Why Mike Repole Gives Back

In pursuit of big dreams

Mike Repole has gone after grand goals his entire life.

The son of Italian immigrants, Mike (don’t call him Mr. Repole — that’s his father) grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in Middle Village, Queens, with his parents, brother, Nonna (grandmother), and aunt. “If I told you it was 1,000 square feet, I would be bragging,” Mike said. Mike and his family are all still very close. His parents, Benny and Anna, are now 85 and 80, respectively, and live less than a mile away from him. Mike’s brother, Gerard, a retired New York City police officer, and his family spend a lot of time together.

When Mike was growing up, his father was a waiter and his mother was a seamstress, but they worked hard to pay for both Mike’s and Gerard’s Catholic school education. Mike became the first in his family to graduate from college. He was raised with the understanding that family, faith, and health are everything, and that it’s important to give to those in need. “I was brought up that if you make $5, you give $4 away,” he said.

Mike met his wife, Maria, when he was 20 and she was 18. While Mike has always dreamed big dreams, it was Maria who truly believed that his big dreams would come true. After graduating from St. Margaret’s Grammar School, Holy Cross High School, and St. John’s University, Mike entered the beverage industry and went on to co-found vitaminwater and BODYARMOR Sports Drink, which were both bought by Coca-Cola. Mike later became the owner of NOBULL, a training brand dedicated to helping people be better physically, mentally, and emotionally.

A personal connection to MSK

To a kid from Queens, Manhattan always seemed so far away — a place Mike might go to visit the Empire State Building or Madison Square Garden, or to hop on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. But when he was in his 30s and his grandmother was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma, Manhattan became the destination. In 2006, he brought his 79-year-old Nonna to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). That same year, he founded Nonna’s Garden Foundation in her honor, beginning a commitment to MSK that has continued ever since.

In 2021, on what would have been Nonna’s 95th birthday, Mike gave a landmark $50 million gift to MSK through the foundation to fuel groundbreaking research, expand access to innovative treatments, and improve patient experience. His transformative generosity led to the naming of the MSK Commack Nonna’s Garden Foundation, a lasting tribute to his grandmother.

Powering the movement to beat rare cancers

Mike and the foundation are also vital partners of Cycle for Survival, MSK’s official rare cancer fundraising program. In addition to serving as a presenting sponsor, the foundation has also started a Cycle for Survival team for the Long Island event, riding stationary bikes together in support of rare cancer research.

In 2025, Mike’s brand NOBULL became the Official Performance Apparel Sponsor of Cycle for Survival. NOBULL bringing its performance gear to the Cycle for Survival community is a powerful extension of Mike’s commitment to advancing research at MSK that saves lives.

“This partnership reflects everything NOBULL stands for: community, togetherness, and showing up when it matters. I’m proud to join Cycle for Survival and help drive MSK’s mission forward. Ending cancer for life isn’t only their mission — it’s a mission we all share,” Mike said.

Philanthropy beyond MSK

Mike and his family have been dedicated supporters of a range of faith, health, education, and community initiatives. In addition to MSK, he has made generous gifts to establish the Nonna’s Garden Foundation Cancer Care Center at NewYork-Presbyterian and to advance diabetes research and care at Columbia University’s Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, along with generous contributions to many other healthcare institutions. At St. John’s University, he has teamed up with basketball coach Rick Pitino to elevate the athletics program, helping his alma mater support student-athletes and recruit and retain top talent. Beyond healthcare and higher education, he has promoted the well-being of retired racehorses, sponsored programs to feed Long Islanders in need, supported numerous Catholic schools and churches, and much more.

At the heart of all of Mike’s philanthropy is the enduring influence of his grandmother, who first inspired his belief in giving back. The Nonna’s Garden Foundation honors her legacy by funding missions that reflect the care and kindness she showed throughout her life.

Mike’s story in his own words

A matriarch’s roots

My Nonna was the matriarch of my family. She grew up in Senerchia, Italy, in the province of Avellino. She started working on the farm when she was a little girl and never went to school, so she couldn’t read or write. She was all about her garden: the basil, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. She gave her garden all her tender loving care. She treated her family the same way — with an abundance of love.

When she was 79, she started to feel sick, and her lymph nodes blew up everywhere. We took her to a local hospital, and they said, “It’s T cell lymphoma, it’s fast-moving, and she’s got it all over.” The local hospital wanted to treat her with pain management. I refused to accept that answer. We were in emergency mode. We needed to move quickly. I needed to do everything possible to give my Nonna the best chance at life.

Finding hope at MSK

I started doing intense research. I asked everyone I knew who they would recommend for the best care for my Nonna, and all roads led to MSK. After reviewing her records and scans, Dr. Steven Horwitz, who specializes in T-cell lymphoma, said there was a clinical trial pill regimen that could help. She started the medication, and three months later, scans showed that the tumors were already shrinking.

I kept telling Nonna that she needed to continue to fight and live on. There were too many beautiful family moments that God still wanted to share with her. It took my wife and me a while to have children. I kept saying, “One day Maria and I are going to have a baby, and you have to be here to hold the baby.” Nine years after my Nonna was diagnosed, she held my baby girl, Gioia Mia, for the first time. Gioia Mia means “my joy” in Italian. I thought, This is a miracle.

I kept giving my grandmother targets. I’d say, “You need to be here for the baptism. You have to be here for the 1-year-old birthday party, the 2-year-old birthday party, the 3-year-old birthday party.” Then finally I said, “Be here for the wedding.” She asked, “When Gioia is 30, how old will I be?”

The importance of family 

Nonna lived another beautiful 15 years as the matriarch of our wonderful family. I even had a chance to take her to Italy to visit her hometown of Senerchia and see her sister. She walked on the farm and in the garden that she started working on when she was a little girl. She got to spend 15 more years with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and entire family. To Nonna, family was about anyone who came into her life, and to her, family was everything. She was everyone’s Nonna. We were so blessed to have this family time, and these memories will always be cherished because they weren’t taken for granted. Life is so precious.

I know that all these special family moments wouldn’t have been possible without having my Nonna here. Since I’ve gone through all of this with MSK by my side, I really feel like we’re partners and teammates.

What matters most

My Nonna always gave as much as she possibly could to the church. Now I want to be as generous and help MSK’s mission. Money and success don’t really mean anything to me without family, good friends, health, and happiness — they’re the few things that you aspire to have for the rest of your life. At the end of the day, MSK can make these things possible.