About COGO
Community of Grace Organization (COGO) is a peer-led nonprofit based in Frederick, Maryland. We support women, young women (ages 16–24), mothers, and families as they build stability, connection, and opportunity—especially when support has been limited.
COGO provides non-clinical, peer-led wellness education and support groups grounded in the Eight Dimensions of Wellness, along with resource referrals to trusted community and government agencies. Through partnerships with local providers and community organizations, we help participants strengthen coping skills, confidence, healthy routines, and day-to-day stability.
In development: Transitional living for women and children—currently in planning and fundraising. We will share timelines as funding and requirements allow.
Values
✔ Peer-led support and dignity
✔ Non-clinical wellness education and support
✔ Compassionate, community-grounded care
✔ Respect, confidentiality, and choice
✔ Strength-based support and empowerment
Meet the Founder
Barbara Pinnock is the Founder and Executive Director of the Community of Grace Organization (COGO). She is a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother—and a woman in long-term recovery with more than three decades of lived experience rooted in healing, service, and community leadership.
After a 26-year career in Montgomery County government, Barbara continued her path of service through holistic wellness and peer support, guided by a simple truth: recovery is not only about surviving, it's about rebuilding a life with stability, dignity, and purpose. In the aftermath of COVID, she saw a painful gap in the community: too few safe, supportive spaces for women, especially mothers with children to stabilize, heal, and begin again. That need became the foundation for COGO.
COGO was created from Barbara’s life experience and a mission that is deeply personal. After enduring a long season of grief following the loss of her son to gun violence, she committed herself to working even harder to protect the next generation. Barbara believes generational trauma does not stop on its own; it must be interrupted with safety, support, and love. When mothers are carrying pain without resources, children feel it. But when mothers receive peer-led, trauma-informed care and tools for wellness, families stabilize—and children have a real chance to thrive.
Through COGO, Barbara leads peer-led, trauma-informed, recovery-oriented wellness programs grounded in the Eight Dimensions of Wellness creating spaces where women, youth, and families can build connection, stability, and new beginnings. Her mission is simple and urgent: when we support mothers in healing, we protect children, strengthen families, and change what’s possible for the next generation.
Our Board
COGO is guided by a board that brings lived experience, professional skills, and a deep commitment to healing our community.
Arlene Henry, Treasurer
Arlene Henry brings over 40 years of experience in tax preparation and financial services. With a degree in Accounting, she is a Certified Bookkeeper and a licensed tax preparer registered with the IRS and the State of Maryland.
Arlene is the Treasurer of the Community of Grace Organization (COGO), where she supports strong financial oversight and sustainable growth for programs serving women and children in recovery.
She founded About-Face Tax Group LLC in 2019 with a mission to support freelancers, solopreneurs, and underserved communities. After the COVID pandemic, Arlene began traveling and working remotely, offering mobile financial services to fellow nomads and professionals on the move.
Her approach blends professionalism with empathy, equity, and real-world strategy. At About-Face, your pivot is your power—because balance, like nature, is both a science and an art.
Amutul Mwanje, Marketing & Community Engagement Specialist
Amutul serves as the marketing and community engagement specialist. She is a recent graduate with a bachelor’s in Integrated Marketing Communications from Hood College. As a part of the COGO team, she uses her marketing and communications experience to strengthen visibility and help advance our mission to support women and children in recovery.
Volunteer Recognition
Thank you for sharing your time, skills, and experience with our community.
Jarena Griffin-Price
Jarena Griffin-Price served as the Chair of the Board for Community of Grace Organization. With a deep-rooted passion for helping women and children, Jarena brought both personal heart and professional experience to this work.
Stacia Wilson-Ngoh
Stacia served as a Board Member and Secretary of Community of Grace Organization. Her work with us was rooted in integrity, collaboration, and a passion for supporting underserved populations through structured, compassionate, and transformative leadership.
Sherry Travis
Sherry Travis acted as the Outreach Manager for the Community of Grace Organization (COGO) and guided others with empathy while building partnerships and connecting families to resources through her outreach work.
Abbey Bolingbroke & Adrianna Escobar
Abbey & Adrianna served as our very first interns. They supported our administrative and program coordination while learning and applying their knowledge and skills to advance COGO’s mission and contribute to meaningful, purpose-led initiatives.
Help Keep COGO Programs Going
Donations help us provide online wellness support and build partnerships that connect women and families to trusted community and government resources.
COGO is a 501(c)(3). Donations may be tax-deductible.
*COGO is not a crisis service. If you are in danger, call 911. If you need immediate emotional support, call or text 988.