Meet the Parker & Cheatham Families

Marco’s Pizza
Colorado Springs, CO

Following is an excerpt from a recent feature on Marco’s Pizza by Briargate & Pine Creek Friends & Neighbors. Read more about the family-managed restaurant’s incredible record of community service here

Mike Parker was in Norman, Okla., making plans for retirement after nearly 40 years of teaching in the medical schools of the University of Missouri and Oklahoma, but he didn’t want to retire to the recliner or the golf course. He wanted to use his experience and energy to help make the world a better place. His wife Sandra had the flexibility in her accounting job with a major environmental firm to work from anywhere and was happy to join Mike in whatever adventure he had planned next.

Mike’s daughter Caryllee Cheatham and son-in-law Craig Cheatham invited them to move in with them in the Pine Creek area of Colorado Springs so they could spend quality time and quantity time with their two Colorado grandchildren, Parker and Lisanne. And, Craig committed to work with Mike to find a project that would benefit the community and utilize Mike’s and the extended family’s talents.

They had no idea it would end up being a coffee shop and pizzeria.

“Instead of forcing an idea on our community, we first interviewed various charities and churches to try to find out the ‘gaps’ in this area,” says Craig. “We wanted to meet unmet needs instead of duplicating services already being provided by others. To our surprise, almost universally we were told that what this area did NOT need was another nonprofit. We had to reset our vision because I suppose we always had assumed that’s where this process would take us.”

Parker and Cheatham learned that the current nonprofits were not anxious to see a new entity created that would “compete” with them for donations and volunteer resources. These groups felt it would be more beneficial to the area for a self-sustaining entity to be built that would give added support to the work of pre-existing efforts. Those conversations continued and Parker and Cheatham ended up with a list of ways the good causes in Colorado Springs could use help. From that list emerged the Marco’s Pizza at the intersection of Chapel Hills Drive and Briargate Parkway.

“People are surprised when they hear the story of how Marco’s in Colorado Springs came to be,” says Mike. “And, to be honest, we were just as surprised that this is where our plan to create something to serve our community took us.”
…“We hope our friends and neighbors buy from Marco’s because they enjoy the quality and taste of the coffee, gelato, pizza, salads, subs and wings,” says Craig. “But, maybe knowing they are supporting the needy and good causes in their neighborhood and around the world makes our menu items seem to taste even better.”

Apparently Colorado Springs has some understanding of what the Parkers and Cheathams are trying to do. Not only have they placed in the Gazette’s annual “Best of the Springs” awards every year they’ve been open, but they consistently win the “Philanthropic Business” category in addition to other categories including pizza, salads and gluten-free offerings.

Marco’s is best known for its frequent fundraisers, the largest of which brought together more than 600 people and several organizations in 2012 to benefit the victims and first responders of the Waldo Canyon Fire. Marco’s has hosted more than 200 fundraisers since opening in October 1, 2011. The restaurant has hosted numerous other charity events and is known for having one of the most popular field trips in the city.

The Marco’s family also travels off-site to support charity events of all kinds. Marco’s provides a free birthday pizza party each month to a family in need. Marco’s also is active in feeding the homeless downtown. The list of organizations Marco’s has helped approaches 500 so far, and they’re not letting up.

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