MaaPaa: A Name That Means Everything

MaaPaa. Funny name, right? Sounds like baby talk or maybe something tribal. But it’s neither. Maa (Mother) and Paa (Father)—it’s a name that speaks to strength, sacrifice, and survival. It’s about single mothers raising their children alone, playing both roles, and doing whatever it takes to create a better life.

That’s how it all started—with Founder Nelly Cuenca and her son, Bean.

When Nelly became a divorced mother with full custody, she quickly realized how hard it was to find real support. She saw other mothers struggling just like her, and something in her refused to accept that this was just the way it had to be. Instead of waiting for a solution, she became the solution.

MaaPaa was born—not just to help one mother, or one child, but to lift up an entire community.

MaaPaa Is More Than A Nonprofit—It’s a Lifeline

If you visit 2500 Lawrence St. in South Dallas, you won’t find a fancy office or a high-rise nonprofit center. You’ll find a small convenience store, a patch of land, and a community fighting every single day to survive.

MaaPaa started as a network of single mothers supporting each other, but it has become so much more:

A safe space for kids—a place where they can laugh, play, and just be children.
A library and tutoring hub—because knowledge is power, and these kids deserve every chance to succeed.
Clothing and essentials for the homeless and struggling families—because dignity starts with the basics.
A home for community events, celebrations, and support—because no one should ever feel alone.

But like any grassroots movement, resources are limited—and MaaPaa is now facing a critical challenge: a lack of storage and functional space.

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A Story That Proves Anything Is Possible

If there’s one person who understands what it means to fight against the odds, it’s Viola Davis.

Before she became an Academy Award-winning actress, she was a little girl growing up in South Carolina and Rhode Island, facing extreme poverty.

In her memoir, Finding Me, Davis shares how she didn’t just experience hunger—she lived it. She went to school with an empty stomach, wearing secondhand clothes, and knowing that when she got home, there might not be any food on the table (Finding Me: A Memoir, Viola Davis, 2022).

She and her family lived in run-down apartments where rats would scurry across the floor. "I would put rags on my neck at night because the rats would come and try to bite me," she recalled in an interview (Good Morning America, 2022).

People looked at her like she was nothing.

She heard every voice that said she wasn’t good enough, wasn’t worthy, and wasn’t capable of more. But she fought back.

She pushed past the voices of doubt and refused to let her circumstances define her future. She found her power through storytelling, channeling her pain into something bigger than herself.

Today, Viola Davis is one of the most celebrated actresses of all time—not because success was handed to her, but because she refused to let the world tell her she wasn’t worth it (Finding Me: A Memoir, Viola Davis, 2022).

That’s exactly what MaaPaa is doing for the kids in South Dallas.

Right now, there’s a child in this community just like Viola Davis once was—hungry, unseen, and unheard.

MaaPaa is making sure that child doesn’t get left behind by providing:

A safe space where kids can learn, play, and just be children.
Tutoring and educational support, because knowledge is power.
Clothing and essentials for struggling families—because dignity starts with the basics.
Community events and support, so no mother or child feels alone.

But MaaPaa needs help to keep going. Like any grassroots movement, resources are limited, and they are facing a critical challenge: a lack of storage and functional space.

Just like Viola Davis, these kids deserve a fighting chance—and together, we can give it to them.

📍 Learn more and support MaaPaa at: MaaPaa.org

The Rebuild: It’s Time to Do More

This year, Uncontrollable Minds is stepping in to help MaaPaa like never before. Through our films, our outreach, and our partnerships, we are making MaaPaa the heart of every major initiative we take on in 2024.

🎬 The Rebuild (Documentary): We’re telling the raw, unfiltered story of how we can take a small store and an empty lot and turn it into a beacon of hope. Together, we will renovate and transform this space into a true community hub:

An educational center where kids can learn life skills—cooking, cleaning, financial literacy, things many of us take for granted.
A homestead space where they can be safe, learn, and grow.
A warming center and wash area for the homeless—a place to find shelter, clean up, and be treated with dignity.
A real grocery store, a small restaurant, and a community garden—giving families access to fresh, healthy food and sustainable living skills.

⚾ Diamonds in the Rough (Short Film): A story that isn’t just about baseball—it’s about facing your fears, overcoming doubts, and realizing your worth. A group of kids from MaaPaa will step onto the field to play against baseball legends—only to realize they are really playing against the voices that have told them they will never be enough. This film is about breaking cycles, proving people wrong, and showing these kids that they are limitless.

🌟 Super Star Day: We are bringing the magic of film and baseball to the kids of MaaPaa, giving them a chance to be part of something bigger. They’ll get to be extras in our films, learn from baseball legends, and experience a day designed just for them.

How You Can Help

MaaPaa doesn’t have corporate funding. They don’t have unlimited resources. They survive on the kindness of people who believe in something bigger than themselves.

Right now, we need:
✅ A donated storage unit (or shipping container) to help them continue their mission.
✅ Building materials to expand and renovate their space.
✅ Financial donations to support The Rebuild, Diamonds in the Rough, and Super Star Day.

If you can help, your contribution will directly change lives. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about buildings or baseball games.

It’s about proving that hope is real. That community is powerful. And that when people come together, we can change everything.
Let's help MaaPaa make the biggest impact yet!

By Samantha Paige Wierick

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