Projects and Grants

Grants and Improvements 2025

The Capital Campaign Kick Starter Drive 2025 - $77,000 year to date (April 2025)

We continue to raise funds privately prior to this Capital Campaign being officially launched and received leadership level gifts, from Board Members and Friends of SRN, totaling $77,000 to date. This kick starts our fundraising efforts toward our $4.4M goal. Utilizing the Capital Campaign, we look to create a recovery campus and expand our ability to offer Phase II housing to our residents graduating from our program, allowing them the stability they need in early sobriety, particularly women with children. This will also open beds earlier in our Phase I program and allow us to reach the next person seeking recovery from substance use/misuse faster.

The Greater Cincinnati Foundation - $25,000

Serenity Recovery Network was the recipient of a $25,000 grant through their Boots on the Ground program. This grant is for Recovery Housing Program Improvements. Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF), in partnership with the City of Cincinnati, has awarded $836,000 in Boots on the Ground Fund grants to 38 local nonprofits. These funds, $650,000 of which were provided by the city, strengthen the capacity of small, community-based organizations with a programming focus on housing, food and healthcare access, gun violence prevention, workforce and youth development, mental health, and substance use services.

Valuing the power of lived experience, GCF engaged a diverse group of community members in the review process. Each of these grants, up to $25,000, signals a thoughtful and targeted investment in grassroots organizations that are rooted in community.

“The organizations receiving funding will gain greater capacity to build upon established and trusted relationships to drive impactful outcomes,” said City of Cincinnati vice mayor Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney. “It’s a core belief of mine that those closest to our community’s greatest needs and opportunities are the ones who can design the solutions necessary to create lasting change.”

Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation - $5000

We are honored to receive funds from The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation for the second year in a row. They are a private foundation located in Cincinnati, OH that primarily funds program support.

Community Partner Projects

We are thankful to have community partners that are willing to roll up their sleeves. We have 3 projects, one which is completed and two that are completing by the end of May!

Simple Serv painted and re-decorated the first floor and second floor television room at Serenity House, our men’s sober living house. Their touch breathed fresh live and class into their living space.
Crossroads Go Local is going to bring a crew to repaint the bedrooms at Bassett House, our Phase II housing for graduates of our program.
Cerity Partners is brining volunteers to repaint the first floor of Serenity House, our men’s sober living house, refreshening and brightening up the space.

Property Improvements 2025

One of our largest outlays consistently is the maintenance and improvement of our Houses that our Residents reside in. Donations by our Friends of SRN and Grants make that possible. Here are some of the larger projects we undertook this year:

Jan/Feb - RWB Remodeling helped us renovate one of the bathrooms in Bassett House, our Alumni Housing. ($3160)
April - Integral Flooring helped us replace the kitchen flooring in all three units of Bassett House. ($3000)
May - We are replacing the third floor HVAC unit in HFM, our Women’s Recovery House. (est. $10,000)

Grants and Improvements 2024

SRN launches Recovery Reunify Transform Capital Campaign

SRN purchased the empty lot as well as the multi-family building to the left of Angie’s House of Freedom and Miracles. The acquisition of this property will allow us to expand our campus to include additional housing for residents, parking and updating and expanding the Carriage House, including Community Meeting space, and so much more! To learn more about our capital campaign project and the development of this project, watch the video below!

Case Statement

The Capital Campaign Kick Starter Drive 2024 - $255,000

We receive leadership level gifts in cash and stock from Board Members and Friends of SRN, including the George B Riley Trust, totaling $255,000 to kick start our fundraising efforts toward our $4.4M goal. With the Capital Campaign, we look to create a recovery campus and expand our ability to offer Phase II housing to our residents graduating from our program, allowing them the stability they need in early sobriety, particularly women with children. This will also open beds earlier in our Phase I program and allow us to reach the next person seeking recovery from substance use/misuse faster.

George B. Riley Trust Estate Grant - $20,000.00

The George B. Riley Trust has been a steadfast patron of Serenity Recovery Network, awarding grants to our organization since 2008. Each year, the trust selects worthy charities that serve the poor and needy in Hamilton County. These funds are used solely for the benefit of residents in our men and women’s houses. We are grateful to have been chosen again in 2024.

Durk Rorie Grant - $10,000

Mr. Rorie generously donated a kick start donation to SRN establishing a separate fund for starting a Foundation to benefit Serenity Recovery Network over the years to come. This year he bestowed another $10,000 gift to that end. His kindness will allow SRN to have financial security in the years to come.

Chrome Divas Motorcycle Club, Cincinnati Chapter - $5686

We were the beneficiaries of their annual golf fundraiser, and their generous donation was directed to our Resident Sponsorship fund. These funds are used to help our residents that lack resources early in sobriety, by supporting them with food insecurity, transportation expenses like bus passes, obtaining birth certificates and identification for aid in seeking employment and many other needs.

