This year, Roy signed a contract for four more ads. But a short time later, he told me the sponsor wanted to talk about his experience and was willing to reveal his identity. The story is powerful. It is a moving testament to one person's strength and his desire to stop what happened to him from happening to others.
Robert A. Richardson, 61, grew up one of seven children in Ohio. Bob has lived in Sarasota since 1962, when he began working in the marine industry. He moved into sales and development of commercial and industrial real estate a few years later. Mission Estates, Northgate Industrial Park and Sarasota Commerce Center are just a few of the major projects developed by Bob and his partners.
Bob served on the Sarasota Planning Commission for five years. He was a member of the charter class of Leadership Florida and president of the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce in 1984. Many people in the Sarasota area respect his professional and civic accomplishments.
What very few people know about Bob is that he was severely abused as a child. Bob said that he and his siblings grew up in the worst possible home atmosphere where "someone was always in trouble -- either getting whipped, yelled at or threatened with a beating." And the threats turned into horrible reality on an almost daily basis. "My world and the world of my brothers and sister was a loud, angry, unsafe place to be," he said.
Bob has survived the bumps on a rocky road to a successful career, but his personal life has not been easy. He has two failed marriages and is a recovering alcoholic. In 1993, Bob declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, from which he has since dug out. He now speaks freely about his 10 years of therapy.
Bob himself almost fell into the pattern of abuse set by his parents. He admits to whipping his daughter when she was little; his wife's intervention and intensive therapy helped him break the cycle of abuse. He is so regretful that he tries "to make it up to her every day of her life." Today he and his daughter are business associates, and he cherishes his grandchildren.
Just hearing about child abuse upsets most of us -- makes us almost squeamish, to be truthful. How painful it must be for Bob to tell his story. But he has made it his goal to get more people talking about child abuse. Bob hopes that by coming forward he will encourage others who have a similar personal story to do the same.
There are too many sad stories like the one Bob tells. In one year alone, 80,000 cases of child abuse and neglect and 105 horrific deaths occurred in Florida.
When asked why he chose Florida Trend for the ads, Bob said, "The people who matter read Florida Trend, and I want to reach those people to bring child abuse issues to the forefront." With funding of the Kayla McKean Child Protection Act before the Legislature this spring, Bob hopes that by making his own testimonial about the effects of child abuse, he will encourage more funding for the child protection system.
As a seasoned businessman, Bob knows that it's easy for businesspeople to get so involved in the survival of their own businesses that they often don't pay attention to bigger issues going on around them. He also knows that businesspeople can make a difference by becoming engaged in public policy.
Roy Miller told Bob the ads that ran in Florida Trend in 1998 made it easier for the Campaign to talk to people and for people to talk to them about child abuse. Many corporate donors were predisposed to want to give after seeing the ad, Roy said, and the Campaign(www.floridakids.com/campaign) took in more donations in 1998 than ever before.
By sponsoring the ads, Bob Richardson has accomplished a world of good. By coming forward and making his story public, he has helped heal his own scars and no doubt helped prevent many more.
He is rewriting his life story with a happy ending.