Step Up Parents Receives $10,000 Grant

A longstanding women’s club that strives to enhance the lives of others through volunteer services and support, Exeter Area GFWC recently awarded $10,000 to Step Up Parents (SUP). Founded in 2019, SUP provides financial assistance and support to grandparents and other relatives who have ‘stepped up’ to raise the children of parents struggling with substance use disorder.

“This money will go towards families in the Exeter region,” noted Denyse Richter, SUP Founder. “Partnerships like this with Exeter Area GFWC are so critical to our mission, because we are 100% privately funded—their support really makes a difference.”

Wanting to make a difference herself is what drove her to initially start SUP. “Good friends of mine were raising an infant granddaughter while dealing with their adult daughter’s active addiction,” she explained. “They were facing major challenges on two fronts. After a long and ongoing battle of dealing with their daughter’s substance use disorder, they were now faced with raising their grandchild.”

According to Richter, the most immediate need for many people in her friends’ situation is financial. “A lot of families don’t meet requirements for traditional funding,” she added. “I founded Step Up Parents to fill this hole that exists.”

In looking to the rest of 2025, Richter said their organizational strategy is to strengthen awareness of their mission throughout New Hampshire. “Addiction affects all layers of a family,” she said. “We want people who have stepped up as parents to know that we see them, and we are here for them.”