GE Community Fund - $5000

We are honored to continue to be the recipients of these $2500 grants which benefit our residents directly via our Resident Sponsorship Fund. These funds are used to help our residents that lack resources early in sobriety, by supporting them with food insecurity, transportation expenses like bus passes, obtaining birth certificates and identification for aid in seeking employment and many other needs.

Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation - $5000

We are honored to receive funds from The Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation. They are a private foundation located in Cincinnati, OH that primarily funds program support.

United Way - Reds Grant for Addiction Awareness - $1000

Serenity Recovery Network was honored to be chosen as a community partner and recipient of this award in honor of Addiction Awareness. We had the opportunity to deliver the Game Ball to the field and be recognized as an organization for the work we do in the recovery community.

Property Improvements 2024

Jan - Sohan and Sons restored the foundation of Bassett House, our housing for Alumni. This, along with the installation of a new downspout took care of water intrusion issues. ($14.300)
Jan - Moller and Sons helped us convert underutilized Dining Rooms at Bassett House into Bedrooms. We did this in all three units, which increased our capacity for Alumni Residents from 6 to 9. ($3700)
July - Brickblenders Masonry undertook a huge project of stabilizing the foundation at Bassett House. ($13,200)
July - We purchased new washers and dryers at both our men’s and women’s houses replacing 3 machines. ($2350)

Grants and Improvements 2023

United Way – Hamilton County Non-Profit Relief Program - $30,000.00

The Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners allocated American Rescue Plan funds for a new round of nonprofit grants administered by United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Nonprofit organizations with annual revenue of $500,000 or less, providing eligible services to residents who have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 were eligible for funds. Serenity Recovery Network received funding towards our program costs for a 6 month period, September 2022 – March 2023.

Anonymous Unrestricted Use Grant - $25,000.00

A friend of Serenity Recovery Network blessed us with funds to support our mission of helping any addict or alcoholic build a foundation for lifelong recovery.

Durk Rorie - Kick Start Donation for the SRN Foundation - $10,000.00

With an eye to the future, in 2022 SRN started aggregating funds to invest separately from our operating budget with the vision of establishing a Foundation to provide a continuing stream of income for SRN, in perpetuity, to preserve the founder’s work in the creation of SRN and to ensure the continuation of our mission, to help build a strong foundation of lifelong recovery in a structured residential setting for addicts, alcoholics, and their families suffering from the disease of addiction. This generous gift by Durk Rorie, combined with donations from other benefactors, has allowed us to establish an investment fund this year.

Grants and Improvements, 2021-2022

Serenity House - The Spaulding Foundation Grant - $25,000

Through a generous grant from The Spaulding Foundation, we were able to complete the badly needed renovation of the kitchen at Serenity House. This involved taking the room down to the walls, installing new flooring, plumbing, electrical work, new cabinets, counters, appliances and fresh paint. This renovation has rounded out other projects improving and updating Serenity House.

With good stewardship of our grant award, we had $4000 in remaining funds, and The Spaulding Foundation authorized us to use these funds to replace a failing safety railing at the back door of Serenity House.

Serenity House - The Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation Grant - $15,000

Through this generous award, SRN was able to make updates and improvements to the common spaces of Serenity House. We were able to repair water damage to plaster walls, fix trim/doors, and paint common areas and hallways, ceilings, as well as all the men’s bedrooms. This was a much-needed improvement which served to unify, refresh and brighten the space.

Renovations in common rooms enable the men to gather for meals, relaxation, and meetings (including NA & AA 12 step meetings and meditations), computer access and resources and staff has observed a new sense of pride and ownership among the residents. Meetings, friendships, and the fellowship within recovery are key elements to reduce feelings of isolation and build a support system for the addict, and empowers the addict to live in a structured home environment without the use of alcohol and drugs.

Bassett House – Messer Construction $25,000

Serenity Recovery Network received this Grant in 2016 for the construction of a Career Center and Communal Space in the ground floor space of the Carriage House at AHFM. We were unable to break ground, as we ran into easement issues with the City of Cincinnati and approached Messer to reallocate these funds in 2020. Messer Construction allowed us to transfer this award to the replacement of the retaining walls at Bassett House. The old walls were deteriorating badly and were going to start causing structural and foundation issues at Bassett House. This work was completed in April 2021.

Angie’s House of Freedom and Miracles - $27,250 Capital Improvement

Our fundraising efforts have allowed us to address many items of deferred maintenance, one of them being the driveway and parking lot behind HFM. The existing, original driveway and lot were asphalt, and were deteriorating badly. They were crumbling and filled with large potholes and low spots, which impeded drainage and were especially troublesome in the winter. Also, there was a handicap access ramp that had been angled into the driveway at the front of the house, creating a significant barrier entering and exiting the driveway. This summer we undertook the project of removing and grading the driveway and pad, pouring new concrete, and repositioning the handicap ramp so that it no longer impeded the driveway. This improvement will benefit us for years to come.

George B. Riley Trust Estate Grant - $30,000.00