The Tribune

MORE than 150 people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new Seahorse Institute on 85 Soldier Road, one year to the day after the old facility was destroyed in a fire.

The Seahorse Institute, a Bahamian non-profit which provides education and therapeutic support to children with special needs such as Autism and Down Syndrome, lost their facility on Shirley Street which supported 24 children and adolescents ranging in age from 2 to 21, in a still unexplained electrical fire.

Over the past year, the leadership and staff desperately sought out a new location to house their specially designed clinical and educational programmes.

St Andrew Kirk Presbyterian Church provided a free temporary space for the children and teachers for more than eight months.

Seahorse Institute’s volunteer board and its director Dr Michelle Major reached out to the Nassau community for support and received a tremendous response from individuals and businesses in the form of donations, building supplies and volunteering of technical expertise and labour.

With their support and with the a bridge loan provided by Mark Roberts, president of FYP, the Seahorse Institute was able to purchase the facility on Soldier Road and renovate it to meet the special educational and therapeutic needs of the children.

“These people are our guardian angels and they proved that miracles can happen!” said Dr Major.

Attendees were able to visit the new site, see the facility and learn about the work that is done with the children.

The new facility features spacious classrooms, ample outside and inside recreation options including a swing set, playground and pool, and room for clinical evaluation and treatment.

They were treated to a performance by the children of Seahorse Institute and visiting students from St Andrew’s School, who sang and signed a song called “Thank You”.

The two schools share a weekly inclusion day where students intermingle.

The contributions of the attendees in building the new facility were recognised and two Angel Awards were presented to Baha Mar and to Mr Roberts for their extraordinary efforts to ensure that the children had a new place to learn and grow.

Robert “Sandy” Sands, a top Baha Mar executive, accepted the award, saying: “All of us at Baha Mar are privileged to have been able to help out with such a worthy cause. Seahorse Institute helps a lot of people.”

Mr Roberts said the real recognition should go to “the children, who work so hard every day to overcome incredible obstacles and learn. Their accomplishments are amazing.”

Dr Major announced that the new facility would be a community resource, offering free monthly classes to all parents and educators through the new CARE Academy.

Additionally, the new facility is being used by Barry University to hold classes for the Masters Programme in Special Education.

“The Seahorse Institute will work with government and schools and other not for profit organisations to have a positive impact here in the Bahamas for children with special needs and their families,” she said.

The event took place three days after someone broke into and robbed the facility.

More than $10,000 worth of roofing and building supplies, which were taken from the work site.

Security cameras captured some footage of the crime but there is little hope of recovery of the stolen items.

The loss places the completion of this project in jeopardy.

“We are hoping that there are a few more angels out there to help us,” Dr Major said.