Ciccolini, centre, flanked by Toronto Maple Leafs legend Darry Sittler, right, son Michael, left, and grandson Eric before the start of a Leafs game.

Sam Ciccolini is now officially a senior citizen. Having turned 65 earlier this year, he could have been excused if his thoughts had turned to retirement, of lazy days ahead, perhaps even some trepidation of what the future had in store for him.
 

But retirement is the furthest thing from Ciccolini’s mind; if anything, he appears to be even more driven now than at any time in the past. He is an iconic figure in Vaughan, arguably the most active member of the community, to speak nothing of the company boards he sits on.

He either chairs or emcees some 130 community events a year, virtually all of them for causes that are dear to his heart. When it comes to helping people in his community and abroad, Sam Ciccolini says he just doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘No’. It would seem that every time you run into him, he has a mission or two on the go.

Ciccolini has been blessed with a life of purpose and one that he takes on like there is nothing else. When I met with him for the first time, it was supposed to be just a brief tête-à-tête to get to know him a little and talk about our interview. Before I knew it, two hours had passed. Here clearly is a man who is passionate about everything he does, and his enthusiasm is infectious.

With each story he told me, I noticed a sparkle in his eye and it’s plain to see that he loves helping people. Ciccolini is a leader, and he leads by example. It’s one thing to say what you want to do in life, it’s another to actually go out and do it. Ciccolini is a doer.

How does one help manage a company, make time for family and friends, travel and still find time to give generously from the heart, expecting nothing in return? “You just do it,” says Ciccolini. “There is no such word as ‘No’ in my vocabulary. It’s easier to say yes, and I’ve found that when I have said no on occasion, I say to myself why did I say no?”

This simple philosophy has led Ciccolini to become involved in charities like Sick Kids, Villa Charities, Villa Colombo Vaughan Long Term Care, Vaughan Health Care Foundation, Sisters of the Sacred Heart and the Church Council of Saint Margaret Mary. Yet the one charity that is closest to his heart is the Cristina Ciccolini Bone Marrow Foundation, named after his daughter who died from a bone marrow complication at the tender age of 10. Ciccolini’s world fell apart at the time, but he used her passing as a source of inspiration to keep her memory alive. He says that his earnings from several of the company boards he sits on goes directly to the Foundation, which funds research for anemia and leukemia related problems.

Sam Ciccolini moved to Canada from Italy in 1956, at the age of 12. He had spent the previous three years in an Italian seminary, which likely helped shape his strong beliefs and community bent of mind. “I learned how to work hard there,” recalls Ciccolini. “You learned to be disciplined.”

He says this period during his formative years had an impact on his life and the experience gave him the motivation and dedication to start the family business with his brothers and partner/best friend to develop what seems to be an exemplary work ethic. Along with his brother, in 1966 he purchased a small insurance company and made a success of what is now, Masters Insurance, a mid-sized insurance brokerage firm specializing in construction insurance and contract bonds, including life insurance products, health and accident benefits, RRSPs, mutual funds and more.

His success also comes from something he says his mother taught him. He recalls how she would insist and be persistent about working hard. “She drove it into us that we should always work hard, with integrity and honesty, never compromising the two.”

He also learned dedication from his father, he says. “My father’s dedication to our family was strong and it is something I have tried to carry out in my life.” But the measure of the man can truly be seen in Ciccolini’s work within the community. Not always acting on his own, he has been able to get involved in many areas of the community, from recreational sports to places of worship. From starting a hockey club to volunteering with the Rotary Club, to helping build St. Clare Church here in Woodbridge, Ciccolini is constantly on the go.

Along the way, he has made many friends who share his passion for helping people and getting things done. It was his friends Vic DeZen, Marco Muzzo, Alfredo DeGasperis, Galli Tiberini, Silvio DeGasperis, Andrew Famiglietti, Celeste Iocobelli, Father John Burean and others that worked hard to realize and erect the new church of St. Clare. Much to the Archdiocese of Toronto’s disbelief, this group of people defied all odds, when for the first time, says Ciccolini, a church was built by the private sector with no funding at all from the Archdiocese. With passion and hard work, anything can happen, he adds.

It speaks to Ciccolini’s character that he not only knows celebrities and people in high places, but he can also count on them as friends. When businessman-turned-politican Al Palladini died, Ciccolini called popular singer Michael Burgess who was rehearsing for a concert in New York at the time, and invited him to come and sing at the funeral service. Burgess obliged.

“When you do for others, it is always returned to you,” says Ciccolini. “People want to help you in return. I don’t do it in order to get something in return, it just happens naturally.”

Ciccolini also recounted the story of Samantha Wyokim, the niece of rock ‘n’ roll singer Andy Kim. At the age of 10, Samantha was suffering from liver cancer and needed a liver transplant. The doctors at Saint Justine in Montreal were not optimistic about her prognosis, giving her just 4-6 months to live.

