Jessica Taylor, Founder
My name is Jessica Taylor and I am the founder of It Takes A Village: SMP. I currently work from home as a prior authorization specialist for a medical company, and run It Takes A Village: SMP in my spare time. I am a mother of one little girl, and a stepmom to one little boy. I also have a house full of fur-babies! In my spare time I enjoy reading books and spending time with my family. Helping the community became a passion of mine when I was about 18 years old. I started helping local organizations hand out Christmas gifts to underprivileged families and noticed the overwhelming need for more resources in our community. It Takes A Village: SMP started as a non-profit for Christmas gifts and quickly grew from there. I enjoy helping our community as much as possible and put a lot of time into making sure everyone gets the resources they need to live successful and fulfilling lives.
Kendyl Russell, Executive Director
My name is Kendyl Russell. I am a new board member of It Takes a Village: SMP. I am a Marine Corps veteran and have a BA in Psychology from University of Washington, however, I have had the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom since graduating. I am blessed to be raising four children (3 bio and one amazing bonus). To them, I am just Mama Bee but recently I have found myself through volunteering and service of others. For me, the work I do with It Takes a Village gives me purpose outside of motherhood again. Key & Clover Designs is another one of my babies, where I share my passion for art and creation in the form of door hangers, custom hand painted clothing and more. While I spent most of my teens and young adult years trying to escape St. Mary Parish, when I needed healing, I knew there was no place like home. Since coming home, I have found a way to set roots and make myself part of this community. I am committed to using my education and personal experience to help our community members through hard times and life’s challenges. I look forward to working with and for our community.
It Takes A Village: St. Mary Parish 