It would be easy for Richard Hoffman to point to his familial and work-related responsibilities and bow out of any additional duties. After all, in our society all too often we think of those heavily involved in charitable activities as either past the parenting stage or fabulously wealthy.

Richard Hoffman

However, Hoffman, the father of one current college student and one graduate, Joshua and Jon, and husband to Barbara, certainly has his hands full at home.

"Volunteering is important," he said, "but you need to find a balance between family, work and community, do some of everything. You have to find time to do things like watch your kids play at Howard Palmetto Khoury League."

The challenges Hoffman faces at work are no less daunting. His firm -- he is a CPA and partner in Kane, Hoffman, Danner, P.A. -- has grown consistently in the two years since its inception. Earlier, he toiled for five years as a partner in Hoffman and Danner and for 20 years with Leventhal, Horwath.

Currently, he has a staff of 20 professionals and five administrative assistants, but with a recent acquisition of the adjacent suite in their building, further expansion seems inevitable.

Despite these things, Hoffman has been very involved in several local Jewish charitable organizations and has parlayed that participation into initiatives that have benefited the community as a whole.

"I feel that is our responsibility, to give back to our community however you can," he said.

Hoffman is a past president of Jewish Vocational Services, completing his two-year term two years ago. During that period he helped the organization find a new spot for its kosher kitchen, instituted several programs that assisted physically and mentally challenged individuals get back to work and straightened out that organization's financial situation.

"With funding help from the United Way," Hoffman said, "we were doing rehabilitation for challenged individuals, we were getting physically and mentally challenged individuals back to work and helping make those people more self-sufficient."

Two important facets of these initiatives were innovative yet common sense. Instead of simply providing job-hunting resources, those looking for work also were given a place to shower, clean clothes and a voice mailbox. All of those things are essential to finding employment, but are easily overlooked unless you have a good grasp of the problems the homeless unemployed face.

Meanwhile, by the nature of its new facilities, the kitchen became an even more important resource for helping South Florida's homebound, preparing kosher meals and facilitating human contact and providing food for those that otherwise might have to do without.

"Funding from the Greater Miami Jewish Federation also helped a great deal," he said.

Hoffman also is very involved with the federation, serving at one time as chairman of the oversight committee that reviewed the financial performance of the agencies funded by the federation. He was recently appointed chairman of the federation's commission on community services, which recommends how the federation's funds are allocated to the various agencies' social services.

Additionally, Hoffman is in his second year on the board of the South Dade Jewish Federation, is in his first year on the board of Temple Beth Am and has served several non-consecutive terms on the board of Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

It was "the schools initially, along with the beautiful neighborhood" that first attracted Hoffman to Pinecrest.

"I've lived in Pinecrest for ten years," he said, "and both of my sons went to Pinecrest Elementary, Palmetto Middle School and Palmetto High School. I love it, you feel like you're in the country."

Hoffman was candid when asked which issues facing South Dade he considered the most troubling.

"One of the biggest problems is teenage drinking," he said. "It's something that has to be addressed."