MONROE - Kevin Callahan might not have graduated from Monroe High School - but you'll still see him at the Class of 1983 reunion.

He grew up in Monroe, raised his children here and has made a career in the town he says he sees no reason to leave. He'll always consider himself a hometown kid who still loves the small city that will always be home.

Callahan was born in Monroe and lived by Recreation Park with his two older sisters. As a child, he was part of the swim team in the summertime and spent hours with neighborhood children. Kickball in the street and football in the yard with several other children served as the backdrop to his childhood.

He attended elementary school at St. Victor. When Callahan's parents divorced in eighth grade, he lived with his mother in Menominee, while she earned her master's degree. He attended Monroe High School for his sophomore year but spent the rest of his high school years further north and graduated from Menominee High School in 1983. He spent his high school years immersed in sports, enjoying football, track and the swim team.

College was something Callahan knew was on the horizon. He said he's a doer and loves hands-on learning. It was a natural next step in his life to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Early on he hoped to pursue a business degree. This was a bit of a departure from his family that held a long line of attorneys including his father, John Callahan, who had a firm in Monroe.

"There was no expectation, but I always wondered if my Dad wanted me to do that," Callahan said. "But he didn't - he gave me the freedom to do my own thing."

After a fun four years, Callahan earned his Bachelor of Science in consumer science and marketing. He interned at Colony Brands the summer before his senior year, working in marketing analysis and doing some other projects. He said he learned a variety of things and made several connections.

After graduation, Callahan received three job offers around the country and decided to choose the place close to home. He is admittedly one of many students who had sworn off the idea of ever living in their hometown but said making a life here has been nothing short of amazing.

"At the end of the day, it was familiar, I could see a path here and it's great to be around family," he said. "That's important to me - and what an amazing place to be."

He was drawn to Colony Brands: He said it was the people, with their knowledge and talents, that kept the typical risk-taker close to home.

In 1988, he started at Colony Brands as a marketing analyst. After several years he moved and became the manager of circulation and advertising, taking on a large workload.

In 1997, after several years in the making, Callahan helped start Integrated Marketing Solutions within Colony Brands. The career shift was perfect, and he's been in the position since, running a division called Integrated Marketing Solutions List Services, buying and selling advertising and data for Colony Brands and other companies in direct marketing.

His boss at that time, Charlie Baumann, was the visionary behind the company, and Callahan had been part of the early planning stages. Sharing data held a different mentality and culture then, and things started slow.

Callahan said he's had a few different careers under the umbrella of Colony Brands, and many in the area don't realize the gigantic company's impact on the Monroe community, something he's very proud to be a part of.

"It's an amazing business," Callahan said. "And I've seen so much change, and it's been an amazing experience to see that."

One thing Colony Brands encourages in its employees is community involvement. Callahan has found his hand in several things, although he feels his culture for giving back started early on.

"I think service work is so important," Callahan said. "It's personally fulfilling - I've always been involved. It allows you to grow in ways you can't in any other way."

It was his parents, he said, who were also a large part of why he enjoys being involved.

"My parents showed me that giving back is really the big gift," Callahan said.

Working for a company that contributes and gives back has been an inspiration for Callahan, he said.

"We're always challenged here to grow and learn new things," Callahan said. "I've had a career here over 30 years. It's amazing."

While his children attended St. Victor School, Callahan was heavily involved, serving on both the parish council and the school council. Later, he served nine years on the YMCA board of directors and spent time as president.

It was the Monroe Arts Center where Callahan truly felt his calling. He began campaigning for MAC and in 2008, became a board member. He then served as the vice president in 2013 and has now served as the board's president since 2015.

One of the biggest accomplishments for the MAC, and for Callahan, has been the new addition. He said the organization had a great vision from Richard Daniels, and membership has greatly grown. It was the largest fundraising project Monroe has ever had, and Callahan is delighted at the show of support for the arts in the small community.

But Callahan's roots for his art appreciation didn't come out of the blue. When he was young, his mother, Julia O'Reilly, was a dance major and made it a point to expose her children to several realms of art and developed a strong foundation for them.

"She was responsible for bringing me to performance art," Callahan said, noting that she was part of the original MAC formation.

She also took the children to additional art classes in Madison and got them involved in almost everything offered at the MAC at that time. They would often see several classic dance groups, some ballet and were exposed to several other types of performances.

"I can't say I loved it in the beginning," laughed Callahan, noting that he was more into sports as a youngster. "But I certainly do now. There are so many links between art and education."

Both of Callahan's children are pursuing degrees in the creative field as well. His son, Colin, is at the Clive Davis Institute of Recreational Music, a division of Tisch School of Arts at New York University. He is a classically trained pianist and dabbles in other instruments. His daughter Natalie attends the Parsons School of Design-The New School in New York. He said his wife, Chris, is a very creative person as well.

Callahan said one of the reasons he loves Monroe so much is because of the green space offered, making it easy to be outside, active and involved.

Callahan started running to keep in shape and now has several sprint and Olympic-length triathlons under his belt. However, the technical training wasn't always in the cards for him. Now he and Chris run half-marathons and have completed more than 15 together.

Another way for Callahan to relax at home has been through prairie restoration. Since 2007, he's worked on 2 acres of prairie at his home. His mother was part of the Prairie Enthusiasts Club, and Callahan would often go with her as a youngster during burns at Honey Creek Park. He said he loves the long-term aspect of working a little on it each year and enjoying the physical beauty. It's been therapeutic for him, and he said it's quiet time he rarely gets otherwise.

He said he's learned from failure more than anything and feels people who embrace learning from their mistakes are the ones who become successful.

"It's not how many times you fall down," Callahan said. "It's how many times you get back up."