Our Story
Grace After Fire was first started as The Women's Heart by Stephanie Moles in 2002, with a focus on increasing access to healthcare services for women Veterans, especially those who struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.
Over time, the leadership of the organization transitioned from Stephanie Moles to retired Air Force Colonel Kim Olson, then to US Navy Corpsman Tana Plescher.
As Grace After Fire matured, the focus of the organization shifted from the challenges of the woman Veterans to the empowerment of the woman Veteran. Grace After Fire's mission became centered on helping the woman Veteran help herself by connecting her with the resources and the tools she needs to be a productive citizen in her community, her work and her home after transitioning from the military.
Ever since 2008, Grace After Fire has been serving the Veteran community by providing community resource navigation services, social events, and annual retreats to women Veterans and their families. In 2012, Grace After Fire launched the Table Talk Color Me Camo peer-to-peer support group programming designed specifically for women Veterans, and in 2017, Grace After Fire began providing financial basic needs assistance to women Veterans and her family. Since then and currently in 2024, resources for health & wellness, retreats, resource navigation information and programs are provided.
Our Mission
The mission of Grace After Fire is to provide the means for women Veterans to gain knowledge, insight and self-renewal.
Our Vision
To help women Veterans help themselves.
Our Motto
We serve to protect the Veteran, connect the resource and renew the women.
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We value and respect all women Veterans seeking support.
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We demonstrate visionary leadership.
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We create an environment that fosters committed community integration, belonging and social connectedness, for the women we serve, our employees, key stakeholders and partners.
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We engage in and promote the access of resources to all women Veterans and improve their quality of life.
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We practice the highest ethical behavior and personal integrity.
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We implement responsible financial management in the development of resources and programs.
Our Team
Program Director
Marine Corps Veteran
Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS)
Lisa Cortinas
Community Relations Coordinator
Marine Corps Veteran
Mental Health Peer Specialist (MHPS)
Kathlyn (Kat)Curry
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chuyone McGuire-Ford
Chairwoman
U.S. Navy Veteran
License Professional Counselor-Supervisor
Helen De La Rosa
Board Director
Finance Manager bp EV Charging MBA, CPA, CMA
Misty McNabb
Board Director
TWU
MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC
MBA-HM BSN, RN
Kimberly Vernon-Hindrix
Board Director
San Antonio VA (LCSW-S)
Rhonda Gosda
Board Director
Bank of America Merrill Lunch Commodities, Inc
CPA
Juanita Reescano
Board Director
Marathon Oil
MBA
Our Financials
Grace After Fire is a certified 501(c)(3), registered in the State of Texas and with the Internal Revenue Service. We are committed to transparency and the careful stewardship of the resources generously provided by our valued donors, funders, sponsors, and volunteers.
EIN: 46-3653209
PAST FINANCIALS
Other Important Documents
Amelia Peacock
Program Director | Marine Corps Veteran
Amelia is a USMC Veteran who has a heart and passion for serving her fellow Women Veterans! Amelia served as a volunteer Peer Facilitator of our Table Talk: Color Me Camo Peer Series for a year and a half prior to joining the Grace After Fire staff.
Amelia provides peer support service through Table Talk: Color Me Camo, referral services to women veterans and their families and connects them with external service providers.
Lisa Cortinas
Community Relations Coordinator
United States Marine Corps & Texas Army National Guard
Lisa Marie Cortinas, United States Marine Corps and Texas Army National Guard Veteran served during both Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).
At the age of 19, she joined the United States Marine Corps. It was here she realized she was destined for something much bigger than herself. She did four years of Active Duty in the Marine Corps, deploying once to Thailand for a humanitarian mission (Cobra Gold), purifying water and then deploying twice to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
After her active-duty time in the Marine Corps, she joined the Texas Army National Guard where she deployed to Afghanistan, with Operation Enduring Freedom. Once she returned home from her deployment, she returned to Afghanistan as a government contractor assisting the warfighter by providing them with Gunshot Detection Systems and Seismic Sensors for force protection purposes. Lisa Marie is grateful for every role she has served in within the military and civilian sector because she recognizes that they were all significant roles that played a major purpose where she could still participate in helping others.
After giving twenty-two years (most all of her adult life), serving in the military and in a military capacity, Lisa Marie continues to serve the Veteran community as the Community Relations Coordinator for a nonprofit organization called Grace After Fire (GAF). Serving in this role also allows Lisa Marie to empower herself by making positive impacts and connections within the Veteran community.