Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Manning.
Hi Maria, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the Founder of Magenta Momz Inc.(501(c)(3) and I am a mother of a special needs child. My child’s name is Jaylen. I came up with the idea for Magenta Momz after losing my own mother who was my source of respite and support that I needed to manage the struggle of being a single mother to a child with special needs while also working in Corporate America and chasing my dreams. With my mother’s help, I worked during the day at a corporate office, worked on my design degree at least three nights a week and hung out with my friends occasionally.
After my mom passed away, I struggled to get respite and provide self-care for myself that I desperately needed to maintain positive mental health. My son could not care for himself (and he still can’t). I desperately needed to create self-care activities at home because we were stuck there most often. I was caught in a tiring cycle of caring for him without any respite. Then, when the opportunity for respite occasionally arose – I would struggle with ways to make my alone time comfortable and affordable. Despite my efforts, my mental health suffered terribly and resulted in bouts of depression.
I have always wanted to give back. I was sitting on the couch one day and randomly I came up with the idea – I thought “How great would it be to be able to give back and provide support for myself and my son at the same time?” It took me quite a few years to figure out what the program would look like. Then in 2021, I accepted an opportunity to present my story via local news channel 11 ALIVE. I was nervous about opening my home to cameras and sharing my story but the experience accelerated my desire to help all special needs moms struggling mentally. I recruited a board of directors to birth MAGENTA MOMZ INC.
Many of the mothers of special needs children live in the shadows of life. We do not share as much about our struggles as we should because often people want to offer advice that just is not practical for us. Magenta Momz is a safe place to benefit from services provided from a mom who gets it. Every mother of a special needs child faces different struggles however, the common theme that I have found is that we ALL need to take better care of our mental health because it is best for us and our children.
The story that accelerated the creation of Magenta Momz won an Emmy award via the 11 Alive Hard News Story: KEEPING JAYLEN in June 2022. You can view the story via the link below:
https://www.11alive.com/article/news/investigations/keeping/keeping-jaylen-georgia-childabandonment-series/85-9a275fef-b7e7-452a-98fb-17b04d63d789
I never thought I would have an Emmy. I put it on my shelf and it reminds me to keep fighting for our moms. I also hope to use the achievement to showcase our organization and get more help to support our mission.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been bumpy. I have skills in fashion design, illustration, business and graphic design. I have many creative passions but being responsible for my son 24-7 definitely created a barrier to chasing my creative dreams. I managed to publish a novel called The Hibiscus Chronicle. It took me four years to finish. I had so many sleepless nights (due to stress) and would work on it during those times. I was able to design the cover, layout and publish it all by myself. Prior to this, I published a children’s book called Cyan Canvas Presents Traci. Currently, I am working on an exciting follow-up to the diverse series that focuses primarily on four girls, their love of art and their challenges in life.
I have found that being an advocate for moms and finding empathy and support for our community has been disparaging at times but I continue to spread awareness and am grateful for In-Kind donations and support from companies like Thrive Causemetics that allow me to provide products that help my moms to do some self-care that leads to positive mental health. I hope that we can bring more companies and individuals on-board to help bring more awareness and services to this deserving population in our communities.
The pandemic has caused a shortage of supplies and monetary donations. For our monetary expenses, I am constantly paying out of pocket to keep the lights on. I do this because it’s my passion and a worthwhile cause but I do get stressed out with not having enough funding to execute programs.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our organization has seen an increased need to support the mental health of the mothers of special needs children with the onset of the pandemic. Many services and programs that the children participate in have still not reached pre-pandemic levels of support. In states like Georgia – where the organization is incorporated – the services for our children are severely lacking and it adds to mom’s stress.
Many of the mothers of special needs children live in the shadows of life. We do not share as much about our struggles as we should because often people want to offer advice that just is not practical for us.
Magenta Momz is a safe place to benefit from services provided from a mom who gets it. Every mother of a special needs child faces different struggles however, the common theme that I have found is that we ALL need to take better care of our mental health because it is best for us and our children.
Currently (in the last 12 months), we have serviced 153 mothers of special needs children. The organization would like to grow aggressively in order to help at least 500 hundred mothers of special needs children annually.
Special Needs moms are an invisible population of long-sufferers who rarely receive the services & things that they need to be mentally well. We are actively working to execute our programs (wellness books, wellness products, classes, counseling, etc.)
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I have occasionally been risk-adverse. Not just monetarily but also emotionally. However, I have learned that executing on passion is not possible without risk. Opening up to the world on TV and letting them come into my home was a risk. It makes me nervous every day to have my daily struggles exposed to the world for scrutiny. Many people are empathetic but a lot aren’t. Even sharing on social media has been a risk for me. It creates a level of anxiety that can be hard to deal with. However, I know that I cannot get anywhere without taking these risks. My hope is that by taking on these emotional risks, I can in turn execute on those things which I am passionate about: THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY and my CREATIVE PROJECTS.
Pricing:
- $75 – A sponsorship for one mom to receive products and services.
- $1500 – A sponsorship to provide an in-person wellness class for moms.
- $5000 – A sponsorship to support one day-long well-being programming
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.magentamomz.org/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/riri_thecreativeaesthetic
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/magentamomz
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/magentamomz?s=21
