Thank You Tom!

“From the start, I sensed that Tom was not your typical board chair. He knew the kids’ names and was invested in their futures. He spent time listening to their stories and mentoring them.”

In April 2021, Fiver Founder, Tom Tucker, stepped down as Board Chair and passed the torch to our new chairperson, Jim Roper, and new Vice-Chairperson, Michèle Brazil. Tom will continue to be an enormous presence in our organization as a permanent member of our board and as chairperson emeritus. 

Tom opened Camp Fiver in 1998, free of charge, to 254 kids facing financial and institutional barriers. Today, Fiver serves 500 youth each year from New York City and central New York and has graduated over 500 alumni from the ten-year program.  

“From the start, I sensed that Tom was not your typical board chair. He knew the kids’ names and was invested in their futures. He spent time listening to their stories and mentoring them. He also invested in the staff. He knew where they came from, where they went to school and what they hoped to achieve. Whenever he could, he opened doors and made introductions for them.” - Christie Ko, Executive Director.

Inspired by his favorite book, Richard Adams’ celebrated work of fiction, Watership Down, Tom named the organization after the character Fiver, a rabbit who foresees that his community is in danger. The rabbit, Fiver, had always stood out to him as the brave visionary. Fiver demonstrated courage in leading his family to a safe new home.  Not unlike the rabbit, Fiver, our youth are seeking opportunity.

Thanks to Tom’s leadership, the Fiver Children’s Foundation exists to provide that opportunity for hundreds of youth from New York City and central New York. Please join us in thanking Tom for his tremendous leadership and service to all Fiver students, past and present.