Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Maria C. Palmer Of St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Maria Angelova
No one will know what you do if you don’t tell them. You don’t have to scream it from the roof or be annoying in the process, but you do need to have a presence, a mission and stay on brand. It takes the average person 7 times to hear an invitation to act before they do. Stay consistent, stay focused, and most importantly, stay present.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Maria C. Palmer
Maria Costanzo Palmer is a writer and Page Turner Award Finalist for her debut book On the Rocks (8/8/23). Growing up as the oldest child of an award-winning restaurateur, Maria unexpectedly became a daughter of the incarcerated. This experience ignited an interest in working in the nonprofit world for Get on the Bus, a non-profit dedicated to uniting children with their incarcerated parents. Maria is currently a grant writer for St. Paul’s Development Corporation.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path and point in your life?
I grew up in a family that modeled service. My parents owned a restaurant in the McKees Rocks, PA section of Pittsburgh, PA, which eventually became one of America’s top ten restaurants in the early 2000’s. McKees Rocks is a small town with many challenges. At the height of the steel age, it was a bustling small town with corner stores and cobblestone streets, but as the steel industry moved out, people lost jobs. The area changed and there was poverty throughout. My family always believed in giving back to others. My dad hired people from the area. He gave generously to local charities, sports teams, and other organizations. He always treated people like they mattered no matter who they were or where they came from when they walked into his restaurant. I learned these lessons from a young age.
While I was in college, I had a summer internship at an advertising agency that covered a heating and cooling account. My job was to try to get news coverage for this company. I remember that summer in Pittsburgh was not at all hot, so no one was thinking about heating or cooling. Hence, I didn’t have any luck.
As I was ready to write off my internship, the CEO assigned me a special project for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Light the Night Walk Fundraiser. This was a cause very close to his heart, as his older brother passed away from the disease. I created the theme of life being a gift every day. I then interviewed 10 different people, ranging from my boss to a young teenager who wrote a book about wig fashion after chemo, to a set of twins where one who was the other’s bone marrow donor. I wrote these small vignettes and put them into lovely gift boxes and sent them out to the press, and this was the beginning of a lifetime of service for me.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I started working for SPCDC back in 2013. At this time, we had just started the Full Service Community Schools Initiative and learned that our K-5 school Paterson Public School #15 , an elementary school with over 800 students had no playground. During lunch and recess, kids were jumping off the walls and falling onto cinders. The nurse had an exorbitant amount of cases of skinned knees, cut up elbows and some broken bones.
I searched high and low for an organization that would help fund a playground and struck out many times. Finally, I got traction with KaBOOM, a national organization who brings playgrounds into areas that have none. We got to the final round of interviews and found out that we were denied. The reason given was there was a “park” right behind the school.
The “park” that they referred to was a known place for gang and drug activity. I tried my best to convince them of this by taking photos, offering testimonials and pleading my case. They didn’t buy it.
I thought the project was dead, but I never gave up. Almost three years after, a famous rapper was shot in the park. I immediately forwarded the article to my contact at KaBOOM. This sparked fresh discussions, and in 2017, almost 4 years later, we broke ground for a brand new playground at the school.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Not sure this is funny in a humor sense, but definitely funny in a feeling sense. I’m a person that functions in the space of extreme Catholic guilt. I always feel bad asking people for anything even if they are offering. When I first got into the nonprofit industry, I was shy about sharing and asking people to join me in mission. However, a wise nun gave me the best advice I worked for Sr. Suzanne Jabro for years at an organization called Get On The Bus, an organization committed to bringing children to their incarcerated parents, gave me the best advice.
“When you ask others to support your mission, you are essentially giving them an invitation to partner with you for something good. Doing good work, helps empower and inspire others and asking people to come along on the journey is a service, not a nuisance.”
To this day, I have trouble accepting a measly bottle of water from people without paying my own way, but I have no problem asking others for any amount of money to support my nonprofit work and the clients it benefits. This small mindset shift in focus that was a game changer for me.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
I am the Grant Writer for a nonprofit in Paterson, NJ called St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation whose mission is to provide every person with skills and resources to help them be self-sufficient. We have several programs that offer a “hand up”, not a “hand out.” I love what we are doing because we are in essence planting seeds to help people function independently of us.
