Today we’d like to introduce you to Shea and Rich Gardner.
Shea and Rich, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We are a husband and wife team who finally took the leap to leave our 9-5 careers and pursue our dream of serving Chicago youth and communities through our own non-profit, Maroon Village.
We are Maroon Village – a husband and wife team committed to cultivating healthy environments in our Chicago communities. My wife Shea Gardner is a Michigan native and 11 year Chicago resident – She has spent over 15 years in Nonprofit Youth Programming, most recently overseeing After School Matters programming on the Southside of Chicago. On top of Co-Founding Maroon Village, she is currently writing a book and studying for her Yoga Teacher Training course all while taking care of our 2 toddlers at home.
My name is Rich Gardner, Chicago native and former NFL athlete. After retiring in 2010 I began my journey as a Sports Performance Coach and Mentor in Germany eventually making my way back to home where I now consult with Student-Athletes and Professionals throughout Chicago and Chicagoland areas.
The beginnings of Maroon Village was just a simple concept. But our commitment to empower ourselves through our own personal struggles turned that concept into a lifelong journey. Maroon Village is our shared journey.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
While we work from the comfort of our (parent’s) home, it also happens to be one of our biggest challenges. Balancing Maroon Village and our two toddlers has compelled us to not only get creative with where and how we get work done, it has made us recognize the importance of being efficient and productive within our working hours.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Maroon Village story. Tell us more about the business.
We cultivate healthy environments that meet the needs of our Chicago youth and communities. Maroon Village programs and curriculum are grounded by our 7 pillars of virtue: Nutrition, Education, Mental Health, Exercise, Meditation, Economic Freedom and Cultural Identity. Using history as a reference and current research as our guide, Maroon Village is known for identifying gaps and finding meaningful solutions. We create and innovate in an effort to combat social inequalities within our under-resourced communities.
We are unique as a husband and wife team and most proud of finally bringing Maroon Village to life after more than 5 years of planning. We officially launched a 501c3 last Fall, 2017. We hit the ground running and haven’t looked back!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The definition of Luck according to Dictionary.com – The success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions. Reflecting on our journeys, both individually and as a team, it is hard to say luck has played a roll in all of this.
Chicago is smaller than we often think. As Maroon Village branches out into these streets and meets with community members and organizations we find ourselves inevitably with less than 6 degrees of separation. We value each experience and take lessons with us as we go. In turn, we have come to appreciate the depths of the relationships we have built and continue to build.
It is not by chance that we have made it this far. It is because of commitment and faith. We believe in ourselves, each other and all people. There is so much work to be done and this is exactly where we are supposed to be. On the frontlines. Digging deep and planting seeds.
There is intention and purpose behind everything we do.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9417 S. May Chicago, IL 60620
- Website: www.hellomaroonvillage.org
- Phone: 312-995-2888
- Email: hellomaroonvillage@gmail.com
- Instagram: maroon_village
Image Credit:
Joshua Taylor
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