About Us

Children of Grace demonstrates the love of Jesus Christ by offering hope to Ugandan orphans and other children affected by poverty and AIDS.

We do this through education, healthcare and empowerment programs to enable them a better future.

The vision for Children of Grace began when Mary Ann McCoy first witnessed the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in 2002. On a trip to Uganda to help with the AIDS crisis, Mary Ann met Grace, an HIV positive mother of two. Grace confided in Mary Ann that she was afraid to die, leaving her children as orphans. “Who is going to love, nurture and educate them?” In response, Mary Ann promised to educate Grace’s children. Soon after Grace died, Children of Grace was born to fulfill the promise to love, nurture and educate Ugandan children. Today, Children of Grace works tirelessly toward this commitment by providing education, lifesaving healthcare, empowerment programs and holistic mentoring to thousands of Ugandan orphans and other children impacted by extreme poverty and AIDS.

Board of Directors

Paul has served on the Children of Grace Board since January 2009. Paul and his family lived in Uganda and served as our Operations Director for eighteen months. This allows him to bring a special perspective to our Board discussions. Paul currently lives in Denver, CO and works as a consultant in the Information Technology Service Industry.

Mary Ann is the Founder and Executive Director of Children of Grace. She was driven to help the HIV/AIDS orphans of Uganda in 2001. Her vision is to see the youth of Uganda transformed by Christ’s love. She has dedicated her work to providing education to those who would not otherwise have access to schooling. Mary Ann has four children, five grandchildren and a supporting husband. She was born and raised in Iowa and is currently a San Francisco resident. Mary Ann is a graduate nurse, and she and her husband Mike have spent the last several years in Uganda managing the operations there.

Steve began his professional career, teaching and coaching high school in California. Steve has worked in the printing industry and sales management. Steve was led to Uganda and impacted by the needs of widows and orphans. Over the past several years, Steve has spent time in Uganda with MicroBusiness Mentors (MBM), a partner ministry that provides micro business loans to our guardians.

Mike has served as a Children of Grace Board Member and its CFO since the incorporation of Children of Grace in 2001. Mike has been married over 50 years to Children of Grace’s Founder and Executive Director Mary Ann. He is a trustee and former Board Chair of the Athenian School in Danville, CA and currently serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Beacon Residential Community Association in San Francisco. Mike is a retired corporate Executive and business owner.

Rebecca Gast is a Strategy Consultant, who is passionate about advancing education and supporting children in developing countries. She has her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Rebecca has experience in strategic planning, financial management, and non-profit consulting. She volunteered with CoG last year, visited Uganda in January and is eager to continue working with the organization to meet its strategic plan.

Anupam Jindal relates a lot to underprivileged kids. He was born in a small village in India where education wasn’t a priority. His mom was asked to leave school at an early age. However, AJ’s parents understood the importance of education and sent him to school. They often ate food once a day to cover AJ’s education expenses. AJ now holds a bachelors degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. He worked at AppDynamics/Cisco as a Senior Product Manager and now works as Head of Growth at Sentry.