We do this through our Food Pantry serving an average of 550 households per month, which equates to 2,382 beneficiaries served per month. This equates to 552,220 meal equivalents delivered over the course of the year. During the Thanksgiving holiday, the program also provides a turkey and holiday grocery tote to 530 families. Our Emergency Men’s Shelter serves 67 homeless men- a 37% increase over the prior year. These residents were supported by 6,848 bed nights and 15,000 meals; our Next Step Workforce Development program serves 128 clients through its WorkFirst New Jersey (WFNJ) and Breaking the Cycle Initiatives (i.e. Low Literacy-ABE, Vocational Culinary, and Energy Efficient Building Maintenance); our AmeriCorps program (the “domestic Peace Corps”) engages 33 men and women in full and part-time community-based service opportunities; our Full Service Community Schools Initiative (FSCS) provides integrated community development, academics, youth development, family support, health and social services to 1,150 students and their families, 60 parents participated in virtual ESL classes and 83 students participated in afterschool programming; lastly, our Housing and Neighborhood Development program continues its work toward rebuilding the 4th and 5th Ward neighborhoods of Paterson, NJ in which the agency and its Full Service Community Schools reside.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
The holidays always bring out the stories that pull our heart strings. This year during our Adopt A Family Program, we learned of a single dad, who was just trying to make it. His girlfriend was recently deported to her country, leaving him the sole caregiver of their 2-year-old son. She has a child from anther relationship so, upon her deportation, he adopted her 7-year-old son. He is an American citizen and with the burden suddenly placed on him, he took a second job to make ends meet. With the flurry of everything, he had not been able to prepare the house or the boys for Christmas. We gladly stepped in and made sure that the boys got what they wanted for Christmas and the family got a tree.
He told us afterwards that SPCDC provided him with an overall sense of relief and the appreciation of the generosity of the Pantry and donation of the Christmas tree made holiday better for them.
He was referred to SPCDC by our partner Paterson Public Schools, where he works as a janitor during the day. He reached out to our Food Pantry Coordinator and within hours, she provided him with emergency food, signed him about Adopt A Family, had Christmas tree with a stand and ornaments, and lights from Haskell Paving ready for him to pick up.
After the holidays, he came back two more times. His kids were featured on our FB post for Adopt A Family reading books. He was very appreciative and very thankful for all who have given so much to his family and helped to lighten the load around the holidays.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
- Listen- The best way to solve a problem is to listen freely and unbiasedly to understand the root of the problem first.
- Create and Implement a Plan- Plans should come directly from the need or problem, not political agendas/egos of those proposing them. After you create the plan, execute it. So many people just let these good ideas sit and they never act on them.
- Adjust Your Model- Rome wasn’t built in a day and your problem won’t be solved overnight. Be willing to adjust, modify and sometimes completely excavate your plan along the way in a thoughtful way. Listen to feedback, understand capacity limitations, and don’t be scared to try something new even if it doesn’t work. You can always adjust for greater impact, but if you never try, you will never have any impact.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? How do you think this might help people?
I want to share with you my current projects in the hopes of bringing light to the power of small acts and how those acts can turn into huge things.
Years ago, we started an Adopt A Family Holiday Giving program, where children put together their holiday gift list and then the organization found people to sponsor the children. I thought the program was awesome, but I was not directly involved. About 5 years ago, that all changed with a simple Facebook message asking my friends and family if they wanted to help. A handful of people stepped forward. The effort was small, but the gratitude and love I felt as a result was long lasting, and I decided to do it again the next year.
Well, things grew incrementally from there and now this small effort has turned into a community event which I run out of my basement (aka Santa’s workshop). Last year, my efforts (not including the total for the organization) provided 250 children with 800 presents for the holidays. This year I’m on track to reach between 300–400 kids just out of my basement. What started as a small thing has grown, and now I have the support of local schools, girl scout troops and even companies. I’m honestly blown away.
The families that we’ve helped to support are clients that receive food from our Food Pantry, are students at one of our Full Service Community Schools, or the children of clients of our Next Step Workforce Development Program. These families are not able to meet their basic needs without the assistance of our agency, so the holidays are always a challenge and an extra stressful time for them. Without the gracious help of volunteers, many families would go without presents.
I think back on how this program has grown here and I’m even more grateful. The donations really made a difference and there is no better way to say it than to share some happy faces at our Adopt A Family pick up event. During this event, all the adopted families received their holiday packages to save for Christmas Day.
The second piece is a newer project of mine. This once again grew out of a need and has taken legs of its own. Because I get several requests from people wanting to do service activities, I’ve instituted a monthly service night through my church on the third Friday of every month. We get together and make 50–100 sandwiches for the St. Paul’s CDC Emergency Men’s Shelter, and then share a pizza dinner. Again what started as a modest operation back in September has grown into the hottest ticket in town. Every month we’ve grown incrementally and last month, I walked through the door and lost count after 60 people were staring back at me with standing room only. We now have people who sponsor the food, supplies, etc and every month we are growing. It is just amazing to see this all come together and continue to evolve and grow each month.
