My name is Andrea Roberts. I am the Founder & Executive Director of A Mother’s Rest www.amothersrest.org, which is the charitable organization behind the nation’s first caregiver respite inn at 32 West Main. What is now The Terrace Guest House was formerly Peace & Plenty Antiques, the Hammond House, and Schell Tavern, among others. That house has seen many firsts. Today, this respite inn serves as a B&B type health and wellness center exclusively for parents and other caregivers who have loved ones with disabilities. They come every weekend throughout the year, usually Friday to Monday, to find recuperative sleep and therapeutic fellowship with other special needs moms and caregivers. The house is furnished with many unique period antiques, combined with comfortable cottage-chic decor and cozy nooks to rest in. Everywhere you look is attention to detail and inspiring messages to let these families know they are not alone in their fatigue. 32 West Main is the flagship respite property for A Mother’s Rest, with a second property also open in the mountains of North Georgia. Many of you know me as that crazy lady digging a ditch in her yard, with piles of clay 6 feet high for months in 2019. That was actually an archaeological excavation. 32 West Main was one of the town’s first taverns, and what I was excavating was the original tavern carriage path. Every stone, every piece of old brick, and every oyster shell was removed and the space was graded for drainage. Then, every stone was hand-scrubbed by my parents and other volunteers before replacing them in the path. We found hundreds of artifacts. I love history!
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
I am married with two sons. Reece, 20 with Down syndrome & Owen, who is a rising senior this year, three dogs and a cat.
Q: Please tell us about your current, past, or future career. What do you love most about what you do?
Before kids, I was a Sales & Marketing Executive for the telecom company called Ericsson. In 2006, I founded the Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Foundation, which raised awareness for the plight of orphans with disabilities abroad and raised funds to help families adopt them. In 2010, I was named People Magazine’s Hero of the Year for this work, as well as the Congressional Angel in Adoption Award from MD Congressman Van Hollen. In 2017 I retired from Reece’s Rainbow to focus on caregiver health and respite through A Mother’s Rest. I graduated from Quince Orchard HS in Gaithersburg in 1990, and the University of Alabama in 1993, where I double majored in three years. My forte has always been recognizing gaps/holes in service, whether to customers, children, or families, and filling those holes in creative but common-sense ways.
Q: How long have you lived or worked in our community?
A Mother’s Rest purchased 32 West Main in September 2018.
Q: Who is the most interesting person you’ve met here in our community?
I just love Will Byrd. He’s like the social glue in this very diverse community. He makes smiles, hugs, and service a “lifestyle”.
Q: What advice would you give to people?
If you never ask, the answer is always NO.
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
I want to take my son, Reece, who has Down syndrome, to visit my college for Game Day at the University of Alabama.
Q: What is your favorite thing or something unique about our community?
I love seeing homes and structures from many different historic time periods on the same street. It’s like walking back and forth through time.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5 to 10 years?
Still serving weary mamas, including myself
Q: (Even for friends or family), what is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
Not really interesting, but maybe surprising to most, is that I have terrible social anxiety. I am SO in the wrong business lol
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
hard to say
Q: Favorite month? favorite holiday? and best single day on the calendar?
Independence Day
Q: What would you rate a 10 out of 10?
Coconut Cream Pie
Q: What person, event or experience has made the greatest impact or inspiration in your life?
The birth of my son, Reece in 2002. We did not know he had Down syndrome before he was born, but his life has literally saved the lives of nearly 2000 orphans and thousands of other families in the disability community.
Q: Finally, what 3 words or phrases come to mind when you think of the word HOME?
Ya’ll Strangers greeting you on the street & Sweet Tea