Our Origin Story
The inspiration for CreateAccess comes from my late parents. Born during The Great Depression and growing up in West Philadelphia during World War II, my dad, Joe Cozzi, knew what it meant to be poor and was determined for us not to be.
My mom, Peggy, a stay-at-home mom known as the mother of peace to the neighborhood, survived my dad by 23 years. Born on Christmas Day, unassuming and kind, she was thrilled to raise a family of any means.
While it took our family multiple generations of hard-won lessons to see a world where we can dream big, take risks, and create outsized impact, we hope that CreateAccess closes this gap for many families.
-Patrick Cozzi
Through his discipline, dedication, and determination, he was able to send my siblings and me to college so we could have the opportunity to join a world that he believed existed but never had access to himself. After his retirement, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away at 67 years old when I was in high school.
He didn’t graduate 8th grade until he was 16 years old. He dropped out of high school at 18 to join the Marines, where he served in the Korean War.
Afterward, he was hard of hearing, almost deaf in one ear. A journeyman, he completed a GED, and tried HVAC schooling, computer schooling, and a bit of college. He eventually joined United Engineers, where he spent 30 years working in the basement sorting mail and sometimes driving the company president. He wore ripped white t-shirts to work to save money on new clothes; walked 1.5 miles to and from 69th Street Station to save 40 cents on a bus transfer; and frequently grounded me for leaving the lights on.
