Robert F. Rivers named MAPS Person of the Year. Who else will be recognized?

CAMBRIDGE – Those who know Robert F. Rivers say he is a passionate and visionary leader who believes in doing good deeds to help people prosper.

During his 40-year career in community banking, the chair and CEO of Eastern Bank has been recognized by many organizations for his work in championing diversity and social justice. He will now add the MAPS 2024 Person of the Year Award to that impressive list.

“Robert is the ultimate example of what it means to be a socially conscious and community-engaged business leader,” said MAPS CEO Paulo Pinto. “His commitment to supporting MAPS and so many more nonprofit organizations and social initiatives over the years as CEO of Eastern Bank is truly admirable, and so we are thrilled to recognize and celebrate his success, his Portuguese heritage, and his generosity at our 2024 Gala.”

MORE: MAPS helps record number of Portuguese speakers, approves new bylaws at annual meeting

Rivers, who is regularly named among the Top 10 “Most Influential People in Boston” by Boston Magazine and to the Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 list, said the MAPS award announcement came as a nice surprise.

“[It’s] a great honor and I am very appreciative of it,” he told O Jornal. “They do great work for a very important community. So, to receive a recognition from an organization that is not only aligned with things that we care about professionally, but to receive one that relates to my own personal background is really quite an honor.”

Rivers traces his paternal ancestry to mainland Portugal and maternal lineage to Ireland.

“The name Rivers is actually derived from the Portuguese name Ribeiro [which translates to stream in English],” he explained. “Like so many people, when they emigrated to this country, it got changed to something more American sounding. It was my great-grandfather who immigrated from Portugal to this country through New Bedford.”

Rivers grew up in Stoughton, Mass., which is home to a very significant Portuguese community.

“I grew up in an environment where I was surrounded by the culture,” he said. “In many ways, this recognition is a bit of coming full circle, to sort of where I began and my family began in this country.”

Rivers is involved extensively in the community, serving as Chair of The Dimock Center and on the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, The Lowell Plan, and The New England Council.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Stonehill College, the Advisory Board of Lawrence Partnership, the JFK Library Foundation, the Boston Women’s Workforce Council, and the Boston Club.

He is also the co-chair of the recently launched Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education and led efforts to approve the “Yes on 3” campaign to protect LGBTQIA+ rights in Massachusetts in 2022.

Rivers said he realized early on in life how some people unfairly face more challenges than others.

“Even though I grew up as a working-class kid in Stoughton, you always carried an advantage by virtue of being a white male,” he said. “As I came to have friends in other communities and saw the challenges they went through, I became increasingly struck by that in a number of ways. I just felt that it was unfair, and I was in a position to do something about it.”

Rivers said one of his focuses has been on leveraging the resources of Eastern Bank within the business community to speak to the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion and addressing various social issues.

“It’s relevant for the business community to do that, not only as a moral imperative, but also from a business perspective in terms of engaging all top talent and really supporting the communities that serve us,” he said.

Rivers will receive the MAPS 2024 Person of the Year Award at the organization’s fundraising gala, which will be held April 20 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, in Cambridge.

The event will also serve to recognize two other individuals who have made great contributions to the lives of Portuguese speakers and other community members in Massachusetts.

Lenita Reason to receive MAPS Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award

Lenita Reason, the executive director of the Brazilian Worker Center (BWC), will be honored with the MAPS Jorge Fidalgo Community Service Award.

Brazilian-American Reason has been at the helm of the Brazilian Worker Center, an immigrant women-led nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and advancing immigrants’ labor and human rights, since 2021. She previously worked there as a community organizer, office manager, outreach coordinator, and co-founded the Building Justice Workers Committee.

In 2020, she also became co-chair of the Driving Families Forward Coalition, a group that played a crucial role in the recent passage of the Work and Family Mobility Act in Massachusetts, playing an essential role in guaranteeing that all Massachusetts residents can apply for a driver’s license, regardless of immigration status.

“We are very happy to honor Lenita for her many years of dedicated service to so many immigrants that choose Massachusetts to be their home,” said Pinto. “Her hard work has impacted the lives of thousands in our communities and is truly worthy of recognition, especially her outstanding leadership advocating for the passage of the Driving Families Forward initiative.”

Tony DaRocha to receive MAPS Manuel N. Coutinho Outstanding Volunteer Award

Tony DaRocha, president and coach at Boston United Track and Cross-Country Club, will receive the MAPS Manuel N. Coutinho Outstanding Volunteer Award.

Cape Verdean-American DaRocha has enjoyed a successful career as a physical education teacher and coach in the Boston public school system. His teams and athletes have achieved great success, regionally and nationally, in cross country and track & field.

He also co-founded the Greater Roxbury Track Club, a program that offered summer training and fitness to anyone, regardless of age, and helped numerous Boston school students achieve success in track & field at the local, state, and national levels.

In 2011, he started the Boston United Track & Cross-Country Club, through which he continues to help student-athletes succeed in the classroom and on the track.

“Tony DaRocha is an exceptional educator, coach, and community leader, and it is about time he received a MAPS award,” said Pinto. “His commitment as a volunteer coach to helping children and young people, especially in often underserved communities, achieve success in all fields of life by promoting physical activity and wellbeing is remarkable, and we cannot wait to share his inspirational story with our community and guests in April.”

How to sponsor or get tickets to the MAPS Awards Gala?

The annual Awards Gala is MAPS’ main fundraiser and supports the organization’s many free health and social services.

MAPS provided crucial services to 24,272 Portuguese, Brazilian, Cabo Verdean and other immigrants this past fiscal year, according to its CEO.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities and purchase tickets, please visit maps-inc.org/gala2024 or contact Lois Josimovich, MAPS Director of Development, at ljosimovich@maps-inc.org or by calling 617-864-7600.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Three to be honored at Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers Gala