By William Tauro

TLC President, David Smith hands Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah a plaque, which recognizes him for seven years as the major supporter of Toys for Local Children.
 
Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah addresses the crowd at the 17th TLC Gala, while his wife holds a picture that hangs in their home, and his children demonstrate what the caption “Nothing I hold Onto” looks like.
 

Since 2006, Toys for Local Children (TLC) has relied on the support of local partners to fulfill its mission of “Making holiday wishes come true.”   On December 17, 2022, TLC put on their 17th Annual Fundraising Gala to provide local needy children with toys.  
 
The dedicated TLC leadership team includes Cindy Hickey, David Smith, Susan Fontano and Katie Devine.  These Santa’s and their helpers have joyfully filled the eyes and stockings of many needy children over the years, but the group was experiencing a significant fundraising shortfall this year – Then a last minute $10K donor met the need- Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah.
 
Event MC-Cindy Hickey said “Dr. Rizkallah has been the major supporter of Toys for Local Children for the past 17 years,” and invited Rizkallah to the stage with a round of applause.  
 Cindy pointed out that it has been an award-winning year for Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah – a national leader in dentistry.  Rizkallah recently won Massachusetts Question 2 (Regulation of Dental Insurance) ballot, which he personally created.  
 
The Somerville/ Medford News Weekly named Dr. Rizkallah our “2022 Person of the Year.”  
Dentistry Today Magazine also named Dr. Mouhab Rizkallah their “2022 Person of the Year.”  
The American Dental Association awarded Dr. Rizkallah the 2022 “Presidential Citation Award.”
The Massachusetts Dental Society’s awarded Dr. Rizkallah the 2022 “Metropolitan Achievement Award.”
 
Invited to speak, Dr. Rizkallah inspired the crowd by inviting his wife and their youngest two children (of four) to the stage to express some of their family values.
 
Dr. Rizkallah said:  “We celebrate and support Toys for Local Children….because we trust them.  We trust that they are genuine Stewards of our community.”  Rizkallah then asked the crowd “Here’s a question for all of us.  Why give at all?”
 
Dr. Rizkallah answered his own question, while his wife held up a framed picture that said “Nothing I Hold Onto.”  Rizkallah said, “That sign hangs in my house, and my kids know exactly what it means.”  
 
“Nothing I Hold Onto,” he explained…..” is our mentality of ‘Stewardship, not Ownership’ – The spiritual view that our assets belong to our ‘maker,’ and we have a duty to carefully direct assets into meaningful service –  rather than hold onto them.”  
 
Rizkallah said,  ” We are raising our kids to think that way too.  As in the ‘Parable of Talents,’ may our maker ultimately say to each of us ‘Well done good and faithful servant.’ ”
 
For the 7th year in a row, Toys for Local Children gave Dr. Rizkallah a plaque for his faithful support of our community’s most vulnerable children.