Catholic Charities on Onondaga County is proud to recognize the following individuals for their exceptional contributions to our community.
Father Fred Daley
2023 Recipient of the Bishop’s Award
Ordained in 1974, Fr. Frederick Daley has served parishes in Central New York for his entire career and has called All Saints Parish home since 2008. Fr. Fred has built his ministry upon the values of diversity, inclusivity and justice. To that end, All Saints Parish supports many local organizations that serve Syracuse’s most vulnerable, including the Eastside Food Pantry and the Assumption Church Pantry. Fr. Fred also led All Saints Parish through the process of becoming a “sanctuary parish,” and this commitment includes providing support to and working with other Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition congregations. All Saints Parish has welcomed nearly 200 Congolese refugees to the parish family and supports a variety of international initiatives that serve refugees. Fr. Fred has encouraged lay leadership development at All Saints Parish through task forces promoting areas such as adult faith enrichment, diverse abilities awareness, and justice and peace with emphasis on topics including racism and refugee welcoming/resettlement. All Saints Parish serves the whole community by housing the Spiritual Renewal Center and Arc of Onondaga’s daytime programs and by welcoming CNY Solidarity meetings. With vision and inspired leadership, Fr. Fred has committed his life to building a community based on love, inclusivity, and justice.
David de Silva
2023 Recipient of the President’s Award
Born on April 27, 1958, David de Silva lived his entire life in the Central New York area. He graduated from West Genesee High School in 1976 and Le Moyne College in 1980, where he received a degree in accounting. Upon graduation, David began working at Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPAs, LLC and was mentored by founding partner, Robert Dermody, Sr. David developed a specialty in not-for-profit accounting, becoming an audit partner in 1991. Early in his career, with the assistance of others, he developed and managed the Firm’s not-for-profit niche, which served over 100 local organizations in Central New York, until his retirement in 2021. David provided services to a variety of not-for-profit organizations including fine arts, foundations, human service providers, healthcare organizations and facilities, and assisted living facilities. He was a trusted financial advisor of Catholic Charities of Onondaga County for over 30 years. David was an active member The Century Club of Syracuse. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Syracuse and a Trustee, Treasurer, and Past-President of its related Foundation. David was Treasurer of Laubach Literacy International and a founding board member and Treasurer of ProLiteracy Worldwide which has over 1,000-member programs in the U.S. and 25 countries around the world. He was a past Trustee of Crouse Hospital Health Foundation, past board member and Finance Committee chairman of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, and past board member of Girls Inc. (formerly Girls Club of Syracuse). An avid golfer, David was a past member of Drumlins East and Cavalry Club. He was a member of Onondaga Golf and Country Club and enjoyed many rounds of golf with his “golf buddies.” David was also a long-time member of the Syracuse Golf Bandits and served as its Treasurer for nine years. David passed away on January 1, 2022 and is survived by his wife, Lisa, and his many family members, friends, and colleagues.
Al-amin Muhammad
2023 Recipient of the Humanitarian Service Award
Al-amin Muhammad is the founder and executive director of We Rise Above the Streets Recovery Outreach, Inc., an organization that provides food, clothing, and resources for the homeless and underrepresented. Al-amin is uniquely qualified to serve and represent the poor and marginalized, having spent 10 years experiencing homelessness himself, and falling into a life of gang activity and substance use. Inspired to turn his life around, he graduated from Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia and became an addiction counselor and life coach. In 2014, he founded We Rise Above the Streets and began to serve people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, before moving to Syracuse in 2015. He, along with hundreds of volunteers, organizes Sandwich Saturday. Over the past eight years, the weekly event has served more than 10,000 sack lunches – as well as clothing, shoes, and hygiene products - to individuals experiencing homelessness and food insecure households. Al-amin partners with various organizations to mentor at-risk youth and to share his story. He is also a member of the Onondaga County/Syracuse Human Rights Commission Board and the CNY Regional Healthcare Equity Task Force. He received the 2021 Exemplary Leadership during COVID Award, the Social Justice Award from Syracuse University, and the American Red Cross 2020 Real Hero Award, and his story was featured on CBS This Morning.
