One of my favorite things about publishing Macaroni Kid Springfield is the chance to connect with other parents in our community. Often times these connections inspire me and remind me of the ability of one person to make a difference. It is with this in mind that I launched the Parent with a Purpose series to spotlight some special people in the area. My hope is to introduce you to some amazing parents living right in our communities who not only are doing unique and wonderful things but also deserve to have some attention brought to their mission.
I first connected with Bill Bullock earlier this year via Facebook. I saw a post about a brand new shopping venue that was opening at the Eastfield Mall. I wanted to know more about this multi-vendor Market concept and of course who was behind this idea! I'm pleased to introduce this local dad to all of you. Get to know him a little better by reading his answers to our questions.
1. What is your MISSION? What do you want to accomplish?
My wife and I own The Markets at Eastfield which is open every Saturday and Sunday. The Markets is home to many different vendors and we allow these small businesses to flourish without having a large overhead cost. By hosting free events on the weekends, we are hoping to bring in families in for a day of shopping, activities and fun for everyone. We would love to give local and visiting family’s memories that last a lifetime and help bring new life into the community.
2. What inspired/encouraged you to start? Is there one specific moment when you knew this was what you wanted to do?
I used to work at a large indoor market back home in Michigan. It was a great place to gather on the weekends and they always had different events going on that brought in many different interests. It was a wonderful place for that helped the community thrive. When I moved to Massachusetts and saw that there really wasn’t anything to that scale, I knew that I would love to make it happen out here one day!
3. How did your life before children influence the parent you are today? (Work, experiences) What part do your children play in your current mission?
Our children participate in the operations of the market, working many weekends alongside us. We hope to guide them into their working life and teach them valuable work ethics for when they graduate from college and move out into the “real world”.
4. What lessons/values are you learning through this process? What lessons/values do you hope your kids are learning?
Reaching your goals is HARD WORK but worth every effort made! Always be supportive and helpful to your loved ones and when you accomplish something that you can be proud of, it is all worth it!
5. What do you do to take care of yourself and how do you make time to do it?
We enjoy taking day trips as a family. It’s hard to get everyone together at the same time, but we always find a way.
6. What can we do to support you in the community?
Word of mouth… We do a lot of advertising. We advertise on social media, journals, radio, and have even cut a commercial recently to air on select cable channels but word of mouth is always the best way to get discovered!
Get to know our past Parent with a Purpose people:
- HEATHER MONSON is on a mission to make sure children and families are mindful of others and compassionate to one another.
- MICHELLE CREAN is on a mission to empower women to achieve their fitness goals and to live a healthier lifestyle by providing in-home personal training and fitness nutrition guidance.
- SARAH REILLY is on a mission to bring more awareness and acceptance to the local Autism community.
- AMY CUTLER is on a mission to raise awareness of Type 1 diabetes and to raise funds for research so that there may one day be a cure.
- ANA FERRIS is on a mission to help people feel confident and empowered by exercise in order to have a healthy mind and heart.
- NIKKI CACI is on a mission to help women feel more confident through fashion!
- SALLY FULLER is on a mission to help all Springfield children learn to read.
- KATHERINE ZAHIROVIC is on a mission to educate children on the importance of healthy lifestyle skills.
- JENNIFER POWELL is on a mission to make a difference in the lives of others.
- ALLISON GAYNOR is on a mission to spend as much of her free time helping people as she can.
- BECKY QUINN is on a mission to raise money and awareness for March of Dimes.
- EMILIE HISGEN is on a mission to get families together for Sandwich Making to benefit Open Pantry.
- OLIVIA SAKR is on a mission to keep carcinogens and additives out of households via natural hand poured soy candles with no additives or dyes.
- MARIA MERCED is on a mission to put books into the hands of children.
- DAN SLATTERY is on a mission to combat the increasing rates of childhood obesity in America.
- MEAGHAN CIANFLONE is on a mission to add that extra touch to any occasion with the addition of her decorated sugar cookies and hopes they add a bit of happiness to whoever needs it!
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