Dottie's House receives $20,000 grant

Dottie's House, Brick, was chosen to receive one of 150 grants awarded by a leading anti-domestic violence organization, the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation (MKACF). The $20,000 grant will be used to provide services to the residents of Dottie's House through a training program which helps the women gain emotional and financial independence.

Dottie's House, a 17-unit apartment facility, provides transitional housing for women and children who were victims of domestic violence.

With the close of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, shelters are feeling the impact of a weak economy. According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, shelter donations are down, but the need for services is increasing. To help make sure needs are met, the foundation, started by the late Mary Kay Ash, is donating a total of $3 million in grants to shelters in all 50 states.

According to Jennifer Cook, MKACF board member, "Dottie's House has helped so many women and their families from the tri-state area. We know they will use these funds to benefit even more domestic violence survivors and their children. Mary Kay Ash wanted her foundation to help enrich women's lives. All the tragic stories and statistics we hear about domestic violence encourage us to do our part. We know Dottie's House will use these funds to help put an end to domestic violence and provide help and healing to women and children in need."