Meet the Soine Family: Living with Joy and Purpose

www.DanvilleLivingCA.com

@DanvilleLivingCA

Photo by Kim Lind Photography

Story by Alex Sullivan, Resident Since 2017

Like a scene from your favorite movie, this Pacific Northwest couple met at a grocery store in Portland, Oregon in 1998. Following a dream romance they were engaged only a few months later and married the very next year. This summer, Jeremy and Jenn Soine will celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary with the same joy and excitement they had as newlyweds. Jeremy has a BS in Economics from the University of Puget Sound and an MBA from University of Chicago. Jenn received a BA in English and History from University of Oregon. They’ve since welcomed two kids, Jackson, 14, and Madeleine, 12. The family also has a 6 year old Yorkie named Lily. Looking for a walkable small town that fostered their love for outdoor activities they could do as a family, the Soines landed in Danville in 2008.

“Our first week in our home, our neighbors came over with food, a neighborhood contact list and welcomed us as if we were born and raised here.” Building on that sense of community, the family dove right in with their own involvement around town. The whole family is active in Mustang Soccer and Del Amigo Swim Team, with Jenn serving as a team manager for the former and Co-President of the latter. Jenn also helped start the Run Club at Montair Elementary School, which is still running strong! Further cementing their deep love for sports, the family enjoys cheering on the San Ramon Wolves soccer teams, the University of Oregon Ducks, and the Golden State Warriors.

Jackson and Madeleine take great pleasure in traveling the globe with their parents, and the feeling is very mutual. “We enjoy taking the kids on a cultural vacation each year, both in the United States and Internationally.” One notable adventure was in 2017 when Jackson and Jeremy spent two weeks in Malawi, Africa building a school with the organization buildOn. This organization works both nationally and globally to provide safe and accessible education to children living below the poverty line. A trip like that is one that is not easily forgotten. The family’s last trip was a road trip from Barcelona, Spain to the southern coast of France. Looking forward, the whole family is ready for their upcoming trip to Israel. In addition to being globetrotters, the kids are also involved in Community Presbyterian Church Wildside youth group and both belong to their schools’ Pledge for Humanity.

Ever growing as individuals, Jenn and Jeremy have had successful careers outside of the home as well. They were both working for food and beverage companies at the time they met. Jeremy started out working for E&J Gallo Winery and remained there for 17 years. After working for a couple of other companies, he is now the EVP/General Manager for EVER Beauty based out of San Francisco. Jenn left the corporate world and is now an entrepreneur; “I spent 15 years at PepsiCo, Nintendo and a couple Bay Area startups… and most recently combined my love of fitness and small business startup by opening StarCycle Danville.“ With a central downtown location, StarCycle has given Jenn the opportunity to become a physical part of the Danville landscape. The best thing about combining work and passion? The people, of course. “The fitness community you find, your tribe, are the people who will allow you to walk in to the cycle studio feeling however you feel that day. They will let you ride in quiet, they will let you share your joy and life struggles, they will be there to support YOU.”

The Soine family would like to say “Thank you neighbors for welcoming us when we were new and without family in the area.

Jeremy and Jenn in Cannes, France

Our hope is we can pass on the same support to other new families as they move in to raise their families.” They have found that compassion is readily available, as well as a sense of pride in this town. “Our community is small but mighty, and I have found each person has an active voice in supporting each other’s families through success and tragedies, celebrations of our town and history,… our school system, and local school teachers/staff, small businesses, and overall morale.”

For a family as busy as theirs, paring down their values helps keep focus on what is most important - “Our family lives by two simple mottos: Choose Joy and Assume Positive Intent.” Sounds like they make some great neighbors!