What you are doing is not easy. What inspires you to keep moving forward?
Nothing in life is easy. However, if you are passionate about what you do, you will never work a day in your life. I have the joy of waking up everyday and feeling good about the work that I am doing. It is challenging at times but knowing that my work is positively impacting the lives of others makes me never want to stop. Spreading a little kindness each day has also positively impacted my own life. I feel joy and purpose in ways that are unimaginable. I’m grateful and forever blessed as a result.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- Everything isn’t black and white. There is a large amount of gray area.
Years ago when I was the Director of GOTB, I got a call from an adult child of someone in one of the prison we served. She on paper was not our ideal client. She was out of state, we only served people in state. She was over 18, we primarily served minors. She was inquiring about visiting her dad, the incarcerated parents were supposed to write an application requesting visits. She called me a month before the event, we start planning for this event 6–8 months prior because of all of the paperwork requirements at the prison. I wanted so badly to not take her call, but at the time, my assistant begged me to. This is a moment to this day, I am still grateful for.
What I learned on that call is that she had not seen or heard from her father since she was 2 years old. Her biological mother had never told her about her dad, even though she saw many photos of him from when she was a baby. She was living on the east coast and she never knew much about her father or his whereabouts. One day, her biological uncle, her father’s brother, contacted her via FB. He told her who he was and asked if she wanted to be connected with her father.
Although at first, she was critical about this, she agreed and what developed was a years long relationship through letters and calls. They reunited and learned that they both had so much in common, including passions for both poetry and faith. As she pleaded with me to secure a seat on the bus, I knew that in this case, I would not be following the rules. They met for the first time and I got to see that reunion first hand. It was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, which never would have happened if I just saw everything in black and white.
2. Don’t be afraid to fail.
I wrote a book. It took me 16 years. It is slated to be published by Koehler Books in 8/8/23. The process of doing this was grueling, uncertain, and sometimes made me feel like giving up would be the best option. However, when the writing got tough, I brought on my old AP English teacher as my cowriter. We spent years polishing the manuscript. Then we shopped it to agents, another layer of Dante’s Hell. After so much rejection and silence, I met the agent of my dreams and signed with her. The odds were against us at a 1 in 6,000 chance, but we did it. Then we solicited publishers. Again, tons of rejection and silence. After a year, we were told, it would never happen for us and then, we got a book deal! We have been featured in local and national media and the manuscript has already been mentioned as a finalist for an award. My point- do not be afraid to fail because if you are, you will limit your own potential.
3. People aren’t going to learn about what you do by you being quiet.
No one will know what you do if you don’t tell them. You don’t have to scream it from the roof or be annoying in the process, but you do need to have a presence, a mission and stay on brand. It takes the average person 7 times to hear an invitation to act before they do. Stay consistent, stay focused, and most importantly, stay present.
4. Everyone needs an advocate.
I have learned this the most in my father’s challenging health circumstances. The squeaky wheel always gets the grease. When helping clients, be ready and willing to advocate for them and to help them advocate for themselves. There is no more powerful skill to help people with. Your speaking up can literally help save or change someone’s life.
5. Find a mentor who you can look up to.
I was blessed to have some amazing bosses over the years. Two of the best are my boss at GOTB Sr. Suzanne Jabro, who at the age of 75 is still blazing trails helping people and my current boss at SPCDC Richard Williams. He trusts my judgement and does not micromanage. These two people help to ground me and keep me looking toward accomplishing higher career goals. Everyone should have a Suzanne and a Richard!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
That is very kind; however, I see myself as a liaison helping others to engage in service. I believe that is my purpose in life. As far as inspiring a new movement, I think anything in the service field helps to root people and influence the masses to good. When you come together with the intention of helping others no matter how small the task might be, barriers are broken, disagreements are put aside, and people see each other’s humanity. It is a beautiful space to be in.
As far as something new, when I see a need, I get in there and do it and put my 100% into it. I am not a silent dreamer. I’m more of a roll-your-sleeves up-and-get-it-done type. Hence, I believe that what I have going on right now serves the best purpose for my work at this time.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” — Mr. Rogers
There is so much in life to be depressed, upset, and angry about. However, behind every issue, there are people working for the good of others- the helpers. I strive to be in this category as much as I possibly can.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I feel blessed to have had lunch with some amazingly wonderful people of the course of my years. If I could go back in time though, it would be Mr. Rogers. I am a Pittsburgh girl through and through, and to this day I live by his quotes and philosophy on life.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find me on FB and IG @joecostanzoprimadonna and on Twitter @mariacpalmer and at www.mariacpalmer.com
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Maria C Palmer Of St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation Is H was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.