Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Harvey.
Hi Stephanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Charleston watching my father open our home to neighborhood kids, turning it into a space to move, to be mentored, to belong. That image never left me. Years later, working at a Vitamin Shoppe in North Charleston, I saw something I couldn’t unsee: people of all ages with almost no knowledge of their own health. Not because they didn’t care, but because no one had ever taught them. And it wasn’t random. It was a pattern, repeating itself from one generation to the next.
In March 2021, I founded MAD PARK to interrupt that pattern. Not by telling people what to do, but by building something with them. A wellness movement rooted in Charleston, led by the community it was created to serve.
MAD PARK started inside classrooms, and the response was immediate. Scholars showed up differently. Teachers felt supported. Families leaned in. That early momentum made one thing clear, the need was bigger than any one program could hold. So the work grew. Into after-school programming. Into Camp MAD PARK. Into family nights, community outreach, and a full wellness ecosystem built around four strands: Live Well, Move Well, Feel Well, and Lead Well.
Five years in, MAD PARK is still Charleston-rooted and still building. Toward a model that proves wellness isn’t a privilege. It’s what happens when a community decides to invest in itself.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not even close.
The early years of MAD PARK were built on belief before budget. No paid staff. I wasn’t paying myself. The work was real and the mission was clear, but the infrastructure to sustain it had to be built from scratch, in real time, while still showing up for schools and families every single day.
There were hard moments. Imposter syndrome is real, that quiet voice asking whether you’re the right person, whether you’re doing enough, whether any of it is adding up to something. And there’s a particular kind of pressure that comes with not just running an organization but actually leading one. That doesn’t show up in any job description.
What those years gave me, though, is something I now consider foundational to everything MAD PARK does: a real understanding of what it means to lead with integrity. To keep going when it isn’t comfortable. To build something worth trusting, for scholars, for families, for this community, even when that means doing it the hard way.
The struggle wasn’t a detour. It was part of the formation.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
MAD PARK Community is a Charleston-based nonprofit wellness organization built around one belief: that wellness is a way of life, not a destination and every child, family, and community deserves access to it.
We specialize in whole-child, whole-family, whole-community wellness. Our programming is organized around four strands Live Well, Move Well, Feel Well, and Lead Well and delivered through school partnerships, after-school programs, Camp MAD PARK, family programming, and community-wide initiatives. Our K–8 scholar pathway grows with children from kindergarten through middle school, so by the time a scholar reaches eighth grade, wellness isn’t a program they participate in. It’s a practice they know how to lead.
What sets MAD PARK apart is the integration. Most organizations address one piece movement, or nutrition, or social-emotional learning. We weave all of it together into one cohesive pathway, and we extend that same framework to families and communities. Because a child cannot grow whole in isolation.
What I’m most proud of, brand-wise, is that MAD PARK actually feels like the community it serves. The language, the energy, the way we show up, it was all built to say: this is for you. A parent scrolling at 9pm should feel just as welcomed as anyone sitting across a conference table.
And what I most want people to know is this: MAD PARK is not a charity model. We don’t show up to fix people. We show up to build with them. Five years in, that’s still the thing everything else is rooted in.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I love most about Charleston:
Charleston has always had a way of making you feel like you belong to something bigger than yourself. The community here is real, people who show up for each other, who take pride in where they’re from, who will give you their time before they give you their money. I grew up here, and that spirit is exactly what MAD PARK is built on. There is something about this city that makes people want to build together, and I feel that every time we step into a school or a neighborhood and the community steps right back toward us.
What I’d like to see change:
Charleston is a beautiful city, but access isn’t equal, and that tension is impossible to ignore when you do this work every day. The families and neighborhoods that need the most investment are often the ones furthest from the resources that could change their trajectory. Health, wellness, movement, nutrition, these aren’t luxuries, but in too many parts of this city they’re still treated that way. That’s not a Charleston problem unique to Charleston, but it is ours to solve. And that’s exactly why MAD PARK exists.
Pricing:
- For Families: After-school programming, Camp MAD PARK, and family events are offered at accessible price points rooted in our commitment to community access Scholarship and sliding scale options are available, no family is turned away due to cost Visit madparkcommunity.org or contact us directly to learn more about current program openings and fees
- For Schools and Partners: MAD PARK works with schools of all sizes, entry points are designed to be flexible and accessible Single wellness strand sessions (Live Well, Move Well, Feel Well, or Lead Well) start at $175 per session Semester and full-year packages available depending on scope and school size Pilot programs available for schools exploring a phased approach Contact us to build a partnership that fits your school’s needs and budget
- Get in touch: stephanie.h@madparkcommunity.org madparkcommunity.org
Contact Info:
- Website: https://madparkcommunity.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madparkcommunity/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madparkcommunity/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/mad-park-community/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MADPARK-Community
