Peter Ferrantelli Named North America’s Top Volunteer Fundraiser
Peter Ferrantelli is one of six finalists who will be honored at the National Philanthropy Day Honors event on Nov. 12 in New York City.
Peter Ferrantelli, of Mission Hills, who has spent 45 years volunteering and raising money in San Diego for charitable causes, has been named the 2015 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
Ferrantelli will be honored along with nine other local award recipients at the AFP San Diego’s National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon, presented by National University’s Sanford Institute of Philanthropy, on Nov. 9, 2015, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. He will then receive his national award at the second annual National Philanthropy Day® Honors event on Nov. 12 in New York City.
Dedicated to improving the lives of those individuals most at risk, including infants, children, the elderly and people with disabilities, Ferrantelli has given his time as a volunteer and business owner, and more than $2.4 million in donations to a variety of organizations. These include, but are not limited to, Noah Homes, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center, University of San Diego High School, Friends of Handicapped Children, Scripps Mercy Hospital Neonatal Unit, and a preschool in the hills of Taiwan.
Ferrantelli has spent a decade as founder and current chair of Noah’s Ark Angel Foundation, taking on every role from “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer” to “Video Director.” As of July, the Ark Angel Foundation has raised more than $1.7 million. Previously, he served two terms on the Noah Homes Board of Directors.
“We all have a platform or life experience that sends us in one direction or the other. For me, it was a simple handshake with a new Stanford University graduate – I was 13 years old. From that day until now I have looked up to, respected and admired that person. Five years ago he said something that was profound and I would like to pass it on, as it is an undeniable truth. He said, and I quote, ‘Philanthropy has a way of giving back in ways we cannot imagine.’ That man has changed the face of San Diego and his name is Mr. Malin Burnham. Malin, thanks for that handshake and encouraging words that turned a tough, at-risk kid around.”
St. Madeline Sophie’s Center is another of Ferrantelli’s causes. Challenged by his 89-year-old grandfather several decades ago, he raised $70,000 to build a new classroom for preschool children with developmental disabilities at the organization. The center grew from 10 to 60 children. He has also personally given more than $400,000 of his own money to support St. Madeline Sophie’s Center, which has grown with the help of many families to now serve more than 400 adults with developmental disabilities.
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