Today we’d like to introduce you to Anisa Palmer.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born and raised on the beautiful island of St. Croix, one of the main three islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands. A few years after moving to the mainland, I wanted to be a part of something great, so I signed up to serve in the Armed Forces. Upon serving in the military, I deployed twice in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In my second deployment, I saw a mirage of my mother whom I lost of stage IV invasive breast cancer when I was a little girl. Instead of staying in the military, I decided to accept an honorable discharge to serve in another platform. I Will Survive, Inc. was then born in 2010 to provide prevention education, economic support, and health and wellness services to those at higher risk and those affected by breast cancer.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been an interesting road transitioning from military combat life to the public-sector world. Some struggles consisted of going back to school to get a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida in Orlando while running a nonprofit organization in Atlanta. Sometimes, I packed my car up before class, got out of class at 9:00pm and drove 6 hours for a survivor home or hospital visit, facilitate a health workshop, organize and host a fundraiser event, attend a board meeting or donor meeting. Sometimes all of those could take place in one weekend and then I would drive back for classes Monday just in time to get my course work done and turned in.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about I Will Survive, Inc. – what should we know?
I Will Survive, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) Georgia state registered organization serving clients directly in metro Atlanta area. We also service clients virtually with prevention education support and referral resources support on a national platform. We received our first international intern from France this year and so happy he chose us over all the other nonprofits all over the world. We focus on customer service as many other public organizations may need more improvements in this area. We do not charge clients in our program any fees for service so we rely heavily upon individual donations, corporate sponsorship and employee giving, as well as grants.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I pay tribute to my educational and military experiences every day. Having a degree in communications helps in every aspect of business, especially interpersonal communication skills. I had to master communicating effectively with clients and their families in the program, donors, interns, volunteers, board members, and community partners. Having a graduate degree in public administration helps to understand what my role is as a public leader in the nonprofit world. Mentors have helped along the various processes of growing an organization, in which I am so grateful for as well. Being a logistics leader in the military, helps to keep accountability of various supplies. I remember having to do investigations in the middle of Iraq because of a piece of sensitive equipment would go missing. I managed 60 million dollars of property for a military intelligence unit. All of these experiences, helped shape the leader I am today. We value clients in our programs with quality and not quantity, unlike many nonprofit organizations.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5879 New Peachtree Rd.
Suite D Atlanta, GA 30340 - Website: www.IWillSurviveInc.org
- Phone: 404-483-8503
- Email: Contact@IWillSurviveInc.org
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/IWillSurviveInc
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/IWillSurviveIncPage
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/IWillSurviveInc
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