Maria Teresa Bates

I founded Sew Much Hope Project, LLC, a social enterprise, in 2017. As we grew and our needs changed, we found ourselves in an exciting but complicated new phase of development: merging with the Refugee and Migrant Women's Initiative, an existing 501(c)3. As two leaders and founders, we had poured ou...r hearts, souls, and 100s of hours of unpaid time into developing our organizations. Therefore, it was imperative that we proceeded with care and a clear understanding of the legal implications and long-term impact of every decision we made. Maria could not have been a better caretaker of our vision. She walked with us every single step of the way, from assessing our programmatic structure to Board training and everything in between. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we would not be the robust and dynamic organization we are today without her knowledge of nonprofit law and "boots on the ground" mentality. In addition, her intelligent, empathetic, and experienced guidance was indispensable and made the whole journey enjoyable. Thank you, Maria, for your dedication and determination.

Maria has been working with our nonprofit organization on a pro bono basis; she has done an incredible job providing legal and strategic guidance, contract drafting and negotiation, and compliance insight as we assessed our programs and plotted a course for long-term growth and development. Throughou...t the entire process, she added to the value of our organization through her work ethic and analytical skills. As a result, we have a more structured organization with clear, specific, thoroughly developed plans of action for our current programs and a blueprint for our future growth. Maria is very focused and task-oriented, yet she still relates to her clients on a more personal level, cheering each success or uplifting spirits when the inevitable roadblocks occurred...and she always helped us find the path forward. We are very thankful for her dedication to her clients, her passion for her work, and the sincerity of her heart while working with our board and staff. Maria thank you for reminding us that dreams do indeed come true when you wake up and take the first step forward… Highly recommend!