Monroe Love, '06, Building His Future One Deck at a Time
"The values, education and experience I gained at Boys Town are a part of my daily life."
Growing up in New Orleans Monroe was faced with choices like many other youth and those ill-advised choices resulted in a decline in his school performance and attendance. This subsequently gave rise to relationship issues in his home and he ended up in the first of his stays at the Boys Town Shelter in New Orleans. Finally, in 2004 after a visit with Father Peter, Monroe was offered the opportunity to move to the Boys Town home campus and the prospect of a new future.
Monroe hit the ground running and became involved in sports at Boys Town. He still had issues with adjustment; “I think one of the most challenging things I had to adjust to when I first came to Boys Town was dealing with the structure. I had times when my privileges were taken away from me because of this challenge. At one point I was ready to leave to move back home because I just struggled with it. I was able to work through it. My Family-Teachers® were very supportive and even when I was at my worst, they were there to help me and get me to graduation.”
Recalling his days at Boys Town Monroe says this; “Overall, I had some good memories. I enjoyed the outings we were able to do around town. I remember one time my Family-Teachers®, Jessie and Cassandra Jackson, made a pot of gumbo. With me being from New Orleans, gumbo was one of my favorite meals. It was so good I decided to go back downstairs after dinner to get more. Well they ended up catching me and finding the whole pot of gumbo in my desk drawer. Ever since then everyone called me “Gumbo”. I think one of my favorite memories at Boys Town would have to be the experience I have with the basketball team. I was surrounded by a great group of players and coaches, all who I try keeping in contact with now. I learned a lot about the game of basketball. Prior to coming to Boys Town I never really played organized sports, so to be given the opportunity to gain that experience really helped me with my growth at Boys Town. Not to mention winning the State championship in 2006. To be a part of that was a great experience and something I will always remember.”
Every Boys Town alumnus remembers a staff member who went above and beyond to motivate them to always do better. Monroe is no different. “First would be my Family-Teachers®, Cassandra and Jesse. They really showed me the true definition of family, which was experience I didn't see much while growing. Even when times were rough for me they were really supportive in my journey. Coach Spencer and Coach Hunter, motivated me through basketball. They gave me the opportunity to be a part of the team. To this day I have one of the best shots because of the mentoring Coach Hunter gave me. I may not have realized it at the time but the experience I've had with all of them have really impacted who I am today.”
Monroe talks about his experiences while at Boys Town and how they have influenced who and what he is today. “I learned many things through my experience with Boys Town. At first I struggled with how things were structured there, but now that I am a parent it has actually impacted my parenting with my children. I often refer to the rules we had in place when I'm teaching my children about different areas of life. Other big areas of influence for me would be showing respect towards others, but also helping and being able to give back to others. Respect and giving back are things I try to do for everyone I meet.”
After graduation Monroe attended a Job Corps Training facility learning the trade of masonry. He followed that up with a short stay in college before discovering that school was not for him. He really enjoyed the construction trades. “I had experience with indoor remodeling, masonry, framing houses. The one area I loved the most was framing, but I'm not a fan of heights so when I found deck building I fell in love.” With his new found interest and passion for building decks, Monroe started his own deck building company. He has worked hard to get it to where it is today. His hard work paid off and Love2Build LLC was named the number one deck building company in Lincoln, Nebraska for 2020. Monroe has completed projects for the governor of Nebraska, local judges, professional athletes and has built food pantries for local charities. “It is something I really enjoy doing. Not only building decks but the relationships I've gained from building has been life changing.”With his future bright, Monroe plans to continue growing his business. “I want to be able to take care of my family and I would love to be able to give this business to my children when they are old enough to run it. As much as I love building I know there will come a time when I may not be able to complete the work, so definitely want to look into other avenues in construction to help with this. I'm working with some great people and have some plans in place to help in our community. I really want to give back to others. My Boys Town experience of being the recipient of care has given me the motivation to help others. I would like to work with youth and inspire others, so I hope to have something down the line where I am able to do that.” (Photo is of a deck that Monroe recently completed for a client.)
Monroe and his wife are the proud parents of six children ranging in age from 18 months to 12 years old. He and his family spend almost every weekend at sporting events and enjoy family outings on Sunday like swimming or bowling. “The older kids play basketball so we'll go to the gym to go over things. My youngest son just picked up golf, and golf is one of my hobbies so it's been nice to work with him on that. In Lincoln we have the Capitol Cigar Lounge so when I'm not doing family activities I'm there building relationships and smoking a good cigar.”
“If Boys Town had not been here when I needed it I can’t imagine where my life would have led. The values, education and experience I gained at Boys Town are a part of my daily life.”