Saved By Grace is a 501c3 which helps to provide the needs of the unsheltered of Glynn County and the surrounding areas without discrimination.
It Takes a Village
Meet Our Team
Saved By Grace was founded by two amazing ladies with a mission to make a difference. Since then, their organization has grown!
In addition to serving Glynn County, we now have “boots on the ground” in Camden, Franklin & McIntosh Counties with a Wayne County team coming soon.
Glynn County: Phone – 912-217-0256 | Email – info@savedbygraceglynn.com
Camden County: Phone – 912-602-3123 | Email – dhoward@savedbygraceglynn.com
Franklin County: Email – sbgfranklin@gmail.com
McIntosh County: Phone – 912-217-0256 | Email – dhoward@savedbygraceglynn.com
Wayne County: Coming Soon
Donna Howard
Founder & Executive Director
A 1995 graduate of Glynn Academy, Donna is married to Timothy and together they have five kids: Marysa, 30, Jason, 29, Stephanie, 26, Grace Anne, 16, & Brady, 11. Jason and his beautiful wife, Amanda, have blessed them with 2 amazing grandkids, Charles, 4 and Piper, 2.
Donna has always been passionate about youth and the less fortunate. Before founding Saved By Grace in 2016, Mrs. Howard, who is a 4th degree black belt, was the instructor for Karate 4 Christ, a ministry she founded as a part of Blythe Island Baptist Church. The program was not only a free martial arts program, but it incorporated bible verse memorization, bible lessons and mission projects as a part of the requirements for obtaining the next belt rank. She trained the students to protect themselves physically and spiritually.
Mrs. Howard is a certified mental health coach and is working towards being an addiction counselor. In 2024, she has plans to start the process of obtaining her nonprofit management degree to further help those God has placed in her path.
In her free time, Donna enjoys cutting grass, woodworking and martial arts. Give her a power tool and a project idea, and she is a happy woman! At her home in Shellman Bluff, you will probably find her in a hammock relaxing on the river with her family.
Mrs. Howard is one of the two founders of Saved By Grace. She has been the Executive Director since November of 2022. She has been on the Board of Directors since it was founded in November of 2016.
Email – dhoward@savedbygraceglynn.com
Maria Gamble
Founder & Assistant Director
A 1981 graduate of Brunswick Christian Academy, Maria is married to Steve, and they have one daughter, Lindsey. She is the proud Mimi to 2 amazing grandchildren, Addison and Oaklen.
Maria worked in the hospitality industry for 32 years before coming to Saved By Grace full time.
Email – mgamble@savedbygraceglynn.com
Brent E. Clark
House Manager – Glynn County Team
A 1997 graduate of Daviess County High School in Kentucky, Brent E. Clark is the dad of the amazing Emma, age 11.
Brent is a devout follower of Jesus Christ and loves sharing his
love for others. He is a mental health coach, mentor and friend to the men in the shelter. When he is not working at his dream job at Saved By Grace, he enjoys playing disc golf and leading others to Christ.
Email – sbghousemgr1616@gmail.com
Denise Baxley
Franklin County Team
Born in Savannah, Ga, raised in Hazelhurst, Denise is married to Kevin, her best friend. After high school, Denise obtained her criminal justice degree & has a career as a paralegal. She and Kevin have a couple of kids and a grandchild. In her free time, Denise loves to spend time with family & exploring the North Georgia mountains.
Franklin County team email – sbgfranklin@gmail.com
Kevin Baxley
Franklin County Team
Born in Baxley, Ga, Kevin is the middle child of a family of 5 children. Kevin is married to the love of his life, Denise. Kevin is a skilled carpenter & loves to build and remodel houses. He and Denise have a couple of kids and a grandchild. In his free time, Kevin loves to fish and explore the North Georgia mountains.
Franklin County team email – sbgfranklin@gmail.com
Meet Our Board of Directors
Donna Howard
Founder & Executive Director
Mrs. Howard is one of the two founders of Saved By Grace. She has been the Executive Director since November of 2022 and has been on the Board of Directors since it was founded in November of 2016.
