Merryman House Grand Opening
The Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center was founded in 1978 by Merryman Kemp. The center began with a small group of concerned women who were willing to open their homes to abused women and children. Those women did more than open their doors – they opened their hearts.
Today, forty years later, the Merryman House celebrated the grand opening of their new 26-acre campus alongside a standing-room-only crowd of community leaders and supporters.
“Today was a day for us to express our gratitude to all the individuals who said ‘yes’,” explained Mary Foley, Executive Director of Merryman House.
“I cannot possibly sum up two years in twenty minutes,” she said to the crowd as she sought to honor all those who have stepped up to offer their support. “Please, just keep giving your ‘yes.’”
Our community has much more to celebrate than the opening of renovated buildings on a new campus: today, our community celebrates hope.
“Days like today restore a person’s faith in humankind and goodness,” said Merryman Kemp, who remains active as a board member of the organization she founded. “There is reward in life for goodness. Goodness makes the world a better place. We are appreciative of every donation we receive from our community, but we are also very blessed by the positive changes we continue to see in our community’s perspective of domestic violence. Acts of kindness and goodness have a ripple effect, like throwing a pebble in a pond. You may never know the impact one simple act of kindness can have in making our world a better place.”
The Vision for the Future
Today’s celebration was in honor of the progress made to date, but there is still work to be done. This campus is the first of its kind in the state of Kentucky. It’s more than a shelter: it’s a collaboration of community partners joining together to ensure the holistic needs of domestic abuse survivors are met.
Once complete, this campus will serve as a model for how trauma informed care is delivered to survivors of domestic violence throughout the state of Kentucky.
How You Can Help the Merryman House
Any amount of financial donation is appreciated. Volunteer time is just as valuable. Spread the word. Connect others to Merryman House. You can help the Merryman House to continue its mission to Save, Build and Change Lives.
