United Way of the Virginia Peninsula is honored to salute community hero, Mickey Marcella. With humility, humor and heart, Mickey has made service to others his personal mission and has quietly devoted his life to giving back to the
community he loves so much. Likewise, he is beloved by many and has changed the lives of countless people on the peninsula. Offering his time, talent, and ability to rally others to a cause, Mickey is always there to answer a call for help, whether he’s cooking a meal, renovating a home, or locating a bed for someone in need.
There is no need too great or small for this extraordinary community servant. Perhaps best known as one of the first members of what was then the Boys Club in 1946, Mickey remembers when United Way was “The Community Chest” and he was the recipient of the generosity and kindness of others. “I remember as a kid at the Club what the board members meant to me,” he says. “So as a board member now I like to go to the Clubs, see the kids, talk to them, shake their hands and let them know I care.”
For 33 years Mickey has been a board member of what is, today, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula (having missed just one meeting during his entire tenure) and he has received honors too numerous to mention from the clubs, both locally and nationally.
Among his most cherished awards is the Peninsula Sports Club’s Charles Karmosky Award. An award-winning football, basketball, and baseball coach, it was Mickey’s stellar basketball career in high school, during his time in the US Army, and as a City Rec League player that taught him, “there is no “i” in “team.” It is this mantra that causes him to humbly credit not himself, but the dedication of his coaches and the love of his wife, Carol and their family for his many accolades.
“Coaching and helping the kids—that’s my enjoyment,” he says.