Mary Cota Reed: A Hero to her Family, her Community, and the Non-Profit She Chairs

ATLANTA - May 4, 2024 - PRLog -- Mary Cota Reed is the ultimate volunteer without the time and physical resources to be one.  A true inspiration!  She has been deaf since infancy; but has accomplished so much as you will see below.

A Forty-nine-year-old Sandy Springs resident she is a true hero to her family, her community, and Life House Atlanta, the nonprofit where she serves as the Board Chair.  According to Mary, "I will do anything to get Life House Atlanta off the ground, including walking over hot coals with bare feet. The day we open the house will be one of the happiest days of my life."  www.lifehouseatlanta.org

Mary is the primary caretaker for eight-year-old Catherine who is non-mobile, non-verbal, and 100% tube-fed.  She has cerebral palsy with extreme hypotonia.  She cannot swallow or manage her airway and requires frequent suctioning.  Her 24/7 care is a challenge to this family of 5 that includes husband, Rob, Cecilia, a senior at Georgia Tech and Charles, a freshman at Rhodes College.

Formerly in data analysis with Brentano Captioning Services and Accenture before becoming a mom, Mary currently works part time as a medical billing specialist for Reed Imaging Services.

Her volunteer experience shows a long history of service to the community, including President of the Georgia Chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and for the Georgia Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. She also served as a youth soccer coach.

In 2021 while researching support organizations for her family, Mary found Life House Atlanta, an emerging non-profit.  Life House Atlanta is dedicated to building the first freestanding pediatric respite house in Georgia.

Since joining the board of Life House Atlanta in 2021, she has served on three planning committees: a committee for the Atlanta debut of the documentary Unseen, a film that emphasizes the plight of pediatric caregivers; the committee for the Inaugural Fall Breakfast at the Cherokee Town and Country Club; and the committee for a Pickleball "fun-raiser" on March 23rd to help build a house.  In addition, she contributes to the writing and distribution of the organization's newsletter and yearly progress report.

Full bio: https://lifehouseatlanta.org/2021/08/20/mary-cota-reed/