BELLEVILLE, Ill. – You can feed your craving for Chick-fil-A and help the Inspire Up Foundation in time for Giving Tuesday. Jessica Manfre explains how the restaurant in Belleville, Illinois is helping the organization all month long. You can help raise money for families needing help, by just going through the drive-through. The Chick-fil-A restaurant is located at 2532 Green Mount Commons.
CO-FOUNDER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Samantha Gomolka is a native of Buffalo, NY and a military spouse of 15 years.
Currently employed as a Physician Assistant in Dermatology, Samantha earned her B.S. in Business Management from SUNY Geneseo in 2002, and a Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky in Physician Assistant Studies in 2013.
A passionate advocate for military families, she and her husband Michael founded Project 33 Memorial Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to honoring the lives of Special Operation soldiers killed in action since 9/11/01. Through her work with Project 33, Samantha was awarded the 2019 Armed Forces Insurance National Guard Spouse of the Year award.
Samantha is an active volunteer within her community.
CO-FOUNDER CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Maria Reed is a Cuban immigrant and a south Florida native. She is a military spouse of 17 years.
Maria is the creator and Executive Producer of the television series Moving With The Military, founder of the brand, Oak Leaf Lane, the co-creator of the Military Melting Pot Cookbook, and Co-Creator of My Ultimate PCS app. Maria has a B.S. in Professional Studies from Barry University.
Maria is an award-winning, bilingual television producer and director creating spots for SCION, AT&T, and Proctor & Gamble, to name a few.
In 2019, Maria was named the Armed Forces Insurance Army Spouse of the Year for work in bridging the civilian-military divide and improving the quality of life of military families.
CO-FOUNDER CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Jessica Manfre is a native of Bradenton, FL and a military spouse of 12 years.
She is an independent contractor and author for multiple publications. Jessica earned her B.S. in Psychology from Northwestern State University in 2011 and a Master of Social Work from the University of Central Florida in 2020.
Jessica has spent the last decade of her professional career serving vulnerable populations within the field of social services. She is passionate about ensuring veterans and military families receive access to vital mental health resources. It was through this work that she was awarded the title of 2019 Armed Forces Insurance Coast Guard Spouse of the Year.
She remains active wherever the military sends her family. Currently, she volunteers her time serving homeless veterans in East St. Louis.
CO-FOUNDER CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
Stacy Bilodeau was born and raised in Kerrville, TX, and has been a military spouse of 12 years.
Graphic designer, social media boss babe, and mom of two; Stacy stays busy as an independent contractor for a nonprofit. Stacy earned her B.A. with a specialty in Graphic Design from Angelo State University in 2007.
Community and serving others holds a special place in Stacy’s heart. She has spent two decades volunteering in many different ways to serve her communities. One of those ways is using her talents to assist nonprofit organizations, military spouses, veterans, and small businesses entrepreneurs brand themselves. It was through Stacy’s work and passion for helping others she was awarded the title of 2018 Armed Forces Insurance Coast Guard Spouse of the Year.
Military life has sent her on many new adventures, but Stacy remains very active wherever she lives. Currently, she volunteers her time in her children’s school, Girl Scouts, and supporting military spouses.
