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 & Team
COGO is guided by a board and leadership team who bring lived experience, professional skills, and a deep commitment to healing our community.
Jarena Griffin-Price, Board Chair
Jarena Griffin-Price serves as the Chair of the Board for Community of Grace Organization. With a deep rooted passion for helping women and children, Jarena brings both personal heart and professional experience to this work.
As a former caseworker for the state of Maryland, she witnessed firsthand the challenges families face in rebuilding their lives after addiction.
She also brings years of expertise in business management, development, and administration, and holds an MBA. A proud mother herself, Jarena is inspired by her love for community and family, and believes deeply in the power of the village to uplift and restore.
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.
Sherry Travis, Outreach Manager
Sherry Travis is the Outreach Manager for the Community of Grace Organization (COGO) and a dedicated Maryland public servant with decades of community service. Since the late 1980s, she has led as a Brownie Girl Scout leader, worked 23 years with Baltimore County Public Schools, and supported individuals in need through hands-on care and encouragement.
After entering recovery on June 20, 2021, Sherry turned her lived experience into professional service—becoming a Maryland Certified Peer Recovery Specialist (CPRS), passing the MABPCB exam on February 23, 2024, and earning certification as a Medication Technician.
She joined Hilda’s Foundation as a Peer Specialist on January 8, 2024, and continues to guide others with empathy while building partnerships and connecting families to resources through her outreach work with COGO.
Amutul Mwanje, Marketing & Community Engagement Specialist
I am serving as the marketing and community engagement specialist. As a part of this team, I use my marketing and communications experience to strengthen visibility and help advance our mission to support women and children in recovery.
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.