Collins Recognized for His Leadership as Attorney, Author and Fitness Authority, and for his Philanthropic Efforts in Creating Worldwide Skydiving Fundraiser
Rick Collins, a partner at Collins, McDonald & Gann, P.C. (www.cmgesq.com) and a leader in the health/fitness community, has been named by the Long Island Business News as one of Long Island’s Fifty Around 50 – Class of 2011. He was honored on Thursday, October 20 at an awards ceremony celebrating the Class of 2011 inductees, which was attended by hundreds of leading business professionals throughout the region.
Collins was selected as one of this year’s “Fifty Around 50” based on his leadership in business, mentoring, support for Long Island’s not-for-profit organizations and commitment to the community. The award was designed to recognize “the intelligent, hard-working and dynamic men and women dedicated to Long Island’s strong, successful companies and organizations.” Business leaders named to the list were chosen both for their outstanding professional achievements and leadership, as well as for their philanthropic efforts and community involvement.
“I am honored to be included as one of this year’s Fifty around 50,” said Collins, a former Nassau County Assistant District Attorney who co-founded Collins, McDonald & Gann more than 20 years ago. “Along with my fellow awardees, I’m happy to be able to contribute not only to Long Island’s business community, but to continue to dedicate myself to helping so many of the important causes and philanthropies both here on Long Island and nationally, as well.”
Over the past few years, Collins (who, in addition to his work as an attorney is also a health and fitness expert and author of the men’s health/fitness book Alpha Male Challenge) has been instrumental in spearheading many local and national philanthropic efforts and fundraising initiatives. He has been the force behind one of Long Island’s most successful personal fundraising initiatives – the Global Leap for Life (www.leapforlife.org) charity skydiving event to raise money in the fight against cancer. After creating and launching the event as a one-person skydiving fundraiser in 2009 to help raise money for the American Cancer Society, Collins has continued to grow the annual event into a nationwide cause – and in the past three years has raised a total of nearly $80,000 for a number of cancer charities. This year, Collins’ Leap for Life raised money for two organizations: Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (www.AlexsLemonade.org), the national non-profit dedicated to finding a cure for all kids with cancer; and Strength for Life (www.strengthforlifeny.org) – a Long Island-based non-profit dedicated to empowering people with cancer and cancer survivors through exercise.
Collins, who is one of the country’s top legal experts in the area of nutritional supplements and anabolic steroids law, currently serves as a Director of the Nassau County Bar Association. In addition, he also serves on the Advisory Board of the WE CARE Fund, the nationally-recognized charitable arm of the Nassau County Bar Association which helps raise funds to improve the quality of life for children, the elderly and others in need throughout Nassau County. In his role on the WE CARE Fund Advisory Board, he helps to set the policy and direction for WE CARE Fund fundraising activities and grant distributions to charitable causes.
During his law career, Collins has been honored with numerous awards, including the 2001 President’s Award of the Nassau County Bar Association. He works on the Executive Committee of the Criminal Justice Section of the New York State Bar Association, and has testified regarding criminal justice issues before the Council of the City of New York on behalf of the 60,000 members of the association. He is a past president of the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Nassau County and an officer or member of numerous other state and national professional organizations including the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Life Member), the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the New York State Defenders Association. He is an annual faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and is on the Adjunct Faculty of Hofstra University Law School. In addition, he has appeared as a legal commentator on the nationally televised NewsTalk Television Network, and frequently lectures on trial practice and criminal law issues.
For more information about Rick Collins, visit www.cmgesq.com; in addition, to contribute to this year’s Leap for Life fundraising initiative for cancer research, visit www.leapforlife.org.