The Distinguished Service Award recognizes the effort and achievement of the YMCA’s most special friends and emphasizes the need for community service by all our citizens. Recipients of this award have set a standard of leadership that others follow.

Robert “Bob” Rigg, recipient of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine’s Distinguished Service Award, has been a part of the YMCA family since joining the Board of Directors in 2002,
and has generously given of his time, talent and treasure ever since. “No matter what the need, Bob is always ready to help,” says Denise Day, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Brandywine. A partner in the Rigg Darlington Group, as well as a Director of First Resource Bank, Bob and his wife, Karen, award grants from the Rigg Family Foundation, of which the Y has been a grateful recipient.

When asked what initially drew him to the Y, Bob emphatically says, “Kids!” He and Karen adopted two boys with special needs years ago, and due in part to that experience, he continues to help other kids.

But it’s not just the kids that keep him coming to the Y. “It’s the staff,” Bob says. “They are the most motivated, dedicated group—they know how to communicate the Y story, live it
and practice it. They donate their own time and money. No one comes to the Y to make a lot of money, they come for a reason. They— and I—believe in the Y mission.”

“I am honored to receive this award,” Bob continues, “but I don’t like the attention. There is so much need out there. There is great affluence and great poverty in this area.
I am focused on that and thinking of ways I can do better in alleviating this problem."