When folks at Special Olympics Rhode Island began planning construction of their new headquarters, one of the first people they looked to for fundraising help was the president and CEO of Navigant Credit Union, Gary Furtado.
“We all thought he was the person we should approach,” said Dennis DeJesus, the organization’s executive director. “We knew he’d represent Special Olympics very well, because of his visibility in the community, his commitment to our organization, and his reputation as a hard worker. He’s been supportive of many nonprofits in our state.”
That decision paid off. Without hesitation, Furtado agreed to co-chair the capital campaign, along with Jon Duffy, of Duffy & Shanely Inc., the Providence marketing and advertising firm. The project has been on schedule since day one.
Sometime in March, Special Olympics Rhode Island will move out of rented offices in Warwick and into their own building in Smithfield, a facility where administrators will work, volunteers will hold meetings and coaches will train athletes one-on-one.
“Our goal is $3.4 million, and we’ve raised $2.5 million to date,” said DeJesus. “There’s another $800,000 in the pipeline. Gary’s lived up to all our expectations.”
Furtado says getting involved with the project was an easy decision.
“Yes, we’re facing a tough economy right now, but this is a very good cause,” the credit union president said. “When you’re out there with a good project, people respond. It’s something that’s really needed. Think about it – Special Olympics is something that touches almost everyone in Rhode Island in a good way.”
That leadership spirit and commitment to community organizations is why Gary Furtado has received the Providence Business News Corporate Citizenship Award for 2010.
The Special Olympics is just one Rhode Island organization that has turned to Furtado for help. Through the years he has served as co-chair of the Catholic Charity Fund Appeal; as a trustee for Memorial Hospital; as a member of the executive committee of the Pawtucket Boys and Girls Club; as a board member for The Pawtucket Foundation; as an executive board member for the Narragansett Council of Boy Scouts of America; and as chair of the advisory committee for the Little Sisters of the Poor, a religious order that runs a retirement home in Pawtucket.
Business organizations have also benefited from his involvement. He’s active with the Pawtucket Rotary Club, the Credit Union Association of Rhode Island, the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and the Providence Performing Arts Center. Through his efforts, Navigant sponsored the theater’s recent production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.”
“Giving back and being part of the community is part of the culture here at Navigant,” Furtado said, when asked about his volunteer spirit. “We’ve been very successful for 95 years. The communities of northern Rhode Island have been very good to us, and we want to return that. People in the community see what we’re doing, and they realize Navigant is a real local partner.”
Furtado’s résumé reads like the screenplay of a Frank Capra movie, perhaps “It’s a Wonderful Life,” where Jimmy Stewart plays the president of a hometown building & loan, someone whose work touches the lives of countless neighbors in his community.
Furtado has been a Rhode Islander all his life. He grew up in Warren and still lives there with his wife, Bethany. They have two adult children, Lindsay, 28, and Jeffrey, 26. He’s an alumnus of Smithfield’s Bryant College (now Bryant University) and earned an MBA at the same institution.
He started at Navigant while still in college, as a part-time employee in the accounting department. He’s been there 32 years, and has served as president since 1987. That he should land at a credit union seems only natural; owned by their members, such institutions are traditionally dedicated toward helping local residents buy homes or build their businesses. When Furtado started there, the institution was known as Credit Union Central Falls. The new name reflects the fact that the 95-year-old credit union now serves people from cities and towns throughout the state.
“We have never lost our direction,” Furtado said of the credit union, “that of serving the working people of our region who are solely responsible for our growth and success.”
The Navigant president has been an active volunteer most of his life. Ask why he devotes so much time to community projects, and he talks about the enjoyment he gets from the effort. “Who benefits?” he asked. “The community, of course. And the organization you work for, your employer. And you. For me, it’s very fulfilling. I’m fortunate to have a board that allows me the time to work for the community.”
He points to the Special Olympics fundraising drive as an example. “It’s a very rewarding committee to be on,” he said. “We’re raising money for a building, and every time I drive past the spot I can see it going up by the side of the road. And it’s a great organization – 2,700 athletes take part in their programs every day.”
Through his volunteer work, Furtado serves as an example to everyone else who works at Navigant. Every officer at the credit union serves on the board of a nonprofit organization. Community involvement is actually written into their job description.
It doesn’t stop there. Most of Navigant’s 205 employees actively support a cause or charity in the area.
When Casual Friday rolls around each week, employees are asked to make a donation in order to take part. That effort raises about $1,000 every month. The employees pick the organization that receives the cash.
The credit union has also adopted a policy that gives every worker one day off each year to work on a community project. Recently a group of 20 employees left their desks behind for a day to help Habitat for Humanity with a renovation project by putting vinyl siding on a home in South Providence.
“We call that program the V Force,” said Furtado. “That’s V as in volunteer, or maybe victory. It’s catching on quickly. People see their co-workers getting involved in projects and having fun, and they want to do it, too.” •
