NORWICH — Aunt Mary’s House and the Norwich Rotary Club are pleased to announce the award of a Rotary Community grant of almost $1,700 to support Aunt Mary’s House over the next 12 months. The grant will be supplemented by a further $250 from the Norwich Rotary Club and $250 from Improve Norwich Now (I.N.N.).

Aunt Mary’s House (AMH) is a non-profit organization located in Chenango County which will provide emergency and transitional shelter to homeless pregnant and parenting young mothers 18 years of age and older and their babies, from pre-born to two years old. The house itself is located in Norwich and will provide a safe haven for young mothers to gain opportunities, use resources, and acquire knowledge toward becoming self-sufficient. The house will need major renovations with a view to welcome our first mom in late 2023.

Aunt Mary’s House offers the opportunity for mothers and their babies to live in a stable, judgment-free environment, for up to two years. Pregnant and parenting mothers will have access to pre-natal healthcare, consistent childcare, support services, educational and vocational resources, counseling and other services. They will also receive support and training to help them develop life skills, parenting skills, career goals and financial literacy.

This support and these services will help mothers build a strong future, transition into permanent housing, and gain lasting independence in the community.

The Rotary Community grant will be used to purchase essential items for the house, such as crockery, silverware, utensils, pots and pans, plus other kitchen supplies. The funds will also be used to cover the cost of financial literacy training for Aunt Mary’s House residents, as well as the cost of background checks for volunteers.

Aunt Mary’s House would like to thank Norwich Rotary for being a Friend of Aunt Mary's House. The success of AMH will be assured with strong commitments like this one providing funding to purchase tangible and much-needed items for AMH to function successfully. We welcome other organizations, businesses, and individuals to follow the lead and become Friends of AMH, as well.

Norwich Rotary Club is a group of service-oriented people working on, and providing funding to, community projects in the Norwich area. Recent and ongoing projects include low-cost annual blood screenings in Norwich, provision of basic dental kits for all Norwich elementary school children, and providing free books to pre-school children through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. You may also have seen club members serving breakfast at the Chenango Blues Fest and Saturday in the Park. The club meets twice monthly at the Wild Owl Café in downtown Norwich.

For further information on Aunt Mary’s House, please contact Executive Director Brenda White at executivedirector@auntmaryshouse.net.

For further information on the Norwich Rotary Club, please contact club President Ann Smith at annxsmith061@gmail.com.

-Information provided by Aunt Mary's House