Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation Cultivates Goodwill Worldwide: Patch Business Spotlight

ROCKVILLE, MD — Peace is Jeni Stepanek's business. As the co-founder and president of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation, Stepanek's focus is to share inspiration, information and education that cultivates peace, purpose, and play for individuals and communities.

Stepaneck's own inspiration is her son, Mattie, who died of a rare neuromuscular disability in 2004.

As part of its Spotlight on Rockville Businesses, Patch is highlighting Stepanek and the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation, which seeks to cultivate peace not only in Rockville but across the globe. She talked to Patch about her son, his accomplishments, and the work the foundation does to keep Mattie's inspiration alive.

What's the story behind how your business started?

I am a co-founder of Mattie's Peace Foundation, a non-profit business that was created to continue the mission, vision, and values of the late teen poet and peace advocate.

Mattie is my son. He and I chose Rockville as our home more than 20 years ago, because of the diverse community and the abundant resources and general concern for neighbors — around the block and around the world.

When Mattie passed away in 2004 due to a rare neuromuscular disability, the City of Rockville chose to celebrate his contributions to cultivating peace, purpose, and play with a namesake park in the King Farm neighborhood where he lived.

Now, nearly 20 years later, the messages of "Heartsongs" (purpose within) and "mosaics" (purpose with others) Mattie shared in his bestselling books and tv appearances and speeches (and everyday interactions) are the template for our "Pathways2Peace" programs and activities that nurture and support youth and adults in exploring and embracing peace as a commitment to purposeful choices in attitude and habit, for oneself and community.

The City of Rockville is Peace Certified by Mattie’s Foundation (like many other businesses, schools, and organizations). The city proclaims Mattie’s birthday as a day of peace each year, and they co-sponsor the annual summer Peace Day celebration in his park. Like Mattie, I believe that "peace matters, and peace is possible."

Recognition of the Mattie Stepanek Peace Foundation will help raise awareness of this timely and timeless truth, and provide people with information about how we each and we all can begin personal and community peace journeys.

What do you like about being a business owner in Rockville?

Rockville is an amazing place to live, to work, and to own a business. The community is diverse and vibrant, there is ample public transportation, and the neighbors and leaders genuinely care — about each other and about the future of our community and our world. And, as a woman with a disability (I rely on a wheelchair and ventilator for mobility and breathing), I find the community generally accessible.

What do you want the Rockville community to know about your business that they may not already be aware of?

Most people would quickly agree that peace matters. But many folks don't fully understand "what peace is" and "what peace is not." And folks often feel overwhelmed with "how" to even begin choosing and cultivating peace at personal and community levels. Mattie's Foundation offers programs and resources and activities that move peace form an abstract notion to meaningful, achievable, and sustainable choices.

From "Mama Peace Chats" and "Toast2Peace" gatherings to Peace Day and Peace Certification celebrations and activities, and from interactive book discussions and community mosaic creations, to materials like "Mattie's message cards" and more — we are a excited about supporting youth and adults who are diverse in age and ability and aspiration in choosing peace — in fun and creative and inspiring ways.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Mattie's life philosophy was "Remember to play after every storm!" My own philosophy is "Celebrate life, every day, in some way — with grace and gratitude." We don't have to "agree" with our neighbor (or even "like" our neighbor) to "be" with out neighbor and tend to basic human needs, which are critical to cultivating the roots of peace. As individuals and families and local and global communities, we have weathered many economic and health and social challenges — especially in recent years.

We cannot always choose "the details" of our story or the news, but we can choose how we want to be known — and how we want to one day be remembered. When we choose to live with the strengths of kindness and compassion and concern for one another, and when we choose to celebrate the good in our communities and our world, we are creating worthy truths that touch our children and neighbors now, and in countless generations and tomorrows.

Patch Business Spotlight seeks to celebrate the City of Rockville's business community. If you are an owner or manager and would like to have your business appear in the Patch Business Spotlight, fill out this online questionnaire.