Michael Stark worked hard in school, really hard. After earning both his JD from the School of Law and MBA from the Quinlan School of Business in just three years, Stark is currently the first full-time executive director for Holiday Heroes, a nonprofit that works with hospitals to throw themed parties and events for its youngest patients.
“It was just one of those life tapping you on the shoulder things,” Stark said in an interview with the Quinlan website. “When I was looking at Holiday Heroes, I was doing my diligence, and I saw in their filings they had actually gotten 501(c)(3) status on my birthday. There was something just in my gut that was saying go do this.”
Holiday Heroes has been bringing smiles to kids faces since 2009. “That first year at Holiday Heroes I was the only staff person, so I was doing everything from admin to fundraising to planning these hospital parties to coordinating with the board of directors,” Stark said. “It was just one of those things that was really challenging, but it was incredibly rewarding, too.”
Last holiday season alone, Holiday Heroes helped more than 1,000 kids in the Chicago area. But Stark doesn’t plan on stopping there; he looks forward to what the future holds for him and Holiday Heroes.
“In 10 years, I aspire to be one of Chicago’s leading social entrepreneurs,” Stark said. “My ultimate goal is to prove that one can do well by doing good — to inspire others, bring people together, and instill this ethos into the fabric of our city and its communities.”