Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mark Raymond. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
We started by identifying a problem in the disabled community. There was not a community based program centered around continued rehabilitation post outpatient therapy. For people with sever physical disabilities, if they don’t continue exercising they can get a secondary complication and end up back in the hospital. The next step was creating the solution. We set out to open the first community based fitness center for people with disabilities. Met with non-profit leaders around New Orleans to understand the process of starting a non-profit, filed the proper paper work with State and federal agencies and started advocating for the needs of this facility. The next step was fundraising the start up capitol to launch the program. We threw small fundraisers and leveraged the community to get our idea off the ground. Once we had the initial capitol we consulted a business development team to create a business plan and began searching for a location. After finding the location and signing the lease we got an equity donation of equipment from a local hospital and did a search for the director of our program. We identified the director, hired her and set a 2 months date away to open the facility.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Mark has a deep-rooted history of serving the community. Building on the legacy of his grandfather, A.P. Tureaud, Mark has played a vital role in advancing various equity-centered efforts across the Greater New Orleans area and beyond. From renaming historic streets and landmarks in New Orleans to creating a more accessible and robust rehabilitative health infrastructure in the Gulf South, Mark’s aptitude for cultivating relationships and driving coordinated, healing-centered change has been vital to the advancement of those most disadvantaged.
Mark’s commitment to fighting for justice and equity started as a child but was intensified following a shallow diving accident in 2016, in which he damaged the vertebrae by the base of his neck and lost the ability to walk. For Mark, this life-changing experience illuminated the reality of disparities in access, and there were very few community resources to turn to for help. His new disability and lack of support ultimately pushed him to advocate for millions of others by transforming the split-second that led to his injury into a life filled with awareness, hope, and action.
He founded Split Second Foundation to make people aware of a growing population of individuals impacted by disability, advocate for their rights, fund cutting-edge research, and provide clear-cut steps to immediately improve their quality of life.
To date, Mark’s impact on inclusive health and human services, as well as justice-driven policy work, has been substantial. Mark was able to open Split Second Fitness, which is the first inclusive gym in Louisiana, with an intentional focus on people living with paralysis, amputation, or other neurological conditions that impact mobility.
He also serves on several federal, state, and local boards and commissions to represent and advocate for people living with disabilities. Notably, Mayor LaToya Cantrell appointed him to the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) New Orleans Board of Commissioners, where he holds the positions of Vice-Chair and Chairman of the Finance Committee overseeing the planning, implementation, and execution of the agency’s $109 million budget.
Recently, RTA introduced the first two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant streetcars on the historical St. Charles streetcar line.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Throwing my first event, I had to pivot several times to identify committee for the fundraiser.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Its cheaper to pay somebody. Free help is always nice but professional services is a tricky space.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.splitsecondfoundation.org/
- Instagram: @splitsecondfoundation
- Facebook: @splitsecondfoundation