María Robbins

Grant writer for non-profit organizations(30 + years)

Optimistic, practical, organized, adaptable, visionary

Cooking

Growing up on a small farm in Fentress County, Tennessee, I was introduced to books bymy mother who taught me to read before I started to school. It was there, too, that I wrotemy first “article” about what I did on my summer vacation between eighth grade and highschool. I received a check of $8.00 from the old Grit newspaper for that first effort and myfather was so proud of me that he bought a desk, chair and manual typewriter for me. Mylife’s course was set. I am sitting at that same desk in that same chair now; but the oldmanual typewriter has morphed into a new HP computer In the intervening years, thewriting skills that I acquired because my parents invested their time and interest in seeingto it that I could follow my dream of being a writer have been an integral part of my careersin public television, tourism development and marketing, and public library management.