Your attitude today determines your success tomorrow.”
Keith Harrell, Attitude is Everything.

FAMILY BACKGROUND:
Lucia Accardo and her twin sister, Anna, were born on August 26, 1974 at Astoria General Hospital. Her parents, Mario and Maria Passante, and her two older brothers, Carmine and Tino, were delighted to welcome the twins to their Astoria home. They were baptized at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church in Astoria. Lucia’s parents were both born in Italy and immigrated to the U.S. in the late 60’s.

Having a strong positive influence in their children’s lives, Mario and Maria taught them the values of love, tradition and family unity. They also blessed Lucia and her siblings with fond memories of summer vacations in Italy with grandparents, which also greatly enhanced their bilingual capability, for which she is grateful. While a student at Baruch College, Lucia was introduced to Claudio Accardo, whom she married in 1998 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, followed by a wedding reception at Russo’s on the Bay.With a twinkle in her eye, Lucia speaks of Claudio as “an amazing man, husband, and father.” He is currently employed with the New York Stock Exchange as Manager of Desktop Engineering. Middle Village homeowners, Lucia and Claudio are the proud parents of three beautiful children—Alessia, 5; Valentina, 4; and Massimo, 2. They are also expecting another child in September. When asked to share a child-rearing tip, Lucia responded without hesitation: “Teach them the value of helping others and giving back to the community.”

EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
A staunch advocate of the public school system, Lucia attended P.S. 17 in Astoria and spent her high school years at Long Island City High School in Long Island City.

Growing up, Lucia had a special interest in numbers and computers. Trigonometry and Advanced Calculus were among her favorite courses. Hence, she attended Baruch College, CUNY, majored in Computer Information Systems, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her extracurricular interests during her college years were theater, journalism, and the school’s Italian Society.

Immediately following graduation from Baruch, Lucia secured her first corporate job as a computer programmer with Metro-North, with special emphasis on website development. As she climbed the ladder of Information Technology, she pursued an MBA degree in Finance, also at Baruch. She also spent some time with Qwest Communications as a web developer.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Like many young mothers, Lucia dreamed of being home with her children to “raise them, wipe their tears, and bandage their boo-boos.”

So rather than just dream, Lucia looked for a home based business with an INC 500 Company and discovered a consumer direct marketing venture, which ”helps moms with kids earn income at home.”

In her “spare time,” Lucia familiarized herself with MOMS Club, a mom’s support organization with 87,000 members worldwide, 1,700 chapters in 7 countries. In March 2003, Lucia founded the MOMS Club of Middle Village and currently serves as its President. Two years later, the chapter has 55+ members. Her vision was to form a group where mothers and members of the community could give back to the community and teach their children the value of giving. She also had a vision of a local network where the stay-at-home mother could develop friendships, share parenting experiences, participate in service projects in the community, and enjoy regular social get-togethers. Lucia nvisions the development of sister chapters in Maspeth, Glendale, Ridgewood and other neighboring communities.

While busy with her growing family, her home-based business, and the MOMS Club of Middle Village, Lucia is active in the Juniper Park Civic Association and serves as an advisor on the Executive Board. Her boundless energy, dedication, and attention to resolving quality of life concerns in Middle Village are admirable and serves as an example for all of us.

SPECIAL INTERESTS AND GOALS:
Lucia and her family expressed a deep love for Middle Village, and they plan to stay here for the foreseeable future. She would like to see her home-based business prosper. She has been “touched” by the amazing people she meets in this community and the friendships she and her family have formed. It is very obvious to this observer that Lucia has incorporated an “attitude of success” into her daily life as a wife, a parent, a business woman, and as a Middle Village community activist. Lucia encourages all local moms to get in touch with her by e-mail at:
lucy@middlevillagemoms.com.