Email – dhoward@savedbygraceglynn.com
Pastor Ryan Strong
Chairman of the Board
Pastor Ryan Strong, is from Manteca, California. He went to Sierra High School, played numerous sports and graduated in 1999. Currently, he is enrolled at Liberty University earning a bachelor’s in psychology.
Family is of the utmost importance to Ryan. He has been married to his beautiful wife, Amber for 17 years and has 4 active children. Payton is 14 and a cheerleader, Titus is 13 and a sportsman, Collins is 8 and most certainly will be a star and Zeke is 4 and will be into everything!
Ryan has been in ministry for 20+ years, starting at the tender age of 18 in youth ministry at Grace Community Church in Manteca. From there, he moved to larger churches and bigger positions finally settling in as a full-time Youth Pastor. He was Ordained in 2017 at Valley Harvest Church. Ryan is very passionate about the youth and children of BIBC, as well as our community. He tries to get involved with as many community events as he can, even planning several children/youth-oriented events. Ryan is a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan and an avid outdoorsman — will hunt and fish for food!
Superpowers: He has a background in Psychology and counseling. Pastor Ryan is also one of the chaplains for the Brunswick and Glynn County Police Departments as well as the Glynn & City Fire Departments. He is great with people & consumes too much Mt. Dew Zero!
Pastor Ryan has been the Next-Generation pastor at Blythe Island Baptist Church for 2 years. He has been on the Saved By Grace board of directors since Fall of 2022 and currently serves as the chairman of the board.
Patrick Cawley
Vice-Chairman of the Board
Patrick has been a resident of Brunswick and the Golden Isles for 40 yrs. He is the proud father of 4 children and 4 grandchildren. His faith, family and country are priorities in his life.
In 2012, he retired from Sysco Foods and now works as the Director of Business support for 90.7 FM WAY Radio, our local Christian radio station.
He is a Certified Christian addiction counselor, certified lay minister and Life Recovery coach.
Working with those bound in the chains of addiction is close to his heart because there was a time in his personal life when he experienced those same addictions and struggles. While working in the ministries he is a part of, he has met many brothers and sisters that struggle with substance abuse and addictive behaviors.
Patrick was instrumental in starting the mandatory Thursday night recovery meetings that are held every week at Saved By Grace. In these meetings many men have taken the necessary steps towards healing and restoring hope and families.
Patrick can always be found helping those less fortunate and cheering for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Mr. Cawley has been on the board of directors for Saved By Grace since the summer of 2022 and currently is serving as the Vice-Chairman.
James Horton
Secretary of the Board
The last 28 years of Jim’s life have been spent pouring into the lives of the next generation of young people. The roles he has had in the past and continues to have are coach, teacher, assistant principal, mentor, friend and most recently Assistant Director of Pupil Transportation for the Glynn County School System.
Early in his career, Mr. Horton wondered where and how God would use him for His glory. He feels like God has laid before him the children of Glynn County. His job is to show up every day and love on kids and try to provide support and stability in an increasingly unstable world. He understands the school is a mission field that many people do not get to experience and tries to treat each day as if he is working for God.
Mr. Horton knows God has blessed him far more than he deserves and each day he strives to give back what he can to those in his care.
In addition to his many job titles in the school system, Jim has also served as FCA leader in schools.
Jim and his wife, Stephanie, are members of Blythe Island Baptist church where they serve as life Group leaders. Jim is also in the worship band as a guitar player.
Mr. Horton has been on the board of directors for Saved By Grace since March of 2023 and currently serves as the Secretary.
David Sharpe
Treasurer of the Board
A 1997 graduate of Glynn Academy and St. Simons Island native, David Sharpe is the proud father to two amazing children, Dax and Stella Mabel.
David serves as founder and Chief Executive Officer for Companions for Heroes, an international nonprofit organization that saves shelter dogs and cats scheduled to be euthanized to place them with active-duty military, military veterans, law enforcement, first responders, and their children who suffer with mental illness.
