Community Involvement

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 On December 23, 2016, Rick, Margarita, and Steven created the Tonkinson Foundation as an

enhancement to their commitment to the community. 

 

 

Rick and Margarita Tonkinson

 

Rick has a philosophy of “tithing” back to the community that is shared by the family.

A pivotal experience for Rick was his time spent as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia in 1976, and he has been giving back to the community for more than 40 years.

 

Civic Action

Back in 1984, Rick represented Mayor Clark on the Biscayne Bay Management Committee and worked with the Commissioner, Harvey Rubin. The committee purchased the Deering Estate for $17 million in order to turn it into the very popular park it is today. The same committee purchased the mangroves along the perimeter of Biscayne Bay to prevent it from turning into what Brickell Avenue looks like today.

Rick represented the Governor of Florida as a Board of Director on the Florida Endowment Fund for Higher Education, which is a $17 million endowment that awards full 4-year scholarships for African Americans to study for their PhD's. Rick represented both Bob Martinez (Republican) and Lawton Chiles (Democrat) on this board.

 

Education

Rick and Margarita have a passion for education and have provided numerous scholarships to students that attend the Miami and Coral Gables high schools, Florida International University (FIU), and the University of Miami (UM). Rick has been a mentor for university graduate students. He is a guest speaker on topics such as entrepreneurship, running a successful family business, and ethics. Rick volunteered for eight years as an instructor on Business Plans and Finance at the SCORE (SBA) seminars.

 

Arts

A major donor to the theater, the FIU theater lobby and the Knight Concert Hall Second Floor Promenade at the Arsht Performing Arts Center are named in honor of Rick and Margarita Tonkinson.

 

Board Member

Rick serves as a national and regional board member for the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI). He is currently the Chairman of the Board for the FIU College of Architecture and the Arts (CARTA) and a member of the FIU Foundation board. Rick and Steven also serve as board members for The Woody Foundation. Margarita serves as a member for the Rotary Club of Coral Gables Scholarship Committee, a board of director of the Deering Estate, and co-chair of the University of Miami Library.

 

Charitable Organizations

Rick and Margarita support over 30 charities that include the following:

 

Steven Tonkinson

 

From an early age, Steven learned what it meant to volunteer and give back to the community. From beach cleanups with the Webelo’s all the way up to his Eagle Scout service project, the Boy Scouts played a big roll. At Coral Gables High, he was part of the National Honors Society and Interact, volunteering at Doctors Hospital or at the Lipton Tennis tournament. All of this volunteering help lay the foundation for community service to be a pivotal part of his life.

 

Steven is very active with 4 particular organizations:

 

ShelterBox (www.ShelterBoxUSA.org), a disaster relief charity specializing in emergency shelters and other lifesaving aid, where he is a Response Team Member (SRT) and a board member.

 

Special Olympics Florida — Miami Dade County (www.SpecialOlympicsFlorida.org), where he is a coach, unified athlete and mentor.

 

The Underline (www.TheUnderline.org), a 10-mile linear park that will transform the land below Miami’s Metrorail into an urban trail and living art destination, where he is part of the Underline Collective.

 

The Woody Foundation (www.WoodyFoundation.org), a not-for-profit organization formed in 2011 to raise funds for the recovery of people with spinal cord injuries where he is a board member.

 

“Being able to give back with your time and effort along with whatever financial assistance you can provide gives you a wonderful feeling.  You do it because you want to not because you have to but then there’s a point that you see the difference you’re making and becomes such an important and meaningful part of your life that you now need to do it.”