God’s Little Acres Comforts Families Of Special Needs Children
In Coconut Creek
By Nicol Jenkins
Editor
Joan Nast’s life changed the moment she was touched by a special
needs child.
She traded her job in real estate and a lavish lifestyle for a five
acre ranch in Coconut Creek that has become home to developmentally
disabled and terminally ill children and families.
“A couple times a week we would go to Joe DiMaggio Children’s
Hospital and visit with the sick children to give the parents a break.
When we heard the divorce rate was so high for these parents, we thought
that we have to make a difference and we found a place to take the
pressure off the parents of sick children,” Nast said. “We
sold our home and boat, and everything to take care of the sick children,
and we bought a ranch.”
Now and for nine years, Nast and her husband Bob have dedicated their
life to running God’s Little Acres. The local ranch provides
recreational services at no cost for special needs children and gives
parents a much needed break. The facility is open Saturdays to families
by invitation only and during the day families are treated to lunch
and activities such as hay rides, miniature horse and buggy rides,
clown shows, and other entertainment.
“When people come here they don’t want to leave. They
step on the property and feel something special here and it is,”
said Nast, founder of God’s Little Acres with her husband Bob.
“It makes us very happy. We might not have a lot of money in
the bank but we go to sleep at night knowing we make a difference.”
The couple is looking to give back once again this holiday season.
The duo will host its 2007 Christmas party Dec. 15 from 1 p.m. to
5 p.m. at God’s Little Acres offering food, entertainment and
holiday cheer. Each year, the non-profit has a toy drive to collect
holiday gifts for the children.
“Some of these families have nothing and whatever they get
here, that will be it,” she said.
Esperanza Ovad brings her autistic son Jonathan to the holiday event
each year.
“It’s a good time and all the activities they have there
are really great,” Ovad said, adding, “God’s Little
Acres has been a God send to us. It’s the only place I can take
my son where I really don’t have to worry or be embarrassed
if he does something inappropriate.”
Her 14-year-old daughter Elizabeth said she enjoys the holiday party.
“I really like it, and I’ve been going there since I
was little with Jonathan. He likes it a lot; it’s hard to get
him to leave there when we go.”
Besides providing a fun time for children during the holiday, Nast
wanted to provide comfort to the mothers of special needs children,
especially after one mother confided that she felt alone and suicidal.
That sparked Nast to start the Mom’s Club of God’s Little
Acres, a support group which meets monthly at the ranch to provide
educational information and a shoulder to lean on. At each meeting,
moms tell heart-wrenching stories of husbands leaving them and dealing
with daily challenges of being a mother of a special needs child.
“One story is worse than the other here. We have moms telling
their stories and if they want to cry, we let them cry,” Nast
said. “It’s ending up more than support. They are really
reaching out and calling each other. We try to give some hope, and
it is encouraged by having someone to talk to.”
Ovad also attends the monthly meetings and is now the chairperson
of the Mom’s Club.
“They really embraced me and supported me,” she said.
“And if one person is having a hard time, we look out for that
person and give them extra calls and try to cheer them up.”
For more information on God’s Little Acres or the Mom’s
Club, contact Joan Nast at 954-984-0787 or www.godslittleacres.org.
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