Mike DiSilvio: Selflessly gives back to Seaford

Seaford has been Mike DiSilvio’s home for about a half-century, and he has spent much of that time trying to make his community a better place.

DiSilvio, 59, president of the Seaford Wellness Council for the past decade, strives to make a difference in his hometown, and for all of his efforts, the Herald-Citizen is proud to name him its 2014 Person of the Year.

He moved to Seaford from Yonkers when he was in second grade, and attended the Harbor School. He graduated from Seaford High School in 1973, then went on to Rider University to study finance. He works as a stock broker for Wells Fargo in Garden City.

The Wellness Council was launched in the late 1990s by staff at the middle school. DiSilvio was introduced to the group, and when membership began dwindling in 2004, he took over as president and steered the organization in the direction of community service. “The whole idea is to get the community involved in things,” he said.

He was instrumental in getting the Wellness Council recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, completing much of the paperwork during a process that took several years. He has also taken a lead role in securing grants from the state.

Ken Nersesian has worked alongside DiSilvio for the past decade, serving as vice president. He described DiSilvio as the quarterback of the Wellness Council, and the person who “makes things happen.”

“He does all the dirty work that a lot of people don’t like to do,” Nersesian said. “He executes. He’s head and shoulders above everybody else, and there’s a lot of real good people in the Seaford community.”

Nersesian said that DiSilvio is the rare combination of a visionary and a doer. He praised his friend’s leadership skills, his ability to multi-task and his attention to detail.

Peter Ruffner, a member of the Wellness Council, said that DiSilvio has been instrumental in several initiatives in the community. He saw a need for renovations at Washington Avenue Park, Ruffner said, and petitioned the county to get the work done. Ruffner added that DiSilvio is a driving force behind the annual cleanup of the Tackapausha Preserve.

“He sees an issue in Seaford and says, ‘How can we do something about it?’” Ruffner said. “He sees problems and solves them.”