Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Donnelly.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Melissa Donnelly – a parent, corporate sustainability leader, and Everland’s founder.
While I had support around me as I was learning to be a mom, I still felt overwhelmed, stressed and like I was failing at times. Raised by a single mother, I could only imagine how difficult it was for her to raise 3 children on her own, and how much any parent, no matter their circumstance, needs support, a community around them, and a place for their little one to thrive.
I created Everland to foster community for caregivers and their little ones, while providing opportunities for everyone to live sustainable lifestyles.
Everland is named after my son, Everett, and the idea that there can be a place where the communities we build and the objects we use in our day-to-day life can be everlasting.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have certainly been challenges along the way from renovating a space, to navigating online platforms to build my business, to day-to-day operations.
Each time, I leaned on the community around me and the one I was building through Everland to find support and answers. It has been such a rewarding experience to work through the difficult times and appreciate how far we’ve come.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I have had a long career in corporate sustainability. I earned my master’s degree in environmental policy and started my career with the US EPA on a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with large corporate partners. Since then, I have worked in non-profits and the private sector, setting climate commitments, building sustainable business strategies and implementing projects to combat climate change. I am still working in this space as a consultant helping Fortune 500 companies decarbonize. While I love this work, I also wanted to find purpose closer to home. This became Everland. A place to build community and foster sustainable lifestyles.
What’s next?
I am looking forward to continuing to grow Everland. We have plans to expand to an outdoor space where littles and their caregivers can gather to play, take classes, host birthday parties and more! We also just launched online shopping so our families can more easily access the sustainable goods we offer. Finally, we just launched an aftercare program for school age children in the neighborhood called Homework Club where littles can complete their homework in peer groups with the support of certified teachers after school and then move, build, craft and play while their caregivers finish work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shopeverland.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helloeverland/
