Meet Maria Dismondy | Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Dismondy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, how does your business help the community?
Metro Detroit has many pockets deemed book deserts. This means homes in those areas do not have age appropriate books for children to read. If chilren learn to read and they do not have books at home to practice their literacy skills, it will be more challenging for them to be succesful in reading. Detroit needed a book bank and that is what Making Spirits Bright is, a place where books come in and go back out to those who need them!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Two decades ago I was a classroom teacher. Then I wrote a children’s book and I then reisgned from teaching to grow our family while continuing to write books. Writing was never a plan for my future! Writing transformed into opening a publishing company. I never went to school to run a business and so with that, there were many challenges I needed to overcome. Naturally I love learning and was able to teach myself the skills needed to run a successful publishing company. Starting a book access nonprofit allowed me to use everything I learned in publishing for something bigger than my for profit business.

I want the world to know that anything is possible. We shouldn’t teach the next generation that getting a degree locks you into that career for a lifetime. Your job can evole as you do year after year.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Metro Detroit is filled with hidden gems. I would mix up our adventure with city treasures like visiting bookstores in downtown Detroit. We would hike a few trails, kayak on an inland lake and picnic at one of the Metro Parks. I would definately squeeze in time for a long bike ride along the Airline trail that runs from Pontiac to South Lyon.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Making Spirits Bright couldn’t have been made possible without the support of the volunteer Tracy Tullis. She has put hours or her time and expertise into helping build the book bank into the success it is today!

Website: https://www.makingspiritsbright.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makingspiritsbrightorg

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariadismondy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makingspiritsbrightmi