GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Paula Jolly founded Amanda’s House to honor her daughter and is helping other women find help with their addiction.
For Jolly, healing did not come in silence; it came in action. After losing her daughter to addiction in 2020, Jolly set out to help others.
“During this time that she was going through her struggles, we saw that there weren’t enough sober living [options] in Green Bay for women, and none for women with their kids,” Jolly said.
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What Jolly saw during her own daughter’s fight, she saw in other places. Oftentimes, it was mothers having to choose between rehabilitation and their kids.
“I worked in another sober living, and I saw too many women leave too early because they wanted to reunite with their kids, and because they weren’t ready, the cycle just continued,” Jolly said.
Jolly then started the Mandolin Foundation and opened Amanda’s House, a sober living home built not only on structure, but with compassion.
“As I started helping people in the community, I felt better about it, and I saw that it wasn’t just us; it was a lot of people,” Jolly said.
Amanda’s House serves dozens of women and their children a year, allowing them to rebuild their lives together.
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Jolly says the need has not slowed down either.
“Right now we have six bedrooms, but we also have a waitlist of around 40 women for the last year and a half to two years. That just shows the need within the community.”
At Amanda’s House, women are not just given a bed; they are given the tools to rebuild stability.
“We help them find other resources that they need; it’s not just a ‘live here’ thing,” Jolly said. “It’s fun to watch them grow, even through the struggles, because that’s what helps us grow.”
For Jolly, Amanda’s House is helping her heal. “There’s nobody that will ever replace Amanda, but I do this in her honor, so when I’m having a bad day, I remember why I’m doing it. I’m doing it for her and for people like her. I hope that she is proud of me.”
