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A lifestyle turned into a company

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Filmed and edited by Katie Hopkins and Nora Reca.

FGCU men’s basketball player, Marc-Eddy Norelia, has been an influential force both on and off the court for many years; however, more recently, his impact has led him into even greater things.

The 6-foot-8-inch forward has created his own Make You Marc LLC to help spread positivity and give back to youth through basketball training sessions.

“A lot of people have done a lot of great things for me and (have taught me) how to carry myself and be a role model for the youth, and I’ve decided, before I move on to the next chapter of my life, to start a company to help give back to the community,” Norelia said.

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This company aims to give back to the Fort Myers community through free youth basketball training sessions.

Norelia hopes to teach young players fundamental basketball while also spreading positivity and enlightenment.

“A lot of the training I do is for free; the only time I charge is to pay for equipment,” Norelia said. “I train the kids in basketball and show them a lot of great things coach (Joe Dooley) has showed us through the past.”

Unlike most companies, Norelia hopes to keep his business small and local, finding satisfaction in giving back rather than making it big.

“Personally, the way that I am, I’ll probably always keep it small just because the satisfaction I get is from the kids actually learning and the personal connections I have with the kids I’ve trained thus far.”

However, Norelia differentiates between work and play, keeping his focus on the team’s overall goal of winning the ASUN Championship.

Norelia has also managed to reach people on social media sites, specifically Twitter, to share is Positive Vibes enlightenment. A light bulb emoji is the easily recognizable sign spread out across his profiles for those whom are a part or want to be a part of the #POSITIVEVIBES2016 movement.

When asked about this identifiable symbol, Norelia responded, “Basically, my dad and coach, at a very young age, always told me that education is the key and I think the light bulb came on for me essentially when I noticed how important and valuable that was in life and being a better person and doing the right thing.”

Seeing other students with the infamous light bulb in their Twitter bios is uplifting for Norelia, and he believes it shows the value of higher education.

Recently, Norelia has been recognized for his community involvement. On Friday, Nov 30., Norelia was nominated for the 2017 Allstate NABC and WBCA Good Works Teams.

This award honors college basketball players for their community service and is one of the most prestigious off-the-court honors in men’s college basketball.

Along with his company, Norelia is also involved with other community projects like reading to local school children as part of the Eagle Reading program and delivering Christmas presents to the Children’s Hospital.

However, even with all of his success and positive influence, Norelia remains humble and gives credit where he believes credit is due.

“I don’t think I’d be where I’m at today without the help of FGCU and everybody that has supported our program here. I wouldn’t give myself total credit because if it wasn’t for my parents, my family and my friends and everybody who’s been a great supporter of me, I don’t think I would’ve ever gotten to the point of starting this stuff.”

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