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). 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 as well as a member of the American Red Cross Tiffany Circle.

 

Charitable Organizations

Rick and Margarita support 44 charities that include the following:

 

Steven Tonkinson

 

ShelterBox

Since 2009, Steven has been volunteering as a response team member (SRT) for the disaster relief charity, ShelterBox (www.ShelterBoxUSA.org). ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and vital supplies to support communities around the world overwhelmed by disaster and humanitarian crisis. Since ShelterBox was founded, they have responded to over 270 disasters and humanitarian crises in almost 95 geographic locations and provided emergency aid for well over one million people. As an SRT, Steven has deployed to places like Mexico, Haiti, Peru, the Philippines, Malawi, Fiji, Sri Lanka, and Kenya helping to ensure that the aid is delivered to families who need it most.

As a result of his work with ShelterBox, Steven was a finalist for the 2016 Invest in Others and Investment News Global Community Impact Award. He also received from the Miami Heat the State Farm Exist to Assist Award, recognizing ordinary citizens demonstrating extraordinary service in their community. Steven received the President's Volunteer Service Award for the last 4 years.

 

Special Olympics Florida

Steven is a mentor and coaches stand-up paddle board and track & field for Special Olympics Florida — Miami Dade County (www.SpecialOlympicsFlorida.org) . The ultimate objective of Special Olympics Florida is to help people with intellectual disabilities participate as productive and respected members of society at large by offering them a fair opportunity to develop and demonstrate their skills and talents through sports training and competition, and by increasing the public’s awareness of their capabilities and needs.

 

The Underline

Steven is an active member of the Friends of the Underline Young Professional Organization (www.TheUnderline.org), helping to transfrom the land below Miami's Metrorail into a 10-mile linear park, urban trail, and living art destination.