Holy Cross College Alumnus Receives Service Award
Mark Macheca’s service to the South Bend community and local and national non-profit organizations has been recognized by his alma mater, Holy Cross College. On February 10, 2007 at 8:00 p.m., he will be officially granted the Holy Cross College Service Award at the President’s Premiere Gala, which will be held at the Century Center in South Bend.
Mark Macheca has only been back in the South Bend area for about eight years, but the non-profit community has certainly noticed his presence. He is the incoming president of the board of directors for the Northern Indiana branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Last year Macheca helped the Northern Indiana branch raise nearly $700,000 for juvenile diabetes research. This organization means quite a lot to Macheca, because his three-year old son, Andrew, has diabetes.
“He’s been getting three shots of insulin a day since he was nine months old,” Macheca says.
In addition to his work with the JDRF, Macheca does his own fundraising for juvenile diabetes research. Last year he, his brother and two of his friends gathered pledges and bicycled 100 miles across Death Valley in California. This August the group plans to do the same in Montana.
Macheca has also used his business skills to help area non-profits. Macheca owns Business Furnishings in South Bend, and has been able to gather and donate office furnishings to area non-profit organizations. Holy Cross College even has some supplies thanks to Macheca! Fitting, in that Macheca says he learned some valuable life lessons during his time at Holy Cross.
“From the beginning Brother John [Driscoll, founding president] created an atmosphere at Holy Cross where everyone was included and everyone was important, and if you take that theme and you live that through your life, whatever time in your life, you’re liable to take that step of doing good things for other people.”
Not everyone however, takes as many steps as Macheca.
Mark Macheca met his wife Lisa at Holy Cross College. They have three sons, Benjamin (8), Joseph (6) and Andrew (3).
Published 2/7/2007 by Sara Kassen