Kennebunk Savings is donating $50,000 in support of their longtime partner Hope on Haven Hill (HHH), a nonprofit providing support for pregnant and parenting women in recovery from substance use disorder. The donation will help fund Hope on Haven Hill’s proposed Center for Hope and Wellness—a new facility to be built on land adjacent to their transitional residence, Abi’s Place, in Rochester, NH. This will triple the number of women the group can serve, creating space for mothers in recovery and their families to access support services and connect with other families, seven days a week.
“This new building will increase our capacity to serve more women and their families in many ways,” said Kerry Norton, Executive Director of Hope on Haven Hill. “We will expand wellness services and life skills that we know are so key to recovery and financial independence — wellness, yoga, job training, resume building, healthy eating, and more. These are things we take for granted that these moms need help with.”
“The progress and success of Hope on Haven Hill is such an inspiration to us,” said Bradford C. Paige, Kennebunk Savings’ President and CEO. “The new facility will provide a base of operations for their expanding work as they meet the needs of more and more vulnerable mothers in the region. We’re so excited to be a part of it.” When Hope on Haven Hill’s treatment facility opened in 2016, it was immediately filled to capacity sheltering eight women and their children. Abi’s Place, which opened in 2019, offers transitional housing to women who have completed residential treatment, continuing their access to childcare and recovery support. Their work directly affects 120 area families each year, with 320 healthy babies born under their auspices so far.
“We are one of only two locations in the state that serve pregnant and parenting moms with substance use disorder,” said Maryellen Burke, Capital Campaign Manager with HHH. “Because we continue to have wait lists, and because we know treatment works, we’ve made this campaign a priority, even though we are such a young organization.” Hope on Haven Hill’s capital campaign to finance this project will not only fund construction of the new property, but also the demolition of an old church on site, deemed unsafe for restoration.
“We don’t want to ever again have to tell a homeless, substance-using, pregnant mom who wants to get better that she has to wait for treatment,” Norton said. “With our new program hub, we can transition moms and know that we can stay connected with them through more services. We can strengthen the safety net that promotes recovery and sobriety.”