Bill Carrol of radio station CFRB, who was a mutual friend of both Kim and Ciccolini, recalled that Ciccolini knew a liver transplant specialist in the US, and asked if he could at least get him to take a look at Samantha’s charts.

Ciccolini immediately called his friend Dr. Rick Superina, who he had met through his contacts at Sick Kids, and was now practicing in Chicago. Dr. Superina not only reviewed the charts, he thought he could help this girl. “As much as this is very difficult and complicated, it’s doable,” he said.

The Quebec government refused to foot the $347,000 it would cost to perform the surgery in Chicago, but Ciccolini, Kim and a few others were willing to organize a concert to raise the required funds. As it turned out, Samantha was too ill to travel, so Dr. Superina offered to perform the surgery in Montreal instead. After overcoming much red tape, permission was granted and under the guidance of Dr. Superina the surgery was performed with no cost to the family. Samantha got a new liver and a new life and today she is a healthy 14-year-old.

It was evident that what Ciccolini makes possible comes directly from his belief in the human spirit and in having compassion for others.

The projects continue to come fast and furious for the tireless Ciccolini. He is currently working on a Walk of Fame project due to begin on College Street in front of the Chin Radio building.

“There are many successful people who helped build this city and they are all worth recognizing,” he says.

After recently visiting the city of Aquila, Italy where the recent earthquakes have left nothing but devastation, Ciccolini has also joined a committee to raise funds for an educational building and a youth centre or an old age home. He says that of the six hours that he toured the area of the earthquake site, he cried for three of those hours. “My whole body felt what a city on its knees is feeling. Only the fire department, police and the army are there. People have lost so much and some have nowhere to go.”

As a doer and a facilitator, like most other projects, he seems confident this too will get done and then on to the next thing.

Now that he has turned 65 and has officially become a senior, I inquire about his health. As you age, your metabolism changes and diet is very important, says Ciccolini. Being a diabetic he tries to stay away from some of his favourite foods: bread and pasta. He is in tune with his condition and knows all too well when things are out of whack for him.

Although he finds managing his diabetes very difficult at times, it doesn’t stop him from living and from doing what he does. He actually speaks with a light heart even when he speaks of his condition. “It could be worse,” he says. “Many of my fiends didn’t make it to 65, so I’m grateful and happy.”

Doesn’t he ever stop or get tired? He responds: “There are times when I feel overwhelmed – not often, mind you – and find myself in over my head. When that happens, I go down the 407 to the Queen of Heaven cemetery and sit in front of my daughter’s crypt. There, I find the will and energy to continue.”

Where others might succumb to despair and sorrow, Ciccolini finds the will and inspiration to soldier on.

Ciccolini is involved a great deal in seniors’ issues, and I asked him what the greatest concerns are in this area. One of the biggest, he says, is the shortage of spaces at homes for the aged. “The grim reality is that the only way a spot becomes available is for someone to pass on. There is a waiting list of 321 people to get into Villa Colombo. It’s a sad state of affairs.”

One of the reasons he sits on the board of the Villa Charities is to ensure that places like Villa Colombo provide quality of life to the elderly.

Many government-subsidized homes do only the bare minimum, he says, and do not have the one-to-one care that Villa Colombo stives for. But this, he says, requires much fundraising and an army of volunteers.

“We make sure they are served proper meals which are made in the kitchen fresh daily.” He suggests that the only way things will improve is to impress upon our politicians that it is our moral duty to take care of our seniors for they are the ones that paved the road that lead us to where we are today.

Seniors need to stay active and participate in daily life, not just watch it pass, he adds. “At Villa Colombo, we have a garden that they can tend to, a bocce court, a games room, and we have created an atmosphere like that of a piazza in Italy with a piano and daily activities. The more they participate and stay active, the longer they will live,” says Ciccolini.

People should make it a point to help their aging parents and visit them often, he adds. What’s really sad, he says, is that every 2nd Friday he calls on people who have not visited their parents in weeks. He calls them and asks them to visit their Moms and Dads and impresses upon them the difference it will make in their life.

How does he manage everything he does and still be a father, a grandfather, friend and brother? Ciccolini says he is fortunate to have the support of his wife “and thank God for Donna”, his brothers and partners and his whole family.

“Without this kind of support, it would not be easy for me… not that all this is easy, but it certainly would not be entirely possible without them.”

Looking back on his first 65 years, did he have any regrets in life? “None,” he responds. He would do it all over again exactly the same way. He is motivated by his daughter Cristina, who lives on in his memories, and also by his grandchildrenwith whom he shares a special bond.

“They, more than anyone, seem to make me feel special.”

Sam Ciccolini is a true inspiration. He is a man who has heard his calling and realized his life’s purpose. He truly is an example for all of us.