As we celebrate our agency’s 25th anniversary, we are delighted to honor Mary Lou Schiavo, one of our Founding Board Members. In a recent interview, she shared powerful insights on why she continues to support Acknowledge Alliance and why she is still connected to our agency’s work twenty-five years later.
1. How did you become involved with Acknowledge Alliance and what attracted you to this cause?
I was introduced to the agency through Chester F. “Chet” Villalba who was a Founding Board Member of Acknowledge Alliance. Once I learned about the premise of Acknowledge Alliance, I joined the Board and regularly attended the board meetings which used to take place in founder Cleo Eulau’s living room! I am passionate about the agency’s work because I love children and I know that if we support teachers, we ultimately help kids. I also appreciate the “hands-on” quality of the agency and that we always maintain personalized services despite our continuous growth in the community.
2. After 25 years, what inspires you to continue supporting the organization?
Because the agency is still relatively small, I am confident that the money you receive goes directly to support your mission to promote lifelong resilience in children and youth, and strengthen the caring capacity of the adults who influence their lives. Acknowledge Alliance is a great steward of its contributions and has strict financial responsibility standards to ensure that it maintains high quality programs.
3. In your opinion, what is the most important work that this organization does?
There’s not just one important thing. I believe there’s a “domino effect” to the agency’s work. When we help teachers, we help kids, and when we help kids, we support their parents. Additionally, the agency’s vision and culture always remains the same, even with staff or organizational changes - I always emphasize this fact when I am telling others about the agency.
4. What do you hope the organization will achieve in the future?
I hope to see more of the same great results of the agency’s work. I also want to see the agency continuing to provide children with access to caring adults who can change their lives for the better. I attended an inner-city school and my teachers/mentors would always say, “You are a leader.” This phrase transformed my life and I appreciated knowing that my teachers were cheering me on. Inspiring kids to believe they are better than they think they are is extremely powerful.
5. Do you have a message to share?
Always stay aware of what’s going on around you and the small ways you can help. For instance, I was in the grocery store and the woman in front of me appeared to be concerned about the amount of her grocery bill. I just went ahead and paid for her groceries. I would like to tell everyone that there is always a way you can make a difference. When we lack awareness, that’s when things go wrong and we start to get overwhelmed by all the challenging things going on in our world. Staying aware helps us to find ways to address a lot of problems we see in our community.
Mary Lou is a shining example of her own advice of being aware of her community’s needs. Every year, Mary Lou and her husband, Tony, warmly open their home and host our annual Appreciation Party. This event is a celebration of the kindness of all Acknowledge Alliance supporters, and we also celebrate Mary Lou as she continuously inspires us with her never-ending generosity.