David is also the CEO of DLSSMS Corporation which provides various services to short-term renters visiting Saint Simons Island, Georgia.
Mr. Sharpe has over 12 years of federal government and military service, having served six years in the United States Air Force Security Forces and eight years in the U.S. Intelligence Community. David is a military combat veteran, having served in various domestic and overseas assignments while in the military and in the U.S. Government. During David’s tenure in the military, he served in Operations NOBLE EAGLE, ENDURING FREEDOM, MOUNTAIN STORM, SOUTHERN WATCH, NORTHERN WATCH and PROVIDE COMFORT.
During his tenure in the U.S. Intelligence Community, David was a political and counterintelligence analyst for various federal agencies and considered a subject matter expert in those disciplines. David has been featured in TIME Magazine’s “100 New Scientific Discoveries”, The Washington Post, CBS Evening News, FOX News Channel, TIME Magazine, The Pentagon Channel, USA Today, and many other national and local press and media outlets. David has many various military, civilian and personal / professional awards.
Mr. Sharpe has a B.A. in Criminology with a specialization in Human Services from Saint Leo University.
David Sharpe has been on the board of directors for Saved By Grace since the fall of 2022.
Gregory Jaudon
Brunswick native, Gregory Jaudon has built a rewarding career providing support services to and protecting our community’s most vulnerable citizens. He began his career as a social services case manager with the Department of Family and Children’s Services where he assisted children and families in crisis. He held a variety of leadership positions during his 15 years with DFCS, culminating in the role of Field Program Specialist. Since 2006 he has held the position of Lead Social Worker/Homeless Coordinator with the Glynn County School System until retiring in June 2022.
Mr. Jaudon currently works part time as the homeless liaison for the Glynn County School system, and he is also a realtor. Mr. Jaudon was instrumental in acquiring the McKinney – Vento grant for several years. This provided funding for support services for homeless/unaccompanied youth in our community. These funds were used for after-school care, clothing, school supplies, birth certificates and immunizations for uninsured children.
Mr. Jaudon brings the same level of commitment and dedication to his volunteer work as he has shown in his profession. He serves on various boards in the community i.e. SHARE, and Coastal Community Health. He has held various positions including president, treasurer, and scholarship chairperson of the Brunswick Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity for over 25 years. During his tenure as chapter president, his primary focus has been the development and implementation of Guide Right initiatives which provide scholarships to deserving students in need. For his volunteerism and efforts on behalf of the area’s children, Jaudon received the Friend of Children Award from the Glynn County School System, certificate of appreciation for work with the Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Youth Leadership Summit, Brunswick Links chapter community service award and the Foster Parent Management Award. He also has served as trustee and food bank committee member at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church, where he has been an active member over twenty years.
A graduate of Brunswick High School, Mr. Jaudon received his undergraduate degree in criminal justice from Georgia Southern University and a Master of Social Work degree from Savannah State University. A proponent of lifelong learning, he served as an adjunct faculty member and mentor for the Savannah State University graduate level social work students.
Jaudon and his wife, Mavis, are the proud parents of three children: Greg Jr., Sydney, and Benjamin. He is grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of the families and children of the Golden Isles community but receives the most joy from his roles as father and husband.
Mr. Jaudon has been on the Saved By Grace board of directors since March of 2023 and currently serves as our treasurer.
Dr. Kendall Shaw
Dr. Kendall L. Shaw serves as the lead pastor of Empowerment City Church in Brunswick, GA and Jesup, GA.
ECC is a community-oriented organization which focuses on bringing people to Christ by empowering them to overcome life’s challenges, connect them to needed resources and loving them through their growth process. ECC has partnered with the Tim Tebow Foundation and serves as the host church for Glynn County’s “Night to Shine,” a prom-type event for the special needs community. ECC has partnered with Buckingham Terrace apartments and Jesup Health and Rehabilitation nursing home to provide Christmas and Thanksgiving meals to the residents and provides contributions to each throughout the year for day-to-day needs. ECC founded the Christopher Byshawn Turner scholarship in memory of a young man who served the youth of Wayne County and died due to Covid-19 complications. The award is given each year to a high school senior. ECC serves the homeless population around the church that’s located at 428 Picric St. in Brunswick, GA, and help them with clothing, food, blankets and connecting them to community resources.
