Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian McCleary & Tonya Anderson McCleary.
Hi Brian & Tonya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Our journeys have led us to this season. Two individuals coming together as one. The foundation is built on our love for God, one another, and our experiences – The good, complicated, and challenging times led us to establish the McCleary Foundation. God’s incredible mercy and grace toward us ignite our desire to give back to our community. Without God and each other, there is no us; with God, all things are possible.
My husband Brian grew up in West Baltimore, attended Edmondson Westside High School, and was a football player and avid football guru. After high school, he entered the Navy and returned to Baltimore to attend Morgan State University and Goucher College. I was born in Newark, New Jersey. My family moved to Columbia, Maryland, where I grew up. I attended Virginia State University and later, as a single mother, attended Payne Theological Seminary. We were on two different journeys but destined to collide in 2019. Three years later, our journey manifested into the McCleary Foundation.
Our dream is to assist others by showing kindness one person at a time. Because of the heart of others, hard work, many mistakes, and God’s love for us, we have survived and thrived into successful adults, compelled to serve the next person in need. The McCleary Foundation provides resources for the disenfranchised population and assists with elevation through sustainable and livable lifestyles, enabling individuals to reach their next level of success. We focus on three pillars in our foundation: Veterans, Women, and Youth.
Our logo uses the lotus flower because it rises from the dirt without stains and symbolizes purity. The lotus returns to the murky water every evening and opens its blooms at the break of day. Every person deserves an opportunity to rise from their situation and bloom into whoever God has destined them to be. The lotus is a symbol of strength, resilience, and rebirth. Everyone deserves an opportunity, no matter their past, to start a new and The McCleary Foundation’s goal is to help one person at a time, and we will. Stay tuned for our upcoming book, “Second Chances.” God’s timing is always best, so wait patiently and do the work to be ready when God calls.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always challenges when you are moving and walking in your purpose. We overcome these obstacles through perseverance, educating ourselves, and walking in our destiny no matter the situation.
We know that God has ordained us for this mission and vision. We are an extension of God’s arms. One of the ways we have started to overcome obstacles is by partnering with like-minded visionaries.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Some of the work we have done over the last year is hosting networking opportunities to build up our reach and partnerships with other entrepreneurs, non-profits, churches, and individuals with similar missions. We have partnered with other organizations to provide homeless and hotel communities with toiletries. We have given out over 300 blankets or toiletries.
And continue building our networking and donor community. We have planned a year of exciting activities, including our quarterly Empowering Baltimore Wives meetings. We are planning a couples retreat for married individuals, a book club, and more resources for different populations and supporting entrepreneurs in various capacities.
These activities will commemorate our grand opening scheduled in September with our Gala.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
At the beginning of each summer, our parents would pack us kids up and send us to Newark, New Jersey, to spend the summer with our grandparents and cousins. I am so grateful for the opportunity to cherish a relationship with my grandparents. Even though they have gone on to heaven, the one thing I always remember is that their homes were always open to everyone.
No matter what you need, a cup of sugar, a meal, or a good laugh. They were there for everyone. Our work is done if we can do the same for the least of these. The numbers don’t matter; we always want to help as many as possible. However, The McCleary Foundation is concerned with more quality of its service than quantity. Because even Jesus went after the one and left the 99.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mcclearyfoundations.org
- Instagram: @mcclearyfoundation22
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mcclearyfoundations
- Other: https://mcclearyfoundations.org/donate/
