A Butler county resident has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for her work in helping women veterans transition back to civilian life.

The Center for Women Veterans announced Mary Chitwood as one of 27 women veterans who were recognized across the country for being “trailblazers.”The annual recognition is used as a way to highlight the work that women veterans do.Chitwood is a 1998 graduate of Butler Area High School and a U.S. Army veteran. On July 1, 2019, she opened a home at 401 East Pearl St. in Butler for homeless women veterans. Chitwood named the house after Robin Arnold, a friend and veteran who died in 2017.Chitwood said the East Pearl Street house is considered a transition home and aims to help women veterans and their children get off the street and into a stable environment. The house includes six separate bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms and several community rooms, including a kitchen, living room and meeting room.Chitwood said there are four residents, and because of the coronavirus, she said her organization is in need of donations and volunteers.“We are in desperate need of volunteers,” Chitwood said. “Right now, it's only me. I do everything from entry-level to director-level.“To be a new nonprofit and then to have COVID-19 hit is really hard. We lost a lot of private donors. Everyone was experiencing financial instability. It really hurt financially.”In a prepared statement announcing the trailblazer winners, acting VA director for the Center for Women Veterans Elizabeth Estabrooks said, “The women veteran trailblazer initiative highlights the experiences and contributions of women veterans and shares their stories about how their military service and experiences led to their continued roles as leaders and advocates in the communities where they live and work.”

Mary Chitwood was one of 27 female veterans awarded a trailblazer commendation.