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Seizing the Opportunity

South Jersey natives Pete Mauro and Pete Eobbi have turned their college discussions into a thriving nonprofit benefiting local children.

The early 1990s was an interesting time period to be on a college campus. Students were becoming fascinated with a phenomenon known as the internet, the Seattle grunge sound was transforming the music getting blasted in dorm rooms and it was quite common to see hacky sack being played in the quad between classes. Amidst such a setting, an influential local nonprofit got its start thanks to two South Jersey kids who not only shared a first name but also an outlook on life.

Pete Mauro and Pete Eobbi arrived at Drexel University from Washington Township and Bellmawr, respectively, and immediately hit it off upon meeting for the first time. While they were both hard-working electrical engineering majors who took their studies seriously, they entered college determined not to let their career ambitions detract from their general happiness. They found some of their peers to be too focused on “what” they wanted to become in life—a doctor, a successful businessperson—instead of “who” they wanted to become, such as a loving parent or good friend.