Modesto Fiume remembers the first time he visited Opportunity House.
It was 1994, and he was there for an interview for the position of director.
The organization was then little more than an emergency shelter in a converted warehouse, he noted.
Fiume doesn’t remember much about what was said, but something must have convinced the board he was the one to grow and build the nonprofit.
They were not mistaken.
Fiume, 67, of Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, retired Monday after more than 30 years as director/CEO of the nonprofit.
During his tenure, he oversaw the transformation of Opportunity House from a basic overnight shelter for men into a comprehensive community support organization, offering an array of services benefitting men, women and children in need.
The organization started by Reading Urban Ministries in 1984 had recently moved to its current building at 430 N. Second St. when Fiume took the helm.
“It was a battery warehouse that had been converted to a people warehouse,” Kevin K. Murphy, president and CEO of Berks County Community Foundation, said, describing the state of the facility when Fiume took charge.
Murphy was among those who spoke during a recent event celebrating Fiume’s accomplishments and retirement.
Fiume’s transformative leadership, Murphy said, was characterized by visionary thinking, strategic planning and commitment to the dignity of every person who walked through Opportunity House’s doors.
Dr. R. Keith Hillkirk, chancellor emeritus of Penn State Berks, was an early supporter and significant funder of the organization. He worked closely with Fiume through much of the expansion.
Hillkirk praised Fiume’s creative and intrepid approach to tackling challenges, even in the face of opponents, as instrumental to the organization’s success.
“I think Modesto is the consummate enemy of chaos,” he said. “I have watched the courage and the resilience and the strength, and frankly, sometimes, the bullheadedness that he brings to these challenges.”
Hillkirk recalled how some on the shelter’s board of directors were skeptical of Fiume’s initiatives, including the start of the Second Street Learning Center with the help of United Way of Berks County in 1996, partnering with Berks County in 2004 to operate the Children’s Alliance Center and opening the retail thrift store Opp Shop in Muhlenberg Township in 2015.
Tammy White, president of the local United Way said the center was particularly visionary as it was established during a time when child care options in Berks County were extremely limited.
It has become an integral part of the organization’s holistic approach to supporting families, she said, and complements other services, such as transitional housing, job training and education support.
The high quality of the learning center is so impressive, she said, that it became a model for other communities and will be replicated by Opportunity House in the Reading Housing Authority’s soon-to-be-opened Neighborhood Resource Center at Oakbrook Homes.
Fiume said the learning center, which in 2001 became the first in the state to offer 24/7 child care, and other initiatives implemented under his watch were primarily needs-driven.
“What prompted all this, really, always came from the people in the shelter,” he said. “Their needs were identified.”
Clients with children needed child care services so they could work, meet with case managers and rebuild their lives, he said.
This pattern of identifying needs and developing responsive programs became the foundation of Opportunity House’s approach to service delivery, he said.
Murphy also praised Fiume’s careful planning for succession, which positioned the organization to continue thriving after his retirement. Alyssa Bushkie, formerly COO of the organization, stepped in as CEO and director.
“I was able to surround myself with a great team the past couple years,” Fiume said, praising Bushkie and others, “and it really has helped.”
During his years of service, Fiume was not only dedicated to the welfare of the greater Reading community and clients of Opportunity House, said his son, Jeremy Fiume. He was also dedicated to his family and home community.
“He was the coach of pretty much all of my baseball teams as I was growing up,” said Jeremy, who manages the Opp Shop.
The elder Fiume also coached other sports and served as president of the Bethlehem Township Athletic Association and on the boards of other sports clubs, his son said.
While Fiume said he is looking forward to less-pressured days, he has no plans to idle away his retirement. He intends to spend more time at home and traveling with his wife, Susan, he said, and will keep physically fit through his longtime hobbies of running and biking.
He also hopes to volunteer for Opportunity House and will join Susan as a volunteer at the Opp Shop.
Source: Berkshire mont
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