Joe Selvaggio, founder of multiple Twin Cities non-profit organizations, who inspired countless Minnesotans to lead lives of compassion and social change has died. He was 87 years old.

Born in Chicago in 1937, to an Italian immigrant father, and a first-generation Italian-American mother, Selvaggio spent his childhood living and working in an ethnically diverse Chicago neighborhood, attending Our Lady Help of Christians Elementary School and Fenwick Highschool. His family lived above his father's awning shop on Division Street, where Selvaggio and his brother John would work after school.

Selvaggio became keenly aware of inequality from a very early age, when visiting relatives in the wealthy suburbs of River Forest and Lincolnwood. After attending Marquette University, he entered the Dominican order of the Catholic priesthood. He was ordained in 1965 and spent 3 years serving in low-income communities, including Holy Rosary Church/Santa Rosario in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis. While in the order, he'd read the Encyclicals, and became active in the movements forged by Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr., and worked to end the Vietnam war. These experiences led him to want to do more to alleviate poverty, and in 1968 he left the priesthood.

That same year, he married Phoebe Yaeger, and in 1971 they adopted 2 boys, and also had a biological son. In 1972, while speaking on urban poverty at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, he met Ted Pouliot, an early funder of the non-profit that Selvaggio went on to found later that year, Project for Pride in Living. In its 52 years, PPL has helped to house countless MN families and graduated thousands of people from their various self-sufficiency programs. PPL continues its work today, with a multi-million dollar operating budget.

In 1981 he and Phoebe divorced, and in 1983 he married Rosario Escanan, a history teacher from the Philippines, who was being targeted by the Marcos regime for her social justice activism. He and Rose adopted a daughter, Riza, and in 1997, he passed the torch of being PPL's Executive Director to Steve Cramer.

He and Rose loved traveling, and visited over 50 countries, from The Philippines to Guatemala to South Africa to Italy. During these years, he also founded The 1% Club, recruiting Minnesotans of means to pledge 1% of their wealth annually, to the charity of their choice.

In 2008 he founded Microgrants, a non-profit devoted to giving small grants to people of potential, and the organization behind the "Lights On!" program.

During his long career of fundraising and activism, Selvaggio exemplified what one friend called a "philanthropest." He wrote a book about his ability to influence both the rich and the poor, "In the Streets and In the Streets," and Star Tribune reporter Neal St. Anthony wrote a book about the first 20 years of PPL, entitled "Until All Are Housed In Dignity."

The only thing that matched Selvaggio's passion to help the less fortunate, was his love of lowbrow humor. He was a devotee of George Carlin, Larry David, and Dave Chapelle, and kept his own little black book of dirty jokes on him at all times.

Joe was 87 years old and lived a wonderful life! But his eyes, ears, nose, touch, taste, memory, and mobile abilities were all deteriorating, and he wanted the reader to know that he felt ready to go. In his final days, he was inundated with phone calls, emails and visitors, all of whom sang his praises. He felt incredibly blessed, and in control of his own destiny.

Selvaggio is survived by his wife of 41 years, Rosario, and 3 children, Ricardo, Sam and Riza...And an extended family of thousands!

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Project for Pride in Living, www.ppl-inc.org and/or Microgrants, www.Microgrants.net

A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Community on Saturday, September 21 at 11:00am, visitation at 9:30.

Condolences: www.whitefuneralhomes.com