Rico Francis
“At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said or did; they will remember how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou.
We continue our “Spring Forward” theme with the passionate and innovative community leader, Rico Francis, who recently obtained the position of Pacers Foundation Social Impact Director. Rico supports the foundation's programs and initiatives by collaborating with Indiana-based non-profit organizations to create a stronger, more inclusive, and more equitable community.
As The Pacers Foundations Social Impact Director, Rico has the unique opportunity of working with cross-functional teams at Pacers Sports & Entertainment to align existing and emerging foundation programs. He does this work by partnering with local organizations at the ground level, using both his resources and time to understand their programming mission and vision. Rico credits community organizations such as IndyHub’s 1828 Leadership Project, the City of Indianapolis Mayor’s Office, the Indiana Latino Expo (ILE) AXIS program, and The Indianapolis Urban League (IUL) Exchange Leadership Fellows Program for helping him grow his reach and understanding of Indianapolis’ community needs. His experiences have allowed him to connect with community leaders and advocates throughout the city and state who have helped shape his knowledge and passion for today’s youth.
Rico champions himself as a “social engineer” in that he challenges himself to move the needle for the next generation. His passion for helping neighbors, peers, and colleagues find and use their voices is showcased through his drive to create safe spaces for others. In his role as the Pacers Foundation Social Impact Director, he plans to collaborate with neighborhood, city, and state leaders to develop potential strategies to improve the quality of life for our youth and the communities across Indiana. In sharing his feelings on the potential impact he stands to make, Rico shared, “It’s powerful to support non-profit organizations through grant dollars; it’s even more powerful to create a space where those organizations can come together to learn from each other as a community.”
Rico also noted that since its inception nearly three decades ago, the Foundation has invested over nine million dollars and served over 5,000 neighborhoods across Indiana. “I’m excited to continue on this mission of sharing new and innovative ideas to improve the quality of life for youth across our state alongside my incredible colleagues at the Pacers Foundations and PS&E,” he added.
Inspired by the leaders before him, Rico understands that the work he is doing would not be possible without the support of Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the efforts of individuals who have fought to make this city and state a better place. “Those voices have not always been at the table where decisions were made,” said Rico. “It is crucial to recognize what has been done, what is being done, and what is to come.”
Rico challenges us to get involved in creating a space for youth by becoming an ambassador of change for our city and state, reaching out to community leaders on topics and areas we are enthusiastic about, and doing the hard work. You can follow the work of the Pacers Foundation and Pacers Sports & Entertainment by visiting their website (www. Pacersfoundation.org), FB page (@PacersSportsEnt), IG (@pacers), and Twitter (@Pacers).