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Reimagining What Is Possible In Divorce Recovery

Repurposing The Former Memorial School...

A Sacred Invitation to Begin Again.

At the heart of Leicester stands a familiar landmark: the former Memorial School. For years, its hallways echoed with lessons, laughter, and life. Now, after seasons of stillness, it’s time for this building to serve again, not as a place of childhood learning, but as a sanctuary of adult rebuilding.


The Sparrow Collective is honored to lead this transformation. We are in the process of acquiring this vacant property with the intention of repurposing the Memorial School into the first supportive living community for women (and children) impacted by divorce. This isn't just a renovation project. It’s a reclaiming — of purpose, potential, and possibility.

Designed With Dignity, Built for Belonging.

Our model is to create communities for healing, empowerment, and transformation. Through financially sustainable living arrangements, wrap-around services, and a compassionate community, we help women regain their independence and thrive. 


Our renovations are guided by principles of biophilic design, trauma-informed care, and sacred restoration. From soft textures and nature-inspired colors to sunlit rooms and green outdoor spaces, every detail is being curated to invite calm, safety, and self-discovery.


This is not a shelter.
This is not a crisis center.
This not a temporary fix.


This is a home.

A refuge.

A place to begin again.

A New Purpose for a former School.

Breathing New Life Into the Memorial School

 Our plan breathes new life into the structure while honoring its historical presence. With intentional design, trauma-informed spaces, and dignified, energy-efficient upgrades, the building will become a multi-use campus rooted in healing and hope.

Upon completion, the campus will feature:

  • 30 Residential Units - From studios to three-bedrooms, beautifully renovated, financially sustainable. Residencies will last 15 months, allowing time for financial recovery, legal resolution, and emotional restoration.
  • Onsite Childcare Center - A professionally staffed daycare will support resident mothers and local families, easing the burden of childcare and allowing women to pursue employment, education, or healing with more ease.
  • Sparrow Collective Catering Co. - Through a renovated commercial kitchen, we’ll launch a women-led social enterprise providing culinary job training, community meal programs, and entrepreneurship opportunities, creating both economic mobility and community connection. 
  • A Business Education Center - The school’s former library, will serve as the new hub offering business incubator programs, and serve as a space for local organizations to host conferences, workshops, and trainings. 
  • A Wellness Studio - Because rebuilding after divorce is more than paperwork, it's heart-work. The Wellness Studio will host yoga, meditation, trauma-informed care, faith-based support, and embodied healing practices. 
  • Gathering Spaces & Community Rooms - Reimagined classrooms will become lounges, meeting areas, and shared dining spaces. These rooms will hold support groups, financial empowerment classes, art therapy, shared meals, and the steady hum of a community life. 

Designed to Heal. Uplift. Empower.

Our Design Approach

 At The Sparrow Collective, design is not an afterthought — it is a the expressed intention of layers of love and care. Every wall color, texture, and piece of furniture is chosen with one sacred question in mind: 


How will this space make her feel?


We are reimagining the former Memorial School not just as a building, but as a sanctuary, a refuge.  A place where women navigating divorce can exhale, come home to themselves, and begin again — held by an environment that reflects their inherent worth, dignity, and divine value.

Biophilic Design

  

Guided by the principles of biophilic design and somatic principles, our interiors are intentionally shaped to activate the body’s healing response. Natural wood tones, curved lines, living greenery, and soft lighting aren’t simply design choices — they’re nervous system invitations to calm. 

To safety. To peace. To becoming.

  

Within the Collective, you'll find elements that echo nature: from indoor plants and earth-toned textiles to soothing soundscapes and cozy places of refuge. Our goal is not only beauty but embodiment.

 To create spaces that feel like a deep breath, a gentle holding, a sacred return.

Because when a woman walks through these doors, we want her to know:
This space was made for you.
You already belong here.

You are welcome.

You are home.

Capturing Our Mission: A Photo Story of The Sparrow Collective

Join us in creating a village for women and children.

Pay It Forward with Love

We are building the first supportive living community in Massachusetts designed specifically for women (and their children) transitioning through divorce. Our program is more than temporary housing—it’s a place for healing, empowerment, and transformation. Through financially sustainable living arrangements, wrap-around services, and a compassionate community, we help women regain their independence and thrive.

Click here to Donate Now :)

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