Kendall also serves as CEO of two state-licensed preschools owned by Empowerment Community Church.
He is a native to Brunswick and is a 1978 graduate of Glynn Academy. He has a degree in business administration and accounting. In addition, he has an honorary doctorate degree from St. Thomas University for outstanding leadership and community involvement.
Kendall retired from the Department of Justice in 2011 after working 25 years as a correctional administrator in various roles, including Associate Warden of Programs. He created inmate work release programs, served as re-entry coordinator for FCI Jesup, ensured inmates received required drug treatment, and arranged transitional housing.
In 1995, working as a unit manager in a prison medical facility in Lexington KY, Kendall developed a strong sense for the non-profit sector. He created mentoring programs in the Fayette County school system for at risk children, which included a component that empowered inmates to speak to the children. Dr. Shaw received the Attorney General’s Award from Janet Reno for his contribution to the Fayette County school system.
Kendall served on the board of directors for Wayne County Family Connection. He has served on the planning committee that implemented public transportation in Wayne County. He served on the founding board of directors of Wayne County’s Boys and Girl’s Club and was instrumental in hiring their first Executive Director. In addition, he served on the board of directors for Comprehensive AIDS Resource Encounter, Inc. (C.A.R.E.), an AIDS and HIV organization created to provide total resources and services for those living with HIV and AIDS.
Kendall currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Glynn County Family Connection, the Children’s Reading Foundation of Georgia, and Saved By Grace Glynn, Inc.
Teria Flowers
A Brunswick native and graduate of Brunswick High School, Teria has a Bachelor of Science in communication arts from Georgia Southern University. She has over 25 years of sales, management, and operations experience.
In 2020 during COVID-19, Teria began her work in the non-profit sector, becoming a Life Skills Coach at Safe Harbor in their Street Beat program. She is now the agency’s SRAE coordinator. She assists 14 to 22-year-old clients with employment coaching, such as filling out applications and strengthening interview skills.
Each Wednesday, you can find Ms. Flowers at Saved By Grace helping the clients with housing assessments. She is faithful to be there to help each week.
Teria is a member of the Savannah Presbyterian Mission Committee. She has a son, Michael, who is a senior at Georgia Southern.
Teria loves to travel and is constantly checking off her bucket list of places she wants to go.
Ms. Flowers has been on the Saved By Grace Board of Directors since the fall of 2022.
Success Stories
Changing One Life at a Time
Our success stories keep us motivated! Following are examples of how Saved By Grace is changing lives:
Mr. R
From the very beginning of meeting R, his only goal was to get off the streets and into a place where his little girl had her own room at daddy’s house. Every day while in our men’s transitional work program, he worked towards that goal. He worked. He saved.
The day came when he moved into his place & we had the privilege of helping him decorate his little girl’s room. We had the honor of being there when he signed his lease. We are so proud of your accomplishments, R!!!
K & D
From the depths of addiction & homelessness, K & D are now living their dream in the North Ga mountains! They have restored relationships with their families & K has his drivers license back!!!
We first met them in 2017 when they called us in need of food. Both were working, but the cost of a motel room was too much to make ends meet. For a few years, the chains of addiction held K down, keeping him bound to the only normal he knew since a child.
We reconnected with them recently & learned of the amazing things happening in their lives. We are so proud of K & D!!!
Mr. S
Left homeless when he & his girlfriend split, S came to us sleeping in his car. For almost 6 months, he was a resident of The Refuge Of Grace, our men’s transitional work program. Every single day, S went to work & saved everything he made.
He is now in his own apartment, has a full-time job & is thriving.
About
Donate
Your donation will help us to positively impact our community. All donations are tax deductible.