November 21, 2011
Rino Grzinic ’77SVC knows that you can’t change the world merely
by giving good advice. To make a real difference, you’ve got to set
a good example, and do it in a way that inspires others to do the
same.
In recognition of the example he continually sets by his
exceptional commitment to service, St. John’s University President
Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M. presented Grzinic with the
Vincentian Mission Award at the University’s recent Founder’s Week
Vincentian Convocation. The award is conferred on individuals other
than members of the Vincentians or Daughters of Charity or
individuals working in offices whose primary goal is to advance the
University’s Vincentian mission.
Reaching out to those in need has always been a part of the St.
John’s experience. It’s a unique call to action, one that Grzinic
has carried with him since his student days. “I’ve been involved in
doing good works since my earliest days at St. John’s,” he
recalled. “St. Vincent de Paul taught us that we’re
called to love our brothers and sisters, especially the poor. We’re
called to be servants and to give and to try to make the world a
better place. Hopefully, through our actions, we can bring the Good
News to people and bring them closer to God.”
Currently
serving as Associate Director of Major Gifts at St. John’s, Grzinic
quietly embraces the many service opportunities available at the
University for himself and others. He participates in the annual
Good Friday Walk for the Homeless, joins students and staff on
Midnight Runs to bring food and clothing to the homeless living on
the streets of New York City, shares his time and talents with the
surrounding community as part of University Service Day and helps
to organize the collection of clothing, school supplies and Easter
baskets for Providence House, a shelter for abused, homeless and
formerly incarcerated women and their children.
Joined by a new family every year, he and his family pack
grocery bags and Christmas toys for over 2,000 families served by
St. John’s Bread and Life, the largest soup kitchen in Brooklyn and
one of the borough’s most comprehensive and successful social
service providers.
Grzinic believes that his involvement with the Vincentian
Mission Certificate Program, a 16 month initiative that encourages
University staff, faculty and administrators to become role models
who will perpetuate St. Vincent’s legacy by inspiring others to
action, radically changed the way that he approached his commitment
to service. His participation in the program has led him to assume
the role of mentor to third-year students who take part in the
Vincentian Initiative to Advance Leadership (V.I.T.A.L.), a program
that helps students become ethical leaders by developing leadership
skills that reflect St. John’s Vincentian mission.
“I’d always
done charitable acts like feeding and clothing the poor,” he noted,
“but I had never really given of myself. Through the [Vincentian
Mission Certificate] Program I came to realize that I had to put
myself out there and have a personal stake in what I was doing. I
had to be able to say that I gave of myself to people, that I’ve
listened to them. I had to build relationships with the people I
was serving. Becoming involved with the program was a life-changing
experience for me.”
Both grateful for and humbled by his award, this caring alumnus
and administrator readily acknowledges that the Vincentian charism
extends into nearly every area of his life, well beyond the
boundaries of the campus. He is an active member of both the
St. Kilian’s Parish and the Diocese of Rockville Centre Men’s
Ministries, makes weekly donations of food to provide meals for
needy Long Island families and has embraced the concept of tithing,
allowing him to thank God for his blessings by sharing them with
others.
“Everything that I do in my life right now, all of the really
great things, I can trace back to St. John’s in one fashion or
another,” he said. “Those qualities began in me when I was a
student, and they have continued to evolve and become even stronger
through my daily work at the University. Just as the Vincentian
mission defines St. John’s, it defines me as well. I truly believe
that if I can set an example and get more people involved in
service, the world will be a much better place for all of us. I
know that nobody can do everything, but I also know that everybody
can do something.”