When Christine Buscarino, a member of the Women in Retail Leadership Circle, told us she was a board director for the Listen Learn Care Foundation, we decided to look into what the organization is all about. Well, we’re glad we did! The Listen Learn Care Foundation, headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla., supports a variety of programs for children, women in business and disadvantaged communities. The organization was spun out from Office Depot earlier this year after the global office supply retailer decided it no longer would financially support the nonprofit. Below is an interview with Mary Wong, Listen Learn Care Foundation’s longtime leader.

Inner Circle: Tell us about your background.
Mary Wong: I grew up in Green Bay, Wis., and my dream was to be a fashion designer. After high school, I went to Brooks College and received an associate degree in design. Following graduation, I went to work at Robinson’s department store, where I was in charge of bridal and baby registries. Interested in management and leadership opportunities, I moved on to work for Target in Minneapolis and then Office Depot as a store manager in Wisconsin. From there, I was promoted to district manager in Chicago, and also served as director of special projects.

In 2000, the CEO of Office Depot gave me the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to South Florida and create a community relations department for the office supplies retailer. Giving back to those in need, volunteering and philanthropic endeavors had also been important to me in my personal life. Having the opportunity to implement those interests into my professional life and build from scratch a community relations department was awesome. For six years, my team and I worked with the Office Depot Disaster Relief Foundation to truly make a difference in the communities in which our employees lived and work.

In 2006, the community relations department’s functions were rolled into the Office Depot Disaster Relief Foundation — renamed the Office Depot Foundation to reflect its expanded mission — and I was honored to become the president of the Foundation. The independent, nonprofit organization would continue to serve as the primary charitable giving arm of the company, and we were responsible for not only building the Office Depot Foundation brand globally, but also continuing to execute our many philanthropic programs, giving practices, donations and events. The Foundation continued to serve in that role until late 2017, when current management at Office Depot decided to no longer donate to the Foundation.

At that time, my team and I, with the support of our board of directors, rolled up our sleeves and immediately began the process of implementing our long-standing backup business plan, and as part of that process began rebranding ourselves as the Listen Learn Care Foundation. After all, Listen Learn Care had been the mission and tagline of the Office Depot Foundation for many years. Therefore, it made sense to carry on the theme in an effort to keep our public image as consistent and familiar as possible. Additionally, the Foundation was already designated as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so no changes were required in our mission and goals.

IC: What is the mission of the Listen Learn Care Foundation?
MW: The Listen Learn Care Foundation is committed to empowering individuals through education, valuable resources and positive life experiences. We’re doing so through a range of programs, initiatives, and events, including:

  • Difference Maker Network: A membership-based organization that offers special benefits to its members, including networking opportunities, an online knowledge base, and community recognition.
  • Women’s Symposium: For the fourth year, the Women’s Symposium brought together female entrepreneurs, small business owners, professionals and the like to experience two days of education, inspiration and guidance. The theme of the 2018 Symposium, which took place in May, was “Life Leadership Lessons for the Queen Bee.”
  • Wing Woman and more: Inspiration can’t stop after a two-day event or weekend program, so we created the Wing Woman network, in addition to webinars, the “Hanging out at the Hive” weekly Facebook Live show, and more to keep the momentum going.

IC: Can you discuss a key challenge you’ve had in your career, and what you learned from it?
MW: That’s a big question! When I speak at events or talk to groups about my work and volunteering, it all sounds so perfect and easy! But I’m the first to tell you that life has been far from that! Most significantly, I have epilepsy. I was diagnosed with the condition when I was a child. I have seizures occasionally, though for the most part they’re controlled through medication and an electrical implant. But it does make life difficult. For example, I have to be driven everywhere; I can’t just run to the store to pick up a carton of milk. Thanks to some wonderful doctors and a great support team, the impact of epilepsy on my life and work is minimal … but it wasn’t always this way. In fact, when I was in high school in Wisconsin, some of my teachers and counselors suggested that I be institutionalized. They didn’t think I could stay in school and graduate, and they certainly never expected that I’d be able to have a career and make it on my own.

Fast-forward to last year when current management at Office Depot decided to no longer use the Foundation as its charitable giving arm. I was abruptly separated from a company that I had worked so closely with for nearly two decades. It was a large part of my life. I considered many people there to be part of my family. It was hard to imagine going forward. But it was my team, my dogs, my friends, and the thousands of people that depended on the work, donations and effort of our Foundation that pushed me forward. It was a difficult time, but to this day we continue to rebrand and grow our Foundation.

I often draw parallels between my life and work and the lives of honeybees. First off, bees are said to be too fat to fly! But they somehow still manage to by working twice as hard to rapidly beat their wings. Second, bees have been on the endangered species list multiple times, but they’re still here despite ALL the odds. Why? Because just like me (and the team I surround myself with) they refuse to give up. They just keep moving forward. Finally, bees work together to achieve a common goal — the production of honey. Everyone in the hive has a role to play in the ultimate accomplishment of the desired result. Life is much the same. If you surround yourself with a hive containing good, smart people with a clear understanding of their roles, then every new challenge can immediately be viewed as an opportunity to pull together and get the job done.

IC: What are your professional goals for the Listen Learn Care Foundation going forward, as well as your personal goals?
MW: Professional goals: to grow our Foundation so that we can continue to make a difference in the lives of those in our community — to continue to impact others! Personally, I want to write a book. I already have 162 pages written, and it’s all about my personal life, my dogs and lessons learned over the years!