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Pamlico Rose Institute recently announced that it received a grant from The Cannon Foundation to facilitate the renovation of the existing barn at Rose Haven Center of Healing into a community center. The Cannon Foundation will contribute $56,398 toward the cost of the renovation. The contribution is one of three grants and donations awarded to PRI. A US Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant of $99,000 and a private donation of $25,000 in the name of the A.T. Gurkin Family have already been given toward  this project.

The Cannon Foundation grant completes the amount needed to meet the $180,000 estimated cost of the renovation. Rose Haven Center of Healing is located at 219 E. Third Street in Washington.

PRI’s primary mission is to advance wellness and resilience-building programs for women veterans dealing the effects of trauma and other experiences from their military career. This effort is part of a community-based prevention strategy that can also benefit other veterans and members of the local community.

The Cannon Foundation was established by Charles A. Cannon, president and CEO of Cannon Mills Company and has operated to fund capital and equipment projects for organizations across Cannon’s home state of North Carolina since 1943.

Robert Greene Sands, PRI’s CEO, said, “We are super excited about receiving the Cannon Foundation grant. It was the last piece of funding we needed to start moving ahead with the renovation. The Cannon Foundation is a well-established and meaningful organization that funds many needed projects that serve our at-risk communities. We feel fortunate that they found our mission and vision for the barn a valuable resource for women Veterans.”

Upon completion of the renovation, the barn will house a woodworking area, an artist studio and maker’s space for women veterans and other community populations and a great room to be used as classroom and meeting place for activities such as yoga, meditation, self-defense and other needs.

Added Kaitlyn O’Donnell, community resource associate, “Our concept of wellness sits at the  intersection of nature, creative expression, movement, and community-building. Turning the barn into a community center provides a natural extension to the Center’s mission of promoting healthy living in  women veterans and other at-risk populations.”

Rose Haven is located in Washington’s historic district. The Center’s residence, the Haven House, was built in 1892. The current pole barn was built in 1961 and was the site of a local blacksmith. It replaced the original barn built in 1934 after it burned to the ground.

“The bones of the barn are solid,” Sands said. “Our mission is to help make Veterans who may be at risk, more resilient and the barn is the perfect metaphor for that. Along with the rest of the Center, the barn will continue to add to the beauty and stability of the neighborhood.”