Hero Spotlight: Ferdi Roberts

On December 8, 1970, Ferdi Roberts was born and taken straight from the hospital to the Mercy Orphanage in Ireland where he lived until he was 17 years old. He would never learn why he had been given away as a baby.

Nestled in the small Midlands town of Moate in County Westmeath, the orphanage was run by the Sisters of Mercy. Living with forty other children was sometimes difficult, but Roberts made the most of his time by participating in sports, joining the boy scouts, being engaged in school, and taking advantage of any career opportunities.

 “I got a great education [there] and enjoyed it,” Roberts said. “It was a great community to grow up in.”

But he especially fell in love with running when he was 11 years old.

One of the staff members was Mike Walsh, a long-distance runner. Roberts would beg Walsh to take him with him on his morning runs. 

Eventually, Walsh agreed. That first morning run would forever change Robert’s life.

Roberts was given a donated pair of second-hand shoes that were two sizes too big. He wore two pairs of socks to keep his feet firmly inside the shoes. 

In no time, Roberts was running twice a day throughout the town, becoming well known in the close-knit community for his friendly character.

Few of Roberts’ friends at the orphanage enjoyed running as much as he did. Most were partial to boxing. While Roberts didn't box, he had great appreciation for the sport. When he was not running, he would train in the gym with his friends to help improve his overall fitness.

From boxing, Roberts learned preparation, perseverance, and having good physical and mental conditioning. These lessons would serve him well throughout his life and career.

The orphanage offered many opportunities for a young person to experience new activities and education, but their facilities were in declining shape and becoming less and less safe 

So, the Sisters moved the orphanage to a better building, located next to the city’s bank manager’s house.

Sometimes, Roberts would see the bank manager walking outside, dressed in a suit and tie, and he would imagine what his life could be like on the other side of the orphanage walls.

Eventually, he got a chance to shadow the bankers' job, and host quiz events. The experience inspired him to pursue a future career in business.

Still his passion for running remained. He would join his high school’s cross-country team and achieve success at the county and national level.

Back at the orphanage, Walsh took his fellow runner under his wing and mentored him.

After graduating high school, Roberts ran for Imperial College London but left school early because he could not afford housing and tuition. 

 This setback did little to dampen his professional aspirations. Roberts went to work in the software sector, while keeping running as a part of his life. 

But in his early twenties, he broke his ankle while doing a charity parachute jump in New York, and his running life came to a temporary halt. 

But he wasn’t sidelined too long, as the injury only motivated him to work and train harder. In, 1988, he ran the Dublin Marathon and years later, he ran the New York City Marathons in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019, 

After establishing himself as a businessman, Roberts' job allowed him to live and travel in the United States, Ireland, and the UK. He became a senior leader for major fortune 500 companies such as Yahoo and Cisco. 

In 2020, he started his own software business, called Asset Class, and built relationships with numerous clients in major U.S. cities, including Chicago.

When he was in Chicago for business last year Roberts searched for opportunities to run for local organizations that helped kids. His search led him to Mercy Home’s website.

“When I came across [Mercy Home], I thought ‘this is perfect,’” he said. “[The mission] is close to my heart.”

Roberts understood how valuable Mercy Home is for kids in Chicago who are in desperate need of care. And it reminded him of his own experience to see how our kids achieve with the support of positive role models in their lives. 

“This is a very challenging time to be a teenager and so I can totally relate,” he said. “I [was fortunate] to have mentors in my life, and they [played] and extremely important [role].”

This year, Roberts joined the Mercy Home Heroes.  He’s looking forward to running the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in October to give back to children, develop a good relationship with the Home, and explore the many diverse neighborhoods Chicago has to offer on race day.

Just like Roberts found friendship, mentorship, and education at the Mercy Orphanage in Ireland, he saw a similar ray of light and hope for Chicago’s kids in Mercy Home. We’ll be out there cheering him on in October as he runs to spread more of that light and hope to young people in our city.