A Life Well Lived

Local philanthropist Andy Prokop
by Nissa Hallquist

It’s been a long and winding road that has led Andy Prokop to this point in his life, with as many periods of trial as those of success. Yet each has contributed to the man Prokop has become today, a man devoted to community service, and who, for the last nine years, has served as the President and CEO of the United Way of San Joaquin County.

The United Way improves lives by raising funds and raising awareness of our community’s greatest needs, through supporting the invaluable non-profit agencies that meet those needs. Prokop is especially sympathetic to children’s causes; as a child himself, he was in and out of foster care. Despite an abusive, alcoholic mother who could not care for Prokop and his siblings properly, any stays in foster care were only temporary—at the time, it was always considered best for children to live with their biological mother.

While many would be embittered by such an upbringing, Prokop bases his life on the “glass half full” mentality. The times he spent in foster care offered a positive influence, times of peace and security that he could hold onto when back living with his mother.

“Being able to experience the other side of things, I learned from my mother what not to do,” says Prokop. “Unfortunately, a lot of children in similar situations don’t get the opportunity to learn that.”

After Prokop graduated from high school, he went on to serve in the Vietnam War as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner, completing his stint without a scratch, and soon after met Carol, now his wife of thirty-seven years.

Over time, Prokop became the successful owner of several fast food establishments throughout the Stockton area. In the course of his thirty-year restaurant career, he met people who would become the mentors he’d never had, including boss Carl Karcher (founder of Carl’s Jr.) and real estate mogul Alex G. Spanos, inspiring him to want to mentor others. In 1997, Prokop sold his restaurants to devote more time to his first love, community service.

“I always understood the necessity for these organizations,” says Prokop, “and I wanted to be able to give back more to the community that helped me.”

As such, Prokop has served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations. It was his work with the Child Abuse Prevention Council that eventually got the attention of those at the United Way in 1999. Prokop’s responsibilities today as head of the United Way of San Joaquin County include raising funds, and creating awareness of the United Way’s support of the various non-profit organizations in San Joaquin County.

In addition to the United Way, he actively advocates several other non-profit organizations, many dedicated to children’s financial assistance and education. He supports Jose Hernandez’s Reaching for the Stars Program, based out of Stockton, meant to inspire underprivileged youth to find passion in science and engineering. (Hernandez was a former field worker who went on to become an astronaut.) Prokop is on the board of the Mary Graham Children’s Shelter Foundation, which provides scholarships and other services for former foster children. He’s also a member of University of the Pacific’s Pacific Tigers Athletics Association (PTAA), an organization devoted to raising funds for student athletes.   

For the last ten years, he’s also played an integral role in the Stockton Asparagus Festival, where he’s served as Director of Asparagus Alley for ten years, responsible for overseeing much of the festival’s asparagus-based cuisine. (“They call me the ‘Head Spear’,” Prokop jokes.) The proceeds of all food sales therein are given to local non-profits. Last year, over $437,000 was raised.

Prokop’s plans for the future, both for himself and for the United Way, are straight and steady. After all, he loves what he does and sees no reason to slow down now. When asked to sum up his motivation to a life of public service, Prokop immediately calls to mind his personal motto, a statement originally made by Winston Churchill: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

If that is so, then Andy Prokop has quite the life.

For more information about the United Way of San Joaquin County, call (209) 469-6980 or visit www.unitedwaysjc.org.