Rochester Rotary delivers check for $1,000 to Portsmouth nonprofit

ROCHESTER - Nonprofit organization Step Up Parents of Portsmouth announced on Tuesday they have received a $1,000 donation from the Rochester New Hampshire Rotary.

Step Up Parents will use the grant to continue to support kinship caregivers in the Rochester area who are raising children whose parent or parents struggle with substance use disorder. Since its founding in 2019, Step Up Parents has helped more than 190 kinship families and given over $75,000 in assistance.

"Rochester Rotary is happy to support Step Up Parents with a $1,000 grant award because of the great work they do in Rochester," said Rochester Rotary board member, Seneca Adam Bernard. "Our motto is Service Above Self, and the families who step up and take care of the kids in our community live that every day. The financial assistance Step Up Parents provides for Kinship Caregivers helps not just with the money provided, but the peace of mind and security every family needs to thrive."

With over 12,000 grandparents and other relatives raising children in New Hampshire, the need for support and resources is great.

"Rochester is our largest service area so partnering with the Rochester Rotary is exciting and important to fulfilling our mission to deserving kinship families." said Denyse Richter, Step Up Parents Founder.

If you or someone you know is a relative caregiver raising children of a loved one struggling with substance misuse, please visit www.stepupparents.net, call 603-319-4739, or email info@stepupparents.net.

To make a donation to Step Up Parents, please visit www.stepupparents.net/donate or mail to PO Box 1603, Portsmouth, NH, 03801.

About Step Up Parents: Founded in 2019 and based in Portsmouth, Step Up Parents offers financial assistance and support to relative caregivers in New Hampshire who have selflessly stepped up to be surrogate parents to kids whose biological parents struggle with substance use disorder. They are dedicated to honoring the efforts of these caregivers, preserving their dignity, and responding to their families' immediate needs. Step Up Parents believes that even heroes need a hand.