Eileen DeMichele has an amazing spirit and energy. When you first meet Eileen, you are captured by her direct eye contact, her soft-spoken sweetness and her warm sincerity. She is the type of person that if you ever needed help, she would be the first to lend a hand. Although South Boston is not her hometown, she has the sentiment of Southie instinctually within her. This quality is exemplified in her self-less commitment to our local organizations and charities.
Eileen grew up in New York in a town 30 minutes North of New York City. She never imagined that she would find herself settling down and raising a family in South Boston. But as fate would have it after graduating from American University, she met her now husband Dan in Washington D.C. when they shared an office working together for a consulting group back in 1997. After a very lengthy but romantic courtship that involved two intercontinental long-distance stints (Dan in Paris – Eileen in San Francisco and then Eileen in London and Dan in San Francisco) Eileen and Dan got married and decided to move back to Dan’s home state of Massachusetts. Mutual friends of theirs convinced them that South Boston was the best place to buy your first home and raise a family. It had all the requirements they were looking for: conveniently close to downtown, the water within proximity, friendly people and a great neighborhood vibe.
Eileen and Dan bought their home in South Boston in November 2003. Shortly thereafter their first child, Mia (now 5) was born. Less than two years later, Zach (now 3) came along. Eileen is a full-time mom that is lovingly committed to her children and proudly devoted to supporting other moms from South Boston. She was the president of the South Boston MOMS Club where mom’s offer other local moms support with their children. This is where Eileen has met some of her closest friends as well as watch her children friendships grow. “Southie is such a great place to raise a family. We love being able to walk to fun family activities and think it’s amazing that our children have the opportunity to involve themselves in so many diverse activities like sports, dancing and Karate to name a few,” says Eileen. She also goes on to say, “My neighbors are truly amazing. We help each other out with our children and love to be together even on holidays–they have become my surrogate family since mine is a bit far away.”
Besides supporting the Mom’s Club, Eileen is actively involved in other groups, causes and charities. She is on the Board of Directors at the Paraclete Foundation – an academy where enriching young lives through experiential education is the focus. Eileen also is a member of the Home and School Association at St. Peter Academy (where both Mia and Zach attend). She also served as coach to Mia’s South Boston Youth Soccer Team. And could be seen patiently guiding the kids with words of encouragement and helpful pointers from the sidelines. In addition, she also participates on the Advisory Board of Healthy Families Urban Neighborhoods – which is funded through Catholic Charities. Eileen also is a strong advocate of Julie’s Family Learning Program as well as the South Boston Neighborhood House. “The Neighborhood House was especially good to me and my family when I made a choice to stay at home with my children,” says Eileen.
Whether at the soccer field with Mia and Zach, picking up groceries or watching a child for a neighbor, or volunteering at one of South Boston’s many fundraisers, Eileen is eager to help and she does it with grace and a smile. She is dedicated to the community of South Boston and a role model to mom’s everywhere. And that is why we are proud to call Eileen DeMichele one of our own.
