About Mae's Village

The name Mae is a family name that originates from my grandmother, Hilda Mae. My grandmother came from a family of 11 kids in rural Louisiana and left home at the age of 18 venturing to New York where she became a chemist and lab manager. Post-retirement she resettled in Pennsylvania opening a franchise with a friend, the Goddard School of Wyomissing, while also obtaining legal guardianship of her five grandchildren. It was at her feet that I learned of the power of not only owning a business but of how proper harnessing of that responsibility helped one to be an asset to the community. From nurturing young minds and raising her grandchildren, to involvement in a variety of community organizations and mentoring other business owners, it was her dedicated efforts of developing her community that inspired me to do the same. Mae’s Village is a continuation of her legacy. 

 I began my career working as a teacher’s assistant before becoming a youth specialist in a children’s mental health treatment facility for youth who demonstrated behavior problems and/ or who had been abused prompting their removal from their homes. Although I enjoyed working with the youth, I quickly realized that helping the child requires helping the family. After watching youth who has progressed significantly often return to the same environment, I knew I had to change my focus. I then became a county case manager helping families of children with special needs. It was here I began my grants journey working with emotionally and financially under resourced families to secure grants and a variety of other things to address socialization deficits, housing, employment, education, transportation, and welfare system gaps. What I continued to see was communities were disconnected, and well-meaning community services often fell short of meeting families' complex needs.  

 As the story goes, you can keep pulling the babies out of the river or you can see who is putting them in there in the first place. Upon my move to Louisiana, I recognized I needed to go a bit further upstream to get to the source. I turned to grant writing recognizing that there are a number of people on the ground willing to do the work but not everyone has the means to help combat the various problems our communities face. It was my way of extending my own reach by helping people be a help to others. I ultimately landed at a regional community and economic development organization working with local governments to secure and manage state and federal grants which ranged from workforce development initiatives, public infrastructure improvements – sewer, water systems, broadband, transportation, blighted property- as well as doing outreach to small business owners to help them with their long-term recovery needs post natural disasters. 

  This role and my grant consulting became a natural extension of my mission: to help others amplify their impact. Today, as a grant consultant, my work combines hands-on support with strategic oversight. Collaborating with local government leaders, I research, structure, and manage competitive state and federal grant applications, ensuring projects meet compliance requirements and funding objectives. This experience has sharpened my ability to identify and align resources with project needs, making me well-suited to help a variety of organizations navigate the intricacies of grant funding with confidence.

With a strong record in grant preparation and a commitment to impactful change, I am here to help guide your organization through each step of the funding process. Let's work together to secure the resources you need to close the gaps in our communities’ infrastructure and create innovative solutions to complex problems.