Position: President and Founder
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Mario Blanco was born August 16, 1955 minutes before his twin sister Maria. The twins and their half-siblings, Marilyn and Richard Cohen, were raised in Long Island, NY by their parents Margaret and Mario Blanco. As a child, Mario loved sports, family, and friends and found himself invigorated by the lure of travel. In 1980, he set off for California where he lived for close to a year only to then saunter off to Texas, a state more his style and pace. His twin, Maria, joined the adventure for a few years before they both made their way back to New York. Mario settled upstate while Maria returned to their hometown after the loss of their father in 1984.

Mario found his livelihood in the land of construction. A few years after settling in Virginia Beach and meeting his future wife, Robin, the Mario Blanco Construction Company, Inc. emerged. Mario and Robin have been together for over 17 years. The relationship was handled with care as both came from broken marriages; but in 1995, to the surprise of the whole family, Mr. and Mrs. Blanco called with news of their union. The foundation was set and the two began to build a family.

Two years later, Robin gave birth to their first child, Raven “Ray Ray” Maria Blanco, the spitting image of her delighted father. Fallon Noel Blanco made her Christmas appearance two years later gracing the three with a magnificent addition lovingly referred to as “Sissy.” Mario rose to the challenge, delivering his eager daughter unexpectedly at home. What an unbelievable Christmas present! Like clockwork, two years later, Mario Joseph Blanco III, “Bubby,” arrived to the elation of all.

The next four years were filled with love and joy as the Blanco’s lived life to the fullest extent with children’s best interest guiding the way. The schedule was tight and the days were anything but dull. In 2003, Mario and his sister reunited once again as Maria became the family’s nanny. Marilyn and Richard followed suite and for the first time in over twenty years, the entire family was together again.

March 9, 2007 began like any other school day, a hectic rush to get everyone up and out. Early that morning, everything changed. The family rushed from all directions to meet at the hospital; but before they even arrived, news of Raven’s death stunned them all. Outside of the hospital, they stood face-to-face forever changed. Their precious, little princess was gone. Dreams of watching her grow up, falling in love, finding her way in the world crashed. The “never agains” crushed their hearts. Never another smile, another tear, another hug. Never again would they kiss their vibrant angel good night.

The next couple of weeks were paralyzing. Thank God for friends like Rick Montrose who took charge when the Blanco’s could not. This is just one of the many who stepped up to lend a hand. The First Baptist Church of Norfolk was integral, filling the Blanco home with people around the clock. The family was awed by how many lives Raven had touched. The community raised $7,500 for the Raven memorial fund which was donated to the church. The money was used to remodel to the playground. Now Raven’s energy hangs in the air, can be heard is the sound of running feet and seen in the blur of children at play. This was the first of many changes that will come from this tragedy. Raven had a way of leaving a place better than when she first came.

Mario held on, finding strength in his faith, clinging to God as his source of hope and inspiration. Through his weakest moments and darkest hours, Mario fought for love. In the midst of it all, Mario received his 20 year medallion from AA, a true testament to both the program and the man.