Who We Are
History
Women Aware was formed in 1978 with Merryman kemp and a small group of concerned women who were willing to open their homes to abused women and children. They answered their phones in the middle of the night, opened their doors to those in need of shelter and opened their hearts to those who needed someone to see the reality of the dangers and trauma they faced. Out of their openness, a dark issue, which remained largely closed to the public, began to be openly addressed.
In 1979, Women Aware was incorporated. By the mid-1980s, the group was also serving men. To honor our Founder, Women Aware Inc. began to do business as the Merryman House Domestic Crisis Center in the early 2000s. Over time, MHDCC became much more than an emergency shelter. It became a wide-ranging advocacy and support center with multiple regional offices – all devoted to addressing the comprehensive needs of survivors.
After spending years in small, secret locations, MHDCC’s Executive Director and Board of Directors launched its first-ever capital campaign in 2016. The goal? To raise $3.7 million to purchase 13 acres of land and expand to a 36-bed emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence and their children. The community supported the campaign all the way to the $3.7 million mark and through the opening of the new facility in December 2017. Along with a new address, the status of the main location changed from a secret location to an open campus.
We believe that in order to fight the issue of domestic violence, we need the community to be aware of the issue and know that we all play a part in that solution. So today, we welcome groups onto our locations for DV education and tours of the space you helped us fund!
Shortly before she passed away, Founder Merryman Kemp recorded our history in her own words. You can watch that in three parts below.
