In 2025, Mustard Seed Communities presented the first annual Gregory Ramkissoon Awards, honoring individuals and organizations whose lives and leadership exemplify the heart of our mission.
These awards recognize donors, volunteers, and partner groups who demonstrate unwavering commitment to the mission of Mustard Seed Communities (MSC). This prestigious award celebrates a donor’s consistent support, generosity, and advocacy, which have significantly contributed to the betterment of the lives of the vulnerable children and adults we serve.
The recipients of the Gregory Ramkissoon Award embody the vision that MSC’s founder Msgr. Gregory Ramkissoon set in motion: to ensure that the most vulnerable are known, loved, and cared for with dignity, just as Jesus demonstrated.
It is with profound gratitude that Mustard Seed Communities honors the 2025 award recipients, whose generosity and leadership continue to move our mission forward.
Move a Mountain Missions Embodies Core Values of Care
The first recipient of the Gregory Ramkissoon Award is Move a Mountain Missions, based in Pittsburgh, Pa. The organization was recognized for its unwavering commitment to the core values of Mustard Seed Communities’ mission—caring, sharing, and training—and for its extraordinary impact on MSC’s work in Jamaica and beyond.
A central part of Move a Mountain’s partnership with MSC is its active participation in mission trips to Jamaica. Each year, the organization sends four mission teams, made up of approximately 80 students and young adults, to share joy, care, and companionship with the children and adults with disabilities who call MSC home. Over the past seven years, Move a Mountain has contributed more than $1 million to MSC and has also provided over a year’s supply of diapers to residents in need.
Move a Mountain has also led the complete renovation of the chapel at Sophie’s Place in Gordon Town, Jamaica. “This beautifully renovated chapel has become a cherished sanctuary, offering a renewed sense of peace and comfort to our residents, staff, volunteers, and community members who rely on it as a place for reflection, solace, and spiritual nourishment,” shared Tamara Tucker-Burns, Development and Partnership Manager at MSC Jamaica.
What sets Move a Mountain Missions apart is not only the scale of its generosity, but the spirit in which it is offered. “This group is always willing to selflessly go the extra mile for residents and staff, true to our mission of caring, sharing, and training,” wrote Christine Madden-Watson, Administrator of Sophie’s Place. Move a Mountain has fully embraced these core values, adopting MSC’s model within its own work and extending the mission into the Pittsburgh community. Through initiatives such as Brother Andre’s Café, the organization provides meaningful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, reflecting a deep commitment to dignity, inclusion, and service.
Under the leadership of Fr. Chris Donley, Move a Mountain Missions has become a family. “Their generosity extends beyond material donations,” said Tucker-Burns.
“Move a Mountain Missions have shown exceptional care in supporting the unique needs of both our staff and residents, helping to create a stronger, more supportive environment for everyone involved.”
– Tammy Tucker-Burns, Development and Partnership Manager, MSC Jamaica
Colleen O’Hara, Director of Volunteer Engagement at MSC USA, adds, “Everyone at Move a Mountain deserves to be recognized. They embody the work Msgr. Gregory hoped for when he began Mustard Seed Communities.”
With each visit and every act of kindness in Jamaica and in Pittsburgh, Move a Mountain Missions continues Msgr. Gregory’s legacy of caring for the most vulnerable and transforming lives in Christ’s footsteps.
Benzinger Multiplies Impact and Shares Christ’s Love from Northern Kentucky
The second recipient of the Gregory Ramkissoon Award is Gerry Benzinger of Edgewood, Ky. Benzinger’s spirit of generosity and leadership is responsible for bringing countless new supporters to the mission of MSC, building a sustained impact.
Watch the following video to hear about Benzinger’s impact in the words of Msgr. Gregory, Fr. Garvin, and friends:
It was well over a decade ago when Benzinger said “yes” to attending his first mission trip to Jamaica with his son, Chris. Though Benzinger humbly claims the trip was merely an excuse for him to spend time with his son, Chris remembers it differently: “It was not a selfish act—it was a profound example of God’s love for His children, and God’s desire to spend time with us.”
