A Fort Myers maternity home for teenage mothers was on the verge of terminating its expansion project and selling its building after major setbacks from Hurricane Ian — until its vision was revived through loans, grants and community support.
Our Mother’s Home (OMH) is a place where mothers aged 11-18 who are in the foster care system can live under one roof with their babies.
The nonprofit anticipated receiving roughly $1 million in grants last year to renovate a new building it purchased in March 2022. The new site, located near downtown Fort Myers, includes a second-story full living space for mothers up to the age of 22.
After the storm, grant monies were reallocated to assist Lee County residents.
“Personally, there were days where I felt like throwing in the towel,” Alicia Miller, the executive director of OMH, said. “The door closes so many times on you that you start to wonder if this is what you're meant to do.”
Expected to be completed this summer had OMH received the funds, the future of the expansion looked bleak.
“I said, ‘Something has got to give,’” Miller said. “We are not equipped to carry two buildings at $55,000 in insurance a year [and] two utilities of $1,000 a month, and we’ve been doing that for 16 months.”
But then OMH was approved for a $700,000 loan, kickstarting renovations and a series of funding and donations.
This month, OMH was named one of 100 recipients nationwide of a Lowe’s Hometowns grant. It was awarded $110,000 to complete the second-floor transitional living space.
“This grant is huge for us,” Miller said. “It just kind of validates that we know what we're doing is good for the community and that a huge company like Lowe's can see that as well.”
Lowe’s launched the Hometowns grant in 2021 as a one-time initiative to celebrate its centennial and give back to the community. Julie Yenichek, Lowe’s senior director of community relations, said the company decided to make it a five-year $100 million commitment after it was so well received.
In partnership with Points of Light, a nonprofit that specializes in project management, $10 million will be divided among 100 nonprofits throughout the country each year.
“While [OMH] impacts maybe a smaller amount of people, the impact really is a significant impact to these mothers,” Yenichek said.
All grant recipients also get at least one “red vest day” where local Lowe’s associates volunteer to work on the project.
“Through Lowe’s Hometowns, we recognize that home can be defined as a community center, a shelter, a garden or a park,” Yenichek said. “And we are honored to support Our Mother's Home and help create a positive impact in the Southwest Florida community.”
The nomination period for 2024 begins in January, and recipients are announced in June.
Because the Department of Children and Families has restrictions on adults and minors sharing a living space, it creates challenges when a mother ages out of the foster care system.
At OMH’s current site, there is one room designated for adult mothers, which is occupied.
“But it is kind of isolating,” Miller said. “Because when the girls are here, she's not supposed to be around them even though she's been here for many, many years.”
Miller said that 25% of kids that are in the foster care system have kids that also grow up in the foster care system.
“And that's why this new building is so important,” she said. “When they're 18, they're not ready to go. They don't have the skills and the resources, so we want them to stay here longer.”
Ravyn, 19, has been living at OMH since she was pregnant with her 4-year-old daughter.
“Some girls, they do have somewhere to go after they leave,” she said. “Some of the girls, they don’t.”
She is enrolled in the electrician program at Fort Myers Technical College for next semester, and she works night shifts at McDonald’s.
“If it wasn’t for here to help me, I would probably be in a shelter or God knows where,” she said.
She said extending the age for residents will help mothers save money while they transition into adulthood and plan their next steps.
“And, you know, my daughter grew up here with a lot of people she knows, and she’s happy,” Ravyn added. “So that’s all that matters, is that my daughter is happy…And she gets lots of love from everybody.”
In addition to the Lowe’s grant, OMH will receive a $10,000 grant next month from the First Horizon Foundation, a private charity.
United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades donated fixtures, drywall and 8,000 square feet of flooring, among other things. Dr. Kool Air Conditioning & Refrigeration has committed to donating an AC unit to OMH and is working on obtaining four more.
LadyCakes Bakery in Cape Coral is also giving back to the organization until August 10. With any order made through Sunshine and Surprises, a month-long event, all profit is donated to OMH.
Bess Charles is the owner of LadyCakes and the newest board member of OMH. Having had no formal training in baking, she said she hopes to serve as a role model to the girls.
“I’m not a brain surgeon,” she said. “But I think just giving them someone or something to look up to means more than it might to you and I. Just being someone who has purple hair and tattoos and might be rough around the edges gives these girls a real attainable thing to hold onto that they can achieve.”
Volunteers from Women in Business for the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce will deliver the cupcakes between July 17 and August 18.
Miller said orders have been coming in and that donors have been calling in with substantial donations the past few weeks.
“I think the cool thing is that we'll be able to say so much of the community contributed,” she said.
The new building will also have an education center with access to computers, a community center for parenting classes and a food pantry available to the public.
Once completed, OMH plans to sell its current San Carlos Park location to pay off its loan. Still, OMH begins payments on the loan next month, so quick completion is essential.
The nonprofit is about $50,000 away from its goal, but Miller is hopeful to have the girls moved into the new building by next Spring.
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