Carli Family

“My kids are invested because of The Honeycomb Project,” says mom, Erica Carli. 

It was over ten years ago when Erica and her husband, Fred, found Honeycomb through word of mouth. Honeycomb sounded exactly like what they were looking for when their kids were toddlers--service projects catered to families.  Erica remembers recycling and repurposing plastic bags with her young family—making them into sturdy mats and blankets for the Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.

Now, Everett is a freshman at Whitney Young Magnet High School and Ayla is a junior at Jones College Prep.  Erica says “my kids have grown and started deciding what issues matters to them most…I love how Honeycomb continues to meet everyone’s needs.”

“Everett is more behind the scenes and enjoys caring for animals, so projects at the Anti-Cruelty Society are important to him.  Ayla loves to interact with families and get to know those she is helping.  So her favorite (in-person) event coming out of the pandemic was baking cookies at IMD and she continues to seek those types of projects out.”

Erica credits Honeycomb for helping her children become more invested in their communities. Not only are her kids volunteering for Honeycomb, but they have expanded their efforts to helping other Chicago organizations meet their needs.

Everett and Ayla are both involved in their service clubs at school and are inspiring classmates to give back. “Fred and I are excited to see what other decisions they’ll make on their own,” says Erica… “we feel they’ll have a strong service initiative because of volunteering as a youth.” 

Outside of attending Honeycomb Project events, the Carli family keep busy. Erica works in sales and Fred is a mortgage broker for a commercial bank. Ayla enjoys hiking, biking and spending time with her friends. Everett loves to play golf and hang out with his friends. The family lives in Ukrainian Village and enjoys vacationing in Michigan.