Brooklyn resident Sergio Delavicci is a model and actor who has appeared in movies like John Wick 3 and Creed 2 and television shows such as Blue Bloods and Law and Order: SVU.
He also is passionate about community service, which includes working with Project Avary supporting children of parents who are incarcerated and The Real Men Read Initiative which invites local public influencers to read at schools in order to promote literacy.
More recently, Delavicci has been involved with visiting NYPD precincts in an effort to bridge the gap between community leaders and the police.
"At the end of the day, you can't spell community without the word 'unity'"
"Across the nation and Brooklyn, police are under a lot of pressure and under a lot of scrutiny in different capacities," Delavicci told the BK Reader.
"And so I feel that being from New York, I cannot turn my back on my city or community or town. Many people have a major misconception about the police department. Not every cop with a badge and blue uniform is a bad man.
"My idea is to try and reinstate the level of trust between the police and communities because. At the end of the day, you can't spell community without the word 'unity'."
Photo: Connie Chi
Delavicci said that playing a police officer and training with the Israeli Army helped him understand what it was like to stand in another's shoes: "Some of the toughest guys in the world are some of the nicest guys," said Delavicci.
He said his community work was more about passion than about an obligation to give back.
"When we feel we are obligated to do something, it no longer becomes a passion," said Delavicci. "When a person feels obligated to do their job. I think it takes away from the element of fun. But when you do your job with love and passion, then it's more fun, interesting and more beneficial for me as an employee."
"This is something that I love to do. I love to give back," Delavicci continued. "Let me tell you, a lot of times we get, but we forget to give; what we do is take and sometimes when we take so much from something. It becomes an empty space and [barren] land. We have to be able to have some type of balance.
"If we take, we have to be able to give back to fill up the empty space."
Delavicci also talked about the challenges facing the entertainment industry because of Covid-19. "All the productions are still closed, all the fashion show productions are still closed," said Delavicci. "This whole experience has allowed me to discover a new passion within myself. I never knew I could cook, so I'm cooking now."
You can follow Sergio Delavicci on Instagram.
