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The Hometown Hero program was established in 1993 as a way to recognize individuals in the community for heroic deeds or acts of kindness and exceptional volunteer efforts.
A Hometown Hero is an individual who has volunteered selflessly to benefit families, children or the elderly; and has had a positive impact on the lives of others.
Go to Bankfive.com to fill out nomination papers for your local hero!
BankFive and WSAR name James Santoro 156th Hometown Hero
BankFive and WSAR have named Fall River resident James Santoro as the most recent Hometown Hero. Santoro was recognized for his years of dedicated service to area youth.
Thomas F. Lyons, BankFive president and CEO, presented Santoro with the Hometown Hero award at an event held at BankFive’s Main Office located at 79 North Main Street in Fall River.
“Mr. Santoro is an extraordinary volunteer who, over the past decade, has proven his dedication and commitment to the Greater Fall River community. Without his time, energy, and foresight, many of the organizations he supports would not have been able to provide the services that they do for the children of this city. It is an honor and privilege to award Mr. Santoro as our Hometown Hero.”
For the past five years, Santoro has served on the Board of Directors for the North Park Little League, also known as Fall River’s American League Baseball. He arrived at the fields by 6:00 each morning to check field conditions on his way to work. After work, back to the fields he would go and not arrive home until after the last game, which at times would be after 10 o’clock at night. Often, many obstacles lay in the way for the league, but Santoro made sure the kids were able to play.
Santoro’s passion for coaching has not been limited to baseball. For several years, he has been involved in the Miliken-Silva basketball league in Fall River. He has been a coach and in charge of registering over 600 kids a season. He has coached in the Fall River Youth Soccer program as well. Santoro is an active organizer with the Seacoast Swim Association in Seekonk and the River City Swim Club in Fall River. He went through a rigorous training program to become licensed as a swim instructor so that his daughter and other swimmers would be able to travel and compete in national tournaments further in distance.
Santoro’s community involvement also includes the Durfee Athletic Sports Boosters, the Durfee Parents’ Advisory Council and he serves as one of two community members on the Durfee School Council. Santoro is an active member of the Church of the Holy Name and several other civic organizations. His fundraising efforts have raised thousands and he has personally dedicated an innumerable amount of hours to ensure the leagues always ran smoothly and all kids who wanted to participate were given equal opportunity.
“I am honored and humbled to receive the Hometown Hero Award,” said Santoro. “This award doesn’t really belong to me. It belongs to my family and all those individuals who believe in creating a sense of belonging for our youth. I am proud to have been able to spend time with so many great kids, and their accomplishments have been truly remarkable.”
The Hometown Hero Award was established in 1993 by BankFive in cooperation with WSAR to recognize individuals in our community for heroic deeds, acts of kindness, and selfless efforts to make the SouthCoast a better place for all of us. Since its inception, BankFive has honored 156 Hometown Heroes.
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