GROVE CITY — The Laura Walker Project, a maternity home for pregnant and parenting teenagers, will be opening its doors in Grove City at the end of October.

The Laura Walker Project is a group home program designed to provide education and support to pregnant and parenting teenagers. The goal of the project is to provide the young women with shelter, food, clothing, education, life skills, counseling, mentors, career training and support.

The program was created by Laura Colapietro under her nonprofit organization, Moms Without Moms. It was named after her mother, Laura Lee Walker Iannarelli, who was the victim of domestic abuse and homicide at the hands of her father when Colapietro was 7 years old.

A ribbon-cutting and baby shower will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the maternity home, 202 W. Pine St., said Jessica Hartle, administrative assistant.

“We are very excited as everything is starting to come together,” she said. “The entire community is welcome to attend the event and, if they want, bring small baby gifts.”

While the ribbon-cutting will be held next week, young mothers and mothers-to-be are not scheduled to arrive until the end of the month after a week of staff training, Hartle said.

The Laura Walker Project was licensed by Department of Public Welfare to house nine girls and Ms. Hartle said she expects the house to be full by the end of the month.

The girls will be referred to the house through Children and Youth Services in Mercer, Crawford and Lawrence counties, according to Joe Colapietro, Laura’s husband. The counties will also provide funds for housing the girls and to pay for any other expenses.

The girls will stay at the maternity home for six months while they take classes in nutrition, cooking and other courses, Colapietro said.

“They will also learn baby and life skills as well as general skills for when they go out on their own,” Ms. Hartle added.

Tentative plans call for the girls to get their education in Grove City schools, Ms. Hartle said. “The girls are required to get their high school diplomas so after they graduate they can get gainful employment.”

In addition to Grove City Area School District, the girls will be taught by tutors and volunteers at the home and the Grove City Education Center for Adults will also assist, Ms. Hartle said.

“We will do whatever it takes to get the girls educated,” she said.

According to Hartle, construction on the Laura Walker Project maternity house began in mid-August, two months after the Grove City Zoning Board approved a variance allowing residential use at the property.

The maternity house is a former UPMC Northwest medical building and was zoned central commercial. The zoning board unanimously approved a variance allowing for residential use there.

Currently, only the first floor of the building will be used for the Laura Walker Project. As a former medical building, however, the floor has plenty of space.

Colapietro said the second floor could be opened for additional meeting space for the girls. But right now, the focus is on getting everything ready on the first floor.

“There’s not much left to do except some painting and other different little jobs,” he said.

Furniture was moved in on Oct. 1; former exam rooms were transformed into bedrooms. There will be a total of seven bedrooms, with one particularly large room to house up to three expectant mothers.

“Once they give birth, they would move into a smaller bedroom with their child,” Ms. Hartle explained.

Donations to the Laura Walker Project are welcome, Ms. Hartle said, adding that many community members have already committed to assist the home.

For example, a Harrisville Boy Scout Troop is planning a baby item drive. Angel Food Ministries has pledged to donate goods monthly and Lowe’s in Hermitage gave eight full pallets of shelf furniture, which Ms. Hartle said should be enough to stock every room in the house.

“The community has just been wonderful,” she said. “Everybody has been great and has been helping us in so many ways.”

She added that the girls will be giving back to the community once they arrive.

“It’s not just one-sided. We definitely want to return the favor,” she said. “The girls will be out volunteering around the community.”

For more information about the Laura Walker Project or to volunteer, visit www.laurawalkerproject.org.