Dedicated. That's the first word that comes to mind when describing Monica Decker. Born and raised in Valparaiso, Indiana, Decker is dedicated to her husband Jody, their two little girls, and her community. After graduating from IU Bloomington, Decker joined her mother and sister in the family business – Flanagin's Bulk Mail Service.
"I love going to work every day and seeing my mom and sister – and the bonus is I have been able to bring my daughters to work with me. It's the best of both worlds," Decker said.
Over the years Decker has become involved with many charities and organizations over the years, one of the first being the Flanagin Fairies started by her mother at their family business. A few years ago, her mother got the idea for Flanagin Fairies after attending a Disney Institute program. A great way to give back to the community and donate their time to bring joy to children, Decker and her family donate their time to many children's events and organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walk.
"It's actually a lot of work being a fairy but seeing the smiles on the kids' faces makes it all worth it," Decker said brightly as she spoke of her experiences as a Flanagin Fairy.
She and her family also give back to various foundations through the Flanagin Bulk Mail Service's annual yard sale. They started the doing yard sales at their office to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House in Indianapolis. When her daughter was born in 2010, she was very sick and transported to Riley's Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. The Ronald McDonald House got Decker and her family a room immediately.
"My family and I wanted to give back," Decker said. "We ended up raising over $3000.00! It was amazing."
The next year, in honor of a dear friend who passed away suddenly from a rare heart condition, Decker and her family decided to have another yard sale to raise money for the American Heart Association Team Kelli. They continue to collect items all year round for the sale.
"It was such a success and the family and friends and team are so supportive and grateful. I cannot imagine a better way to honor my friend," she said.
Decker is also currently a co-chair for Design Day for the new Valplayso redesign. The original designers of the Valplayso playground are currently working with the Parks Foundation to design and rebuild it. The kick off to the community build is on January 30th. During Design Day, all elementary students in Valparaiso will work with the playground designers to share creative ideas and designs for how the children envision Valplayso.
"The most amazing part of this whole thing is that the children will feel pride and ownership in the park they helped create," Decker explained.
The designers will take all the suggestions given to them and design a fun, safe, accessible, and all inclusive playground. Later that night, the whole community will be invited to celebrate at the big reveal party when the designers will show everyone what the park is going to look like.
On top of all of this, Decker also participated in Lemonade for Oklahoma. To help her girls get involved in giving back, she set up a lemonade stand at the family's office. Bright, smiling faces offering refreshing treats- who could resist?
"My girls and a few of their friends raised over $300.00 selling lemonade. They were so excited and proud of themselves," Decker said.
Congratulations to Monica Decker, who is truly making a difference in her family and her community.