About Rod Redcay Executive Director
Meet Rod!
Rod Redcay founded and leads REAL Life Community Services as its Executive Director, dedicating most of his waking hours to making a meaningful impact on others. Since 2014, he has also served as the Mayor of Denver, PA. In addition to his mayoral duties, he actively participates in local government, previously serving on Borough Council. He chairs the Lancaster County Mayors’ Association and contributes to multiple boards, including the Community Action Partnership, Union Community Care, and the Cocalico Area Republican Committee. Rod and his wife, Sunny, have called Denver home since 2004, raising their two wonderful daughters, Ashley and Robyn. When it comes to food, he can never choose between hamburgers and pepperoni pizza.
Rod’s “Why?”
Throughout his adult life, Rod has been deeply committed to ministering to young people. He has a special heart for at-risk youth, often sharing, “I once was considered at-risk too.” He credits the grace of God and a praying mother for keeping him on the right path. When his father left, his mother brought him and his brother back into her family’s church, where caring adults and supportive peers filled the void left by their father’s absence. Though times were tough, Rod persevered, building a life of faith, family, and service.
Rod recognizes that many of the values instilled in him at a young age are now missing from today’s youth. “It’s amazing to think back to a time when I never even heard about drugs in school—now, they’re in our first and second grades!” He recalls when Lancaster County’s small farming communities seemed shielded from the world’s negative influences, but that protective barrier has faded.
Not long ago, youth violence shook our quiet suburban communities—not just in big cities, but in places like Lititz, Leola, Manheim Township, and Denver. The Roseboro murder and the Nickel Mines tragedy left lasting scars. What happened to the protective bubble that once surrounded us? Rod has his own thoughts, but he knows this crisis is escalating. If real change doesn’t happen soon, we risk losing an entire generation.
In October 2015, the organization rebranded as REAL Life Community Services, strengthening its mission to support those in need within the local community. The mission statement changed to, “We do everything possible to connect the community to Hope through partnerships, collaborations, and building relationships.”
One of Rod’s favorite verses is, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose! (Romans 8:28).”
