UTICA — Geno DeCondo is a banker with a heart that beats in harmony with the needs of his community, Kelly M. Karrat said.

DeCondo said that rhythm of giving has its roots in his “great role models,” including his father, a long-time youth baseball coach, and his first boss, James Raymonda, a pillar of community service until his death three years ago.

Karrat, director of development for the Central New York Community Arts Council, nominated DeCondo for the 2003 Accent on Excellence program.

The program’s judges validated her assessment, making DeCondo one of this year’s 10 honorees.

Karrat said she has served with DeCondo for several years on the United Way board of directors, where she has “witnessed Geno go above and beyond what would constitute typical volunteering.”

She said DeCondo, currently vice president for member support with First Source Federal Credit Union, has been on the United Way board for 14 years, and for the past four years he has chaired its allocation committee.

The panel decides how much member agencies receive, based on community need.

He also is on the boards of United Cerebral Palsy, Tri-City Lacrosse and the Bragg Open, a scholarship fund-raising organization.

A person needs a broad base of support to remain active in community organizations, DeCondo said.

“It’s pretty difficult,” he said. “I’m pretty lucky to have a wife who is not only understanding but encourages me to take a leadership role in the community.

“My parents were always very much involved, too,” he said. “That started things for me at a very young age. They’ve always given me the opportunity to get involved. It’s really a privilege ... to be able to participate and help out.

“Until I started getting involved in different areas of the community I didn’t realize how much positive was going on around me,” DeCondo said. “There’s so many people dedicated to making things happen.”

He said that after college in Rochester, “I stayed out there for a little while to see what the world was about, and I think I learned there was more here that I missed.”

What he missed about the Mohawk Valley, he said, was “the way people care ... about each other. This community rallies around causes. There’s a lot of positive energy there.”

The future of the region depends on that energy, he said, and “what you’re willing to give to make it happen.”

He sees the future in the organizations he serves. “I’ve just joined the (United Cerebral Palsy) board and really am very impressed ... with what that organization does and the way they see,” he said. “They have a different way of seeing, not people with disabilities but people with abilities. It’s very refreshing.”

DeCondo said he also plans to devote even more energy in the months ahead to his “passion for ... lacrosse.” Tri-City Lacrosse is forming a new non-profit corporation to run the program, he said, and he is proud of “any small part I’ve played.”

He envisions a day in the near future when both boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams will have a local sports complex, with several fields to host competitions.

“We’re very excited,” DeCondo said.