Supporting Good Works in Diocese is Priority for Lehigh Valley Couple

Supporting community outreach is very important to Robert L. Buck, CPA. He and his wife Melissa, also a CPA, have donated their time and money to many worthy causes during their 28 years of marriage. The lifelong Lehigh Valley couple even plans their donations to the “Because We Are Catholic” (BWAC) annual appeal into their yearly family budgets.

With so many charitable organizations throughout the Diocese, Buck said that it’s difficult to contribute to each one individually, and there’s peace of mind in giving to the annual appeal and knowing that the Diocese of Allentown will use the money “where it’s needed” most.

In the past 10 years, the annual appeal has raised and distributed more than $40 million for Catholic Charities, Catholic schools, pastoral services, and community outreach, including food assistance and senior services.

“All of those community services are important to us, so we try to support them,” said Buck.

Buck was the youngest of five children growing up in Salisbury Township, where his family were parishioners of St. Thomas More, Allentown. He attended the parish grade school, then graduated from Allentown Central Catholic High School in 1986.

At both schools, Buck played CYO basketball. His team went to the state tournament when he was in seventh grade, and he experienced winning the Boys’ State Championship during his senior year.

Buck continued his Catholic education, attending La Salle University, Philadelphia, and earning a bachelor of science degree in accounting in 1990.

He’s now a CPA, tax consultant, and one of 15 partners at Buckno Lisicky & Company, working from the company’s Allentown headquarters.

He resides in Allentown with his wife Melissa, a DeSales University graduate, who works as a CFO for a privately owned business. Though they grew up living approximately a mile away from each other, the couple didn’t meet until years later through mutual friends.

As a married couple, they settled in St. Thomas More Parish, raising their two sons: Nicholas, now 26, and Andrew, now 24, and teaching at a Catholic high school in the Boston area.

Buck said that the Catholic faith is “the most important thing” in his family’s lives, crediting the influence of both his and his wife’s Catholic families.

After many years as parishioners at St. Thomas More, they became parishioners of the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown, four years ago, where they enjoy seeing Bishop Alfred Schlert celebrate Mass.

Buck and his wife have been active in the Diocese of Allentown, donating their time to volunteer “as much as possible” while also maintaining careers and family life. Buck has coached CYO basketball, served as Vice Chairman of the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholarship Foundation (EPSF), and helped establish the Green & Gold Education Endowment Fund, which supports Allentown Central Catholic High School's educational mission.

In his work with EPSF, Buck leverages his experience as a tax consultant and educates people on the tax credit program in Pennsylvania, which helps to fund private schools, including Catholic schools. He spends much time “on outreach, educating people and getting donations for that program.”

Buck and his wife look forward to continuing their support of the annual appeal for many more years to come. Now that their children are adults, they find that they can donate even more to the appeal.

Buck pointed out that over 50 percent of the funds raised by the annual appeal go to vital community services, including Catholic Charities and food assistance in Allentown, Reading, and Pottsville—causes that are close to his heart.

Also, 18 percent of the funds raised support Catholic education, which Buck has valued throughout his life, and nearly 12 percent support the formation of new clergy, which is also important to him.

Administrative expenses account for just 7.4 percent of the funds raised. Reflecting on the significance of the annual appeal, Buck said he feels “a responsibility to help” the many good works taking place across the Diocese.

For more information on the BWAC appeal, go to www.becausewearecatholic.org.