LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — For Meghan Grimes, Scholar House wasn't just a place to live. It was a turning point.
"This place gave me my future," Grime said. "It gave me my career. It provided me with support and removed barriers that allowed me to become a teacher, and I've been teaching for, I'm finishing my 16th year."
After putting her dreams on hold to care for her mother battling cancer, Grimes found a path forward and a community.
"You feel like you're not alone and the staff here, the support from the program, I mean the resources, they just eliminate so many barriers," Grimes said.
Her daughter, Kassidy Traynor, grew up surrounded by that support, shielded from the struggles happening behind the scenes.
"It didn't matter if she was sitting under the bench at the tree where all the moms sat doing homework, studying, we ran around, rode our bikes, climbed trees. It was so much fun. I would have never known anything that she was going through with school or any hardships that she was going through," Traynor said.
Now Traynor says she understands what her mother built for her and she's back at Scholar House, this time as a mother herself.
"I was confident coming in. I was like, my mom's worked out good. I've got this and it's been great," Traynor said.
The experience is already echoing the one her mother had years before.
"It's giving my child the same thing. I mean, last night me and my best friend were sitting outside in lawn chairs doing our homework and he's shooting basketball," Traynor said.
For Grimes, watching her daughter return to the place that changed her life brings a sense of peace.
"When she became a single mom, I instantly gained a sense of peace knowing she was going to thrive here and be able to finish her degree and create a good life for her and my grandson," Grimes said.
It's a full-circle moment that reinforces what Scholar House means to the families it serves.
"I refer to it some often as a family, a village. It's definitely more than a place to live," Grimes said.
To donate, you can go to this link: One Parent Scholar House
