed heart condition that required open-heart surgery during her first week of life. “Without it she would not have survived.” That experience led to Team Isabel and their involvement with the American Heart Association. Today, they fund blood pressure monitors at locations around the county so people can be checked and directed to medical care when needed.
Learning that their health screening program identified previously unknown serious conditions, allowing people to receive immediate, lifesaving care, has reinforced the importance of that support. So have conversations with patients of the MVHS Ostomy Clinic, which they helped establish. “To hear how the clinic made a huge difference in their daily lives was so rewarding,” Sheila says. “There is no greater gift than knowing that you helped someone.” Ron shares that feeling. “I find charitable and volunteer work to be very rewarding. Helping others to overcome challenges to living better lives, brings with it a great sense of satisfaction and of pride.”
Sheila also gives her time teaching refugee women to sew. Language differences haven’t kept them from enjoying one another’s company. “Many don’t speak English, but we use hand gestures and laughter to communicate.” Those hours together have brought her joy and strengthened her belief in what people share, regardless of where they come from. “They are new to the US, but they are us.”
Through the American Heart Association, Munson, MVHS and other organizations, Sheila has found friendships, learned from others and had experiences she will always carry with her. Both she and Ron see charity as an important part of their faith and feel they receive more than they give. For anyone considering volunteering, they recommend finding an organization connected to something they care about, whether that’s children, health or the arts. “Start small and find a cause where you feel there is a need and you can bring your talents,” Sheila says. Ron adds, “I hope that others can experience this same positive reward by volunteering their time and or financial support to local organizations who work tirelessly to make our community better by improving the lives of so many who need our assistance.”
This Thanksgiving, Ron and Sheila are grateful for the life they’ve built in the Mohawk Valley and for the dedicated staff, loyal clients and associates who helped their business succeed, giving them the resources to help others. Sheila is especially thankful for her husband’s life, their children and grandchildren, and the friends and people who have made her smile. After decades of giving their time and support, she still describes the reward in personal terms: “The greatest reward you can receive is knowing you changed the life of another human in some way.”
