The Nia Project celebrates our members as they flourish and engage meaningfully in their communities. Here we highlight some of our members’ accomplishments. We are so pleased for them and so proud of them. We are grateful for their contributions and dedication to making the world safer, more compassionate and more inclusive.
Marcenda Wilkes
We want to highlight one of our Nia members, Marcenda Wilkes, on all of her accomplishments at the Red Cross in the last two years. Marcenda started with the Red Cross in 2022 after being encouraged and supported by the Nia Project Empowerment and Community Engagement group. During her time with the Red Cross, she has deployed three times to different natural disasters in Florida, Mississippi and Hawaii. Marcenda also consistently responds to incidents within Georgia. During her tenure at the Red Cross, she has received the 2023 Disaster Action Team Member of the Year Award and promoted multiple times with her current title being Disaster Action Team Manager/Deputy Coordinator and Shelter Supervisor. Marcenda had this to share about her time at the Red Cross: “Since being in the organization, I rose the ranks pretty fast, learning a lot on the way. Being able to help people in the time of a disaster is the greatest reward. I was given that final push to join in 2022 by the Nia Project and I am thankful for that and all the support.” Congratulations Marcenda, we are grateful to have been a part of your journey and success!
Donna Hahn McCoy
We want to congratulate one of our Nia Members, Donna Hahn McCoy, who was presented with the 2023 President’s Award by the Fayette Chapter of the NAACP on November 5, 2023, at the 23rd Annual Freedom Fund Banquet. Donna was recognized with this award for her success in planning Fayetteville’s 2023 Juneteenth Celebration, as well as her research and advocacy with the Fayette County Historical Society in registering the Reuben Gay Place with the Georgia Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historical Places. The Reuben Gay Place is the first African American Historical Site in Fayette County, Georgia. Congratulations Donna, we are so proud of you!