Marsella Family
“The city is our home, and we plan to live here for a long time,” says Michele Marsella, as she talks about why investing in Chicago communities is a priority.
Michele and her husband, Brian, were drawn to The Honeycomb Project in 2014, when they searched for organizations that centered around youth volunteerism. “Mia is 12 years-old now,” Michele says, “but I clearly remember our first project at a Chicago school…we pulled weeds and planted seeds at this school garden…it was a great first experience.”
Through the years, the family has supported Honeycomb’s veteran candy drive, prepared meals in community kitchens at Whole Foods for those in need, created masks at Sew Crafty and made toys for sheltered animals at the Anti-Cruelty Society. When the Pandemic hit, the family participated in a few virtual, Honeycomb At Home projects.
“Covid was a challenging time for us to continue in-person volunteering, as Mia and our family were navigating in-person and remote learning during the school year."
“What pulled us back in was the Holiday Cheer Challenge,” says Michele. “We were thrilled to put our own team together and contribute to a family sponsorship.”
The Holiday Cheer Challenge was a fundraiser held last December, where participants completed over 900 missions around downtown Chicago spreading laughter and cheer, while raising over $130,000 to fuel Honeycomb's family volunteer programs.
Leading the way with their team, the Dancing Pugs, the Marsella family invited three of Mia’s friends and had a blast. Michele and Brian made a whole day out of the Cheer Challenge. “We wore matching t-shirts, took the train downtown and went to dinner after the event,” says Michele.
“We had so many take-aways from the Cheer Challenge” says Michele. “Mia learned how to work together as a team…especially how to interact with strangers as we did our acts of kindness. Mia and her friends were able to talk to people about what Honeycomb does for the community and perform these small gestures for others… just seeing the smiles on those stranger’s faces was incredible.”
Outside of attending Honeycomb Project events, the Marsella family keep busy. Michele is an active volunteer with her church and Erie Family Health, in addition to being a part-time yoga instructor and being involved in real estate transactions. Brian is an Executive in the Healthcare Field and is the Chairman of the Board for Erie Family Health. Mia loves animals, the arts and plays piano and sings in her church choir. The Marsella Family and their pug, Teddy, enjoy traveling and taking bike adventures.