OUR STORY 

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In 1998 my godmother, Dr. Margaret Wright took her first trip to Senegal, West Africa. While she was there she visited a school and was moved by the contrast in this learning environment. Upon returning, she shared with her students at McDade Classical School in Chicago about the conditions of the schools that she visited on her trip. Students in her classes became intrigued and sought out ways to help make a difference. For the next ten years, I participated in her preparation for annual trip to Senegal.

In 2008, with support from my godmother, I was able to join her on this pilgrimage. The most impactful part of this trip was my visit to Goree Island. Goree Island is one of the islands located on the coast of Senegal, which was instrumental in the slave trade. While on the island, I was overtaken by a wide range of emotions as I learned about the atrocities my ancestors endured there. It was in that moment that I made a decision to do something to provide a vehicle of reconciliation and hope. After learning that “every 30 seconds a child in Africa, under the age of 5 dies of malaria," my goal was to provide 1,000 mosquito bed nets to fight against this in Senegal. After returning to the United States, I sought support from individuals and organizations. I was able to raise $48,000 through Rotary International. This funding allowed us to:

• Distribute over 16,000 mosquito bed nets

• Donate over $10,000 in school supplies

• Establish a 20 bed maternity ward in Senegal

This was only the beginning of my nonprofit organization, Project Safety Nets. Our mission is to “create and provide resources that offer a sustainable support system for citizens of developing communities”

"The difference between charity and love - love goes the extra mile to change things" - Ann Dillard

I also enjoy the global component of my work which led me to start a non-profit organization called Project Safety Nets, where we empower residents of underserved communities in Senegal, West Africa while fighting against malaria. Over the past nine years, I have taken many Mission Trips back to the same region of Africa as well as participated in relief efforts in other countries. I have partnered with multiple individuals and organizations to provide resources that help bring hope to the people of this developing country and to save lives.

Serving as the president of the Rotary Club of Plymouth and Visionary/Special Representative to the Rotary Club of North Minneapolis has provided the perfect venue to practice my philosophy of "service above self." I am a graduate of DeVry University, Chicago with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Operations and from Argosy University/Twin Cities, with my Masters of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy for which I hold the credential of Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). I am employed as the School - Linked Mental Health Therapist for Guadalupe Alternative Program, serving 6 - 8 grade students and families at Northeast Middle School in Minneapolis, MN. I am a Trainer/Educator who is credentialed through the Minnesota Center for Professional Development. I am also the owner of K.I.P. Consulting Services where we offer educational training and consulting,while sharing knowledge and strategies that empower others to reach their goals. As a member of Shiloh Temple International Ministries in Minneapolis, MN, my husband of 29 years, Min. Joseph Dillard and I serve as Under - Shepherds for the Family Services Division. I currently serve as the Global Missions Chairperson for the Minnesota Wisconsin Dakotas District Council of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. My husband and I are blessed with four wonderful children, Luvell (Karla), Monisha (Anthony), Joseph, Jr. (Samantha), Aaron, and three grandchildren, Joey, Noah, and Maya.

The best and most important parts of this work are impacting children and families in the community and around the world, by empowering learners and having the opportunity to establish new relationships.

Knowledge is power and the possibilities are endless.