When Benzinger returned home from his first mission trip, he felt called to continue caring for the most vulnerable in Jamaica from his own community in Northern Kentucky. He gathered friends and founded a local MSC mission team. What began as a single weeklong experience has since grown into a thriving volunteer network. Today, Northern Kentucky sends eight mission teams and more than 100 volunteers each year to MSC Jamaica, collectively raising over $400,000 annually. Parishes and schools connected to the building network created three additional mission teams to serve in Jamaica and Dominican Republic as well.
Beyond his leadership on mission trips, Benzinger has shown extraordinary generosity in support of MSC’s spiritual mission. His support was a key catalyst in the creation of St. Andrew’s House of Formation at Jacob’s Ladder in 2019. The formation program now serves as a home for priests and seminarians and plays a vital role in sharing Christ’s love with the children and adults in MSC’s care around the world.
“Gerry Benzinger is living proof that faith the size of a mustard seed truly can move mountains,” shares Betsy Fountain, Executive Director of MSC USA. “We are deeply grateful for the incredible impact that can grow from saying ‘yes.’”
Benzinger’s dedication, service, and heart for the most vulnerable show exactly what this award celebrates: a life spent putting faith into action.
Pascucci Family Plants Seeds of Change and Helps them Grow Beyond Measure
The third Gregory Ramkissoon Award for 2025 was presented to the Pascucci Family in recognition of decades of extraordinary support for Mustard Seed Communities. Support from the Pascuccis began nearly forty years ago when parents Michael and Jocelyn were first introduced to Msgr. Gregory, when MSC was indeed a small seed with great potential to grow. Since then, branches of impact have sprouted from the Pascuccis’ efforts to enhance MSC’s mission.
The Pascuccis’ contributions have proved foundational to the growth and longevity of MSC. Over the years, their generosity has enabled MSC to acquire land, build top-quality homes and facilities around the world, launch the formation program, and provide compassionate care for hundreds of residents. Most recently, their support made possible the purchase of land in Malawi, the construction of a protective wall, and the beginning of three homes, a chapel, a convent, and a guest house.
Notably, the Pascuccis were leaders in MSC’s historic initiative to bring 59 children with disabilities from Haiti to a safe home at Jacob’s Ladder in Jamaica. At their shelter in Haiti, these children were unable to access adequate food and medical care, and an unstable political climate threatened their safety. MSC stepped in to welcome them into a community of love, and the Pascuccis ensured MSC had the funding needed to
provide the incredible care and support the children required.
MSC’s relationship with the Pascucci family extends beyond Michael and Jocelyn to their entire family. Their daughter Dawn joined the MSC board in 2023; Dawn’s daughter Lily and her husband Andrew celebrated their wedding with Msgr. Gregory officiating.
“Michael and Jocelyn are proof that our closest supporters are not just donors, but true family and partners in our mission to ‘care for the most vulnerable.’”
– Betsy Fountain, Executive Director, MSC USA
For decades of transformative generosity, visionary leadership, and a family commitment that has changed lives across the globe, the Pascucci Family clearly demonstrates the heart of Msgr. Gregory’s mission.
Nordone Family Champions Dignity for Individuals in Nicaragua
The next recipient of the Gregory Ramkissoon Award is the Nordone family of Alpharetta, Ga., in recognition of more than two decades of commitment to MSC’s program in Nicaragua.
Through years of dedicated support for MSC Nicaragua, Al and Daphne Nordone have played a vital role in sustaining MSC’s work in the region, providing both operational support and essential goods and services that directly benefit residents with disabilities. Their leadership and generosity have helped raise more than $2 million for MSC, ensuring the continuation and growth of care for the most vulnerable in Nicaragua.
Even during times when they were unable to visit in person, the Nordones’ advocacy for individuals living with disabilities in Nicaragua never wavered. They remained deeply engaged, championing the mission through education, outreach, and continued support.
“The Nordone family embodies the heart of Mustard Seed Communities: faith in action, love without limits, and enduring commitment to the most vulnerable.”
– Michelle Shines, Managing Director of International Programs, MSC USA
The Nordones’ passion and commitment have left a lasting mark on the community, reflecting the spirit of faithful service and love for the most vulnerable that the Gregory Ramkissoon Award was created to honor.
Mustard Seed Communities is deeply grateful for the generosity, leadership, and faith of the 2025 Gregory Ramkissoon Award recipients.
Their commitment continues to shape our mission today and gives us great hope for what lies ahead, as we move forward together in caring for the most vulnerable with love, dignity, and joy.