If you take a close look at your community, you will find that a lot gets done by just a few people. The ones that see working their nine-to-five as just the beginning of their day. The ones who dedicate their time and talent to lifting everyone up and see it as a privilege, not a burden. The Greater Fort Lauderdale Gay Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (GFLGLCC) recently named their heroes, people making a difference in our community. Their mission is promoting business and economic opportunities for the LGBT and LGBT-friendly community, and being an advocate and resource for all member businesses working towards those goals. The GFLGLCC is just a few years old, but is already making an impact on our community, and recognizing their success stories, their heroes, is important to them.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis helped honor the five recipients. Among them are Jeffrey Kaplan of Jungle Queen Riverboats and Richard Gray of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Richard works tirelessly to make sure our area is at the center of the gay tourism universe. Other honorees included Richard Safaty of Freedom Travel and Paola London from Reyka Vodka.

Also honored and recognized was Linda Buccilli, a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management in Boca Raton. To meet her is to come face-to-face with a force of nature. She met me for the first time with a big smile, a warm hug, and a voice filled with compassion and determination. Linda is a powerhouse success in all three phases of life: family, professionally, and in the community. “I try to have a work-life balance. I’m a single mom and I have two beautiful boys.” I met with her at her office to talk family, finance, and philanthropy. “My family comes first and also so do my clients.”

Her kids are both in high school, which means band practice, fundraisers, homework, and projects. Add to that helping clients plan their future finances and organizing community projects, it could be overwhelming. I’m exhausted just thinking about it. “When people say ‘Linda how do you do it?’ I say don’t tell me that. I just do it. I don’t think, I do it.”

After initially being reluctant, LInda jumped into philanthropy head first. “I kind of like fell into it. I was nominated five years ago as one of the 100 Outstanding Women of Broward County by Boys & Girls Club.” Linda was flattered but tried to decline because she thought she didn’t have time. But after a visit to a club, she saw a need she knew she could fulfill. The basketball courts and facilities were in need of refurbishment. But, when she got to the computer lab, Linda knew something had to be done, and she was the one to do it.

There were just six old computers with old school monitors, and kids, who don’t have internet at home, were limited to ten minutes a day to do homework, check their grades and do other online assignments. “My heart was driving me to do something.”

Linda went to her boss and asked what happened to the laptops her office replaced every two years. He said they were wiped clean and put in storage, and that she was welcome to do whatever she wanted with them. So she grabbed the keys and when she opened the door, she knew she hit the high tech goldmine. “I kid you not, floor to ceiling laptops.” The difference in these kids’ lives was immediate. “Now we have an entire computer homework room. I gave them the cables, everything.”

Now Linda is more involved in myriad communities. In addition to Boys & Girls Clubs, she’s on the Leukemia Lymphoma Association, organizes Wine, Women, and Shoes, hosts breakfasts and much more. “I want to leave my footprint. I want to be known for making a difference. I don’t need to be known as the top fundraiser, I just want to make a difference.”

But it took her office to point out that she was also making a big impact on the LGBT community. “I’m an ally. It was actually Northwestern Mutual that identified me as an ally.” Someone pointed out that 27% of her clients are in the community. It wasn’t a conscious effort, just something that happened naturally. “Before you know it you get into the community because people do business with people that they know, like, and trust. It doesn’t matter that I’m not gay of lesbian, what matters is I’m an ally and I care.”

She’s also proud that her company has a 100 score with Human Rights Campaign. “They’re tough. You have to dot all your ‘i’s and cross your ‘t’s.” Linda says it all comes from making connections. “We have intimate conversations. Talking about your finances is very intimate.” And she sees faces, not dollar signs. “When I look at someone, I don’t know if they’re a millionaire or not. Funny, people who look like they have money with their Maseratis and $5,000 shoes and $10,000 bags, they have nothing. And the ones driving the used vehicles and renting, they’re the ones that have money. I don’t look at someone and go ‘hmmm, what can they spend in premium?’ I look and go you need help. You need guidance. You need my expertise. How can I help you today?”

If it’s her time or her expertise, to her family or a stranger, Linda is driven to give, and that’s the mark of a true hero. “I gave a little because I saw, and now I give so much. You can never go broke giving. And it warms my heart.”