Page 12 - Talk of Tequesta - December '24

Page 12, The Talk Of Tequesta

in your communiTy

Hannah’s Home Expansion Hits High Gear

Hannah’s Home of South Florida took a major step
forward in its expansion plans to serve more at-risk
pregnant women and their babies. Undergrounding of
utilities on County Line Road began this week for the
entire expanded complex.
The home is growing its campus in Tequesta from its
current size that serves eight residents to 21 resident mothers
and their babies. The campus includes an existing eight-room
dormitory, childcare center, and a chapel, and is growing to
include a new eight-room dormitory and four duplexes.
“I’m thrilled to see substantial progress on the expansion,”
said Karen Hilo, chief executive officer of Hannah’s Home.
“The need in our community for transformative care is only
growing, and the added housing enables us to extend our
program to more women in need of safety, security, support,
and resources.” Board President Jon Olson, Nick Mastroianni II, Founder
Board President Jon Olson, Nick Mastroianni II, CEO Carol Beresford, Mayor Abby Brennan, Michael Hale, CEO
Karen Hilo Karen Hilo, Pastor Paul Beresford
aLL abouT Kids Leading the expansion is a

committee chaired by former
Tequesta mayor Abby Brennan.
Progress on the current phase
My Child Is Slow of construction is owed largely
to lead financial supporter
To Get Going Nick Mastroianni II, founder
of the Mastroianni Family
Foundation and a long-time
Hannah’s Home supporter.
By Jim Forgan, Ph.D., Licensed School Psychologist Hedrick Brothers Construction
has also played a critical role,
Eve’s nickname is serving as the organization’s
“Eeyore” one parent general contractor.
told me. She was As construction work
feeling frustration when progresses, residents grow
dealing with her child eager to see their future homes
completing tasks slower become a reality.
than everyone else. “The road to rebuild your life Michale Hale, Pastor Paul Beresford, CEO Karen Hilo, Mayor Abby Brennan, Founder
Whether it was doing can be a longer journey than you Carol Beresford, Nick Mastroianni II, Board President Jon Olson
homework, completing might expect,” said Caylee Hall,
simple household current Hannah’s Home resident. “I’m just starting college transportation, homelessness, unhealthy relationships, and
chores, or getting out and pursuing a career. The cottages will offer so much to educational disruption. The organization takes hundreds of
the door in the morning, help smooth the transition to independence.” calls annually from women of all ages in search of housing,
Eve was slow or the last one to go. It required constant Hannah’s Home is a two-year residential and educational wraparound services, and a hopeful future.
reminders and mom felt like she was always nagging. program that serves pregnant women ages 18 to 30 who More information is available at www.hannahshomesf.org.
She hypothesized her daughter was perhaps lazy, have been struggling with food insecurity, a lack of
unmotivated, or did not understand what to do. But
what really perplexed this mom was that Eve was
slow regardless of if the activity was something fun
or routine. It could be getting ready for a fun day at
the waterpark and she was still slow.
There are many reasons why a child is completing
tasks at a much slower pace than their peers. One reason
is your child could have slower processing speed so
even simple tasks will take them longer to complete.
This can leave your child feeling overwhelmed,
mentally fatigued, and discouraged. Second, your child
could have a weak working memory and struggle to
keep track of the tasks they are assigned and often
forget what to do next. This can especially be noticed
if you give your child multiple tasks at once. Third, Founder Carol Beresford Mayor Abby Brennan County line utility work
your child may have weaker inhibition which means
that they have a hard time resisting distractors. Your “Service is our number one priority”
child could be cleaning their room and find something
they misplaced and become distracted playing with 561-743-0070
this and not cleaning up. Fourth, your child might
have ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Presentation
or what we used to call ADD. www.palmspoolservices.com
Seek answers and understanding so you can do
something different instead of becoming frustrated
with your child and straining your relationship. A
school neuropsychological evaluation will help you
get to the root cause of why your child is completing
tasks so slowly. Our evaluations assess all of these
potential causes and provide specific and helpful
recommendations to improve your child’s functioning
in the home and school settings.
Call us at (561) 625-4125 to discuss your child or
learn more at www.JimForgan.com.

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