New Eagles' Haven Wellness Center Caters To Those Impacted By Parkland Shooting

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CORAL SPRINGS (CBSMiami) - It's been more than a year since the tragedy in Parkland, but the pain and grief are still very real for those who survived the shooting and for the families who lost loved ones.

In recent weeks, two Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students took their own lives. Those added tragedies shed light on the fact that more needs to be done to help the Parkland community cope.

To that end, a new wellness center, Eagles' Haven, created solely for the MSD/Eagles community has opened in Coral Springs.

"I think that I can really help a lot of students who come in here and it's like let's go to therapy, no, let's relax, let's play some games, make new friends here," said Annabel Claprood.

Claprood is a high school junior who transferred out of Stoneman Douglas after the massacre that left 17 people dead. Now, she's helping in the healing process. She's part of Eagles' Haven.

"I personally think that sometimes when there are activities it can distract a student a little bit and it helps bring out their emotions without forcefully staring into their eyes and telling them, 'tell me how you feel'," she said.

The idea behind Eagles Haven is to provide a safe space for students, parents, teachers, staff, and anyone impacted by the tragedy.

"Our Eagles' Haven tagline is 'rediscovering wellness and restoring hope'," said Sarah Franco, with the Jewish Adoption and Family Care Options which is overseeing operations at the center.

What they envision is a person walking in and having a chance to do whatever they want, saying this is not therapy — it's wellness.

"What we want to do here is just have fun and have a place where people can stop in. We're going to do yoga, kickboxing, and drumming and whatever the teens want and also the families and the teachers," said Franco.

If someone needs or wants therapy, Eagles' Haven is also designed to be a one-stop shop, so to speak, to get the community connected with what they need. They're also catering to teachers.

"They've been on the front line this whole time and they're not just teachers, they're trained to educate and now this year have to be almost therapist themselves. So who's supporting them," said Franco.

Eagles' Haven is located in the Shoppes at Heron Lakes at 5655 Coral Ridge Drive.

Funding for the center is provided by the Children's Services Council and the United Way of Broward County.