Hi! We're the family behind Sports and Spirit Signs.

We are Rick and Linda Lonigro and we run this business in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Rick was a
firefighter/paramedic for 20 years. This led to the need for a total knee replacement, requiring him to retire early. Knee replacements do not hold up well to firefighting so he began working
as glass glazier.

Linda was a registered nurse for many years. Currently she is a home bound tutor for children who are too sick or injured to go to school. Linda is also a two-year breast cancer survivor who feels she was given the challenge of beating cancer so she could help other people who need to "finish the fight."

The recession and the need for yet another knee replacement gave Rick ample time to do what he truly loves and is gifted at: wood working. He makes beautiful picture frames, shadow boxes, cabinets, molding, door frames—just about anything.

So our teenage children began asking us to make wooden football and cheerleading signs for them.After that, it seemed like everyone wanted a sign! So we made them! Now, it's fun to drive through subdivisions and see all the proud parents displaying their pride in their children and their school spirit. We realized we needed to get a lot bigger and reach more people.

Next, we enlisted the help of our oldest daughter who runs a web design company to help us
create this online store.

Also, we thought this would be a great fundraiser for schools. It seems like the school sports and clubs are constantly fundraising, so why not give them a year-round chance to make money and at the same time support other teams and clubs at their school? Signs can be made for any sport or club, giving everybody the chance to show their pride for their child and school. The yard signs can be taken off the stake and hung on a wall for a great decoration and keepsake. Money is given back to your organization for every sign sold.