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Staff Spotlight: Lynn Hawkins Helping Children in Need

Any Lower School parent is familiar with the always friendly, always positive, always helpful Lynn Hawkins in administration. She is equally wonderful with students as she is helpful with  parents navigating their way through the division. But Lynn’s “free time” is spent on a passion project that many may not know about. 

In 2019, Lynn and her daughter, Quadhera, founded Pinwheel Place in Eatontown, a crisis nursery that offers licensed emergency and respite child-care completely free to families in need. Pinwheel Place strengthens families by caring for their children, connecting them to resources, and providing basic needs. It is the only crisis nursery in New Jersey and it aims to bridge the gap for parents who need help, averting crises before they happen.

Lynn has spent most of her life volunteering or being involved in nonprofits dedicated to preventing child abuse. When she was 21, while studying for a degree in Community and Family Services at University of Delaware, she moved from New Jersey to Texas, where she interned at Casa De Esperanza, a home for abused and neglected children. When she returned to New Jersey, she knew she wanted to open a similar home. It took her a while to make this dream become a reality because along the way, she fell in love with a little girl, Quadhera, and soon adopted her. Twenty-five years later, along with her daughter, they founded Pinwheel Place. Lynn knows first hand the impact that the simple acts of kindness, compassion, and love have on children. She created Pinwheel Place with the hope of a community of like-minded people willing to make a difference in a child’s life.

Quadhera, known as Quady, share’s her mother’s passion of working with young children. She’s been an art assistant at Ranney School Camp, worked with special needs adults at a school in Monmouth County, and interned with special needs pre-school children and adults with mental illnesses while at Seton Hall University. Quadhera graduated with a Major in Social and Behavioral Sciences and a minor in Social Work and received her certification for Trauma and Resilience Practitioner. Before founding Pinwheel Place, she volunteered in the Child Life Department at Jersey Shore Medical Center, and worked at St. Clare’s Home for Children and  the YMCA Child Achievement Branch. 

Lynn describes working alongside her daughter as, “amazing.” 

“To know each other so well and to share the passion of wanting to make sure children have great childhoods has been one of the best parts for me. I am so proud of her. When I see how she interacts with the children who enter our care, she is exactly what they need. She is calm and caring and has so much patience, and just the right amount of silly. She really has a calling for this work and she pushed me to start it.”

Lynn and Quady knew crisis nurseries are effective at reducing childhood trauma. As that was their primary goal, they initially offered emergency childcare services. During COVID, they added a basic needs program, which delivers items (like diapers) to families who don’t have transportation or work off hours. Because the price of diapers is high and there aren’t government programs to help families make these goods affordable, the program grew quickly. On average, Lynn and Quady deliver 3,000-4,000 diapers a month to families in need. “Ranney’s Upper School Key Club holds a diaper drive in the spring, and just adopted nine children for the holidays to buy toys, stuffed animals, clothes, and pajamas for, which we are appreciative of,” said Lynn. 

As Pinwheel Place grew, social workers started requesting items for expectant moms who did not have all of the things they needed to bring a baby home. Seeing that gaping hole in family services, Lynn and Quady launched  their “welcome basket” program to help pregnant women who need support. 

Now that Pinwheel Place’s reputation and offerings have grown, they are getting increased referrals for the emergency child care program, the service that is currently most requested. 

“Supporting families and reducing stressors have been found as ways to mitigate risk factors with abuse and neglect,” said Lynn. “The mission is always the same, but we’ve expanded programs to accomplish more goals. We hope to add more programs in the future.”

When asked what she has learned from working with the families at Pinwheel Place, Lynn said, “so many things.” 

“Most importantly, something I knew but now I really understand, you should never judge people and you should always try to be kind. You often have no idea what is going on in someone's life. Many of these families are struggling with so many things and it takes such strength for them to ask for help. Even with kids who might be acting out and the parents who care for them - switch your framework to not ‘what is wrong with you’ but ‘what happened to you?’  That switch can change a lot of interactions that you have.”

Lynn brings joy every day to the students at Ranney School. She knows them each by name, always has the patience and the answers to help them find what they are looking for, and is a trusted and safe face that they are excited to see. She helps parents with all kinds of requests, and the faculty, staff, and administrators that work with her swear the school wouldn’t be able to run without her contributions. In addition to all of that, what she does in her time outside of work is amazing. Although she is humble and quiet about it, everyone who finds out wants to know more. No one is surprised that she makes such a difference in people’s lives, they are just surprised this is the first they are hearing of it. It is reassuring to know that the people who help Ranney students are also out in the community, making a difference for children in the area every day.  

“The most rewarding part is knowing you might have changed the future for a child,” said Lynn. “So many times when we help a family we wonder what would they have done if we were not here and how would that have affected that child, that family? It is humbling knowing that something so simple can make such a major difference.”

*****
As a grassroots nonprofit, Pinwheel Place accepts any and all help! Donations go to keep the house running, fundraisers help to increase awareness, and volunteers help with childcare, fundraising, office work, cleaning and organizing. Many families need help with diapers, so diaper drives are also a big help. “Sharing what we do is important as well. You never know who might need our services or who might want to help us make sure we are supporting the children and families in our community.”
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Ranney School

235 Hope Road
Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
Tel. 732.542.4777
Our mission is to know and value every child, nurturing intellectual curiosity and confidence, and inspiring students to lead honorably, think creatively, and contribute meaningfully to society.