Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Denson.
Marie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s 2019, and I am now adding to my story. I was very successful back home in Florida, and I was a community leader and advocate. I still advocate for individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Delays, Victims of Domestic Violence, and those who have been victims or are right now victims of Rape, Molestation, and Incest. I moved to Colorado and there I began a new life of Leadership in the community. It was very different, and I loved the view of the mountains, but it was scary as well because it was the unknown for me. I was sitting at home one day, and unbeknownst to me, I was asked for through my husband to come and speak as a Leader in a silent protest in Aspen. Very hesitant, I went, and I met other leaders in that community. I was asked to speak about what I thought about what was going on all around the world, and I grabbed the mic. what happened next was history. I ended up talking about LOVE. That’s it, the word LOVE and how we as people needed to go back to loving thy neighbor, which meant that we should understand that we are different, we come from different backgrounds, we have different values and insight but we should respect one another’s, our zip codes are different, your house might be bigger than mines, we have different financial pockets, but that does not make anyone less than the other and by the time I was finished, I was invited to speak at more schools, the crowd had tears, I was escorted in the protest by the Mayor and Chief of Police. I made front page of the newspaper, and then I was asked to speak in Glenwood Springs, in which I did and made the front news of that paper as well. I was received well in my new state. So. I felt like my work was not in vain. I lived there for 4 years, and then I moved over to Augusta, GA, in 2022, where I reside now. I wanted people to understand who I was and where I had come from, so I created my now non-profit called Pushed Back, not Held Back, Inc. PBNHB, Inc.’s mission and vision is to provide mentoring services to those who are dealing with issues in the areas of family, goal setting, leadership, healing, mental health, and trauma. We want to assist individuals with transitioning back into the flow of life. We provide holistic mentoring and teachings, and we give real transparency in our sessions. We want individuals and families to know that the reason why we are a different mentoring facility is because we have gone through similar circumstances and triumphed in resilience. We mentor families, individuals, and youth.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely was not always smooth sailing. I dealt with racism firsthand and almost had a nervous breakdown. Here I was in a new state and new city, far from Florida, with no family or friends I could directly get to, and because I believe in community, it was not okay, and neither was I. I dealt with a lot of hateful words and phrases. Hurt like crazy, I did allow it to stop me because racism along with racist remarks were everywhere in all states, so I put my thick skin on and kept it moving. I made a lot of friends in Colorado, and people who believed in my mission, but also people whose missions I believed in became a part of. I became a part of a lot that was going on. Although none of this was normal for me, I did not try to normalize it, but I faced it head-on, and I dealt with it through random acts of love, staying steadfast and unmovable. I assisted with feeding the poor and homeless and packaging toys for tots. It was refreshing to know that I did not have to have my own back, and this is where Pushed Back, not Held Back Project, was created. I learned that people will say things to hurt you. They will even try to keep you from moving forward, but I also learned that when people believe in you, they will stand beside you. To all my family in Colorado, I love you for the continuous support from a distance and an unconditional love. At home in GA, I went ahead and Incorporated Pushed Back, not Held Back, because I really wanted people to understand that when life beats down on you, you MUST be resilient, vigilant, and get back up. There will be falls, but the best part about life is that if you want to, you can BOUNCE BACK. The challenge of funding for a building seems inevitable, but we are close.
We’ve been impressed with MD Professional Grant Writing & Solutions, LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
After creating Pushed Back, not Held Back, Inc., God gave me the vision for My “Bounce Back” Is Real. I started working on this event that would bring women all over the states together to love on each other and hear testimonies about other women’s trials, upsets, and downfalls, and how they bounced back and then they issued nuggets and advice on how to bounce back from those falls. Some of those women had businesses that they were trying to get up off the ground and needed funds and I just so happen to know how to write grants. I was going through some rough patches in my marriage and through a lot of pain, I stayed persistent, and I started assisting these women with these grants and/or just giving them information on how to seek funding and where to go, and this started the process to opening my business. During this time, I put a lot of energy and patience into learning more about grant writing, and I already had a certificate from BC in Fort Lauderdale that was scholar shipped by The Housing Authority of Fort Lauderdale under a great friend that has now passed on. What I never realized is that I had so much vision and creativity with research and the way in which I wrote the grants. Where MD stands out is that I actually have a gift for writing, so the words and sentences just came together on paper. I can feel the purpose behind what I write as if I writing to the reader personally, trying to sale them something. This led me to birthing out MD Professional Grant Writing & Solutions, LLC. My company assists small businesses and small/grassroots nonprofits with writing grants, seeking funds, filling out applications for loans, 501C3s, business plans and proposals, and business start-ups if needed. We are 1 person right now and still looking to expand and build on capacity, which will allow me to assist more clientele and apply for larger grants/loans. I are currently proud that my brand is different, and my followers have been a great referral system for MD, and that’s amazing because it works. Right now, I am in the process of writing grants for more funding to expand and build capacity, and this will help me build a team to assist with writing and research.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love that it has a historical museum where I get to learn about where I live, the modern and ancient homes are beautiful, and it has great hospitality. What I do not like is that it feels cluttery and it flows in one big circle.
Pricing:
- Consultation – $25/30 minutes
- Small Grants – $20/per hr – 10/15 hours
- Standard/Foundation Grants – $30/per hr – 20-*50 hours
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pushedbacknotheldback.com
- Instagram: pushedbacknotheldback
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1674420479384989
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-denson-250032120/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/detertobetter
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mariehuntley9714/videos
Image Credits
Memlet Powell
