Mary Ferrell is the Founder and Director of the Maslow Project. Born and raised in Medford, Oregon, Mary attended local Medford Schools and graduated from Southern Oregon University with a degree in History and a focus on Political Science. She went to work for Medford School District 549C as an opportunity to work directly with her community and to work toward creating change in the lives of youth in poverty.
As the Family Resource Specialist and McKinney Liaison for Medford Schools, she has worked directly with the community’s homeless children and families for the past nine years. Mary has served on many committees including the Rogue Valley Homeless Task Force and Homeless Youth Task Force, Teen Parent Advisory, and Direct Service and Network Team in an effort to increase community awareness and education of homeless youths’ rights and to advocate for the increase in services and resources for youth.
Over the years, Mary has come to recognize the unmet needs of this population for easy access to basic emergency needs: food, clothing, hygiene supplies, laundry service, showers and quick connections to resources and support services. She founded Maslow Project in 2006 on the foundation that a community could work collaboratively, sharing limited resources for the good of children and families in need.
Mary works collaboratively with many local organizations, churches, individuals and agencies to help bridge the gaps in services and raise resources for our youth. She has also volunteered for Kids Unlimited of Southern Oregon helping to raise funds for free after-school programs, sports camps and enrichment opportunities for disadvantaged youth.
Mary received an award in recognition of her work to “Improve the Lives of Women and Children” by the Soroptimist International in 2008 and was nominated by Dona Bolt from the Oregon Department of Education for a national award for “Outstanding School-Based Education Program Providing Services to Children in Homeless Situations” and presented the Maslow Project model at the 2008 National Conference for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
Mary hopes to continue to serve her community in whatever capacity is needed to improve the lives of children and families.