In 2019 Rhonda Davis Consulting was opened which serves the local community and offers a variety of services including grant writing and research, fundraising and talent management and image consulting.
Topsail Island resident Rhonda Davis pays it forward in the community through her eponymous business.
Although she grew up in West Virginia, Topsail has been a part of her story for as long as she can remember. Her father, who was in the U.S. Marines, served at nearby Camp Lejeune, and she spent every summer of her life vacationing on the island.
Reflecting on her upbringing, she says, “My parents raised me to be service-minded, and as a Christian, Jesuit Graduate and Rotarian, I know that ‘service above self’ is a daily choice.”
Davis exemplifies this calling throughout her career. Over the last 30 years, she has worked in higher education, healthcare, homelessness services and addiction recovery, real estate and advocacy and has raised funds for businesses, schools, churches and nonprofits.
In 2019 — just a few years after making Surf City her full-time residence — she founded Rhonda Davis Consulting, which serves the local community and offers a variety of services including grant writing and research, fundraising and talent management and image consulting.
“The availability of funding opportunities for women, minorities and veteran-owned businesses are substantial, and I want to help spread the word to those looking for help,” she says.
What Davis found with grant writing is that it marries her need to help others with her love of storytelling and writing. One of her recent successes is likely a familiar face to those in the area — LaRhea Burke, co-founder of Picnic Haven. Davis recently helped Burke raise funds to compete as a bodybuilder on a national level in the 2023 NPC Atlantic Coast Championship.
“My hope is that through my journey, others can see their incredible strength, just as Rhonda’s support helped me see mine,” Burke says of working with Davis. “I want to be a beacon of inspiration, to empower women to rise above hardships and realize the greatness within themselves.”
This is just one example of the call to action Davis embodies in her work: “Strong women lift each other up” and it is indicative of what she is trying to create in the Topsail community and beyond.
Davis says she has found that so many in the area share the same sentiment about helping others, and that is why she and several local business women are creating a new foundation (for which they are currently seeking board members).
“I know I cant help everybody, but at least I can maybe spread awareness and steer people in the right direction to find funding to pursue their dreams and goals, while hopefully improving the quality of life for themselves and others.”
Davis is also the broker in charge of the Surf City branch of Wicker Properties of the Carolinas. Though that is a different type of role, Davis notes how everything she does is rooted in service. “I love to help people. That’s what I do,” she says.
Davis offers free monthly Grant Writing Workshops at different businesses around the area. To attend or host a session, volunteer or inquire about getting on the foundation’s board of directors, contact Davis through her website at rhondadavisconsulting.com or call her at (910) 660-1205.
Want to Contact her?
Rhonda Davis Consulting
(910) 660-1205
rhondadavisconsulting.com
Photography by Daria Amato
