Summary: Samuel Isaac Richard was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, by two public school teachers. Community service has always been a large part of his life, even before he knew what “community service” was. His family was always involved in church inadvertently learning what it meant to care for our neighbor. They traveled the country camping in National Parks during the summer unintentionally learning about responsibly caring for the earth and those dependent upon its resources, and as a Boy Scout he coincidentally learned the foundations of leadership, civic engagement, and group dynamics. Sam got married last year, and lives in Downtown Phoenix. I met Sam at the 2008 Nonprofit Congress after a speech I gave there. He came up to me with this ball of energy he seemed to be carrying around with him in his jacket pocket. We exchanged cards, and I started following his writing on his first blog, Deserted After Dark. Sam is a deep thinker on community issues, who has been shaking up the nonprofit world and is now running for office on the Phoenix city Council.
