Meet-A-Mom: Nicole Hanrahan | Ocean County Moms

 

Meet-A-Mom: Nicole Hanrahan

 

 

 

Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town? 

I am originally from Spotswood, NJ and have lived in Jackson for 10 years.

 

Child(ren) and Age(s)? 

I have a son John who is 9 and a forever 20 month old daughter Mackenzie

 

 

One thing people would be surprised to know about you.

I think one thing people would be surprised to know about me is that I am a very shy person. 

 

Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood? 

I would love to thank my husband John first. We are definitely partners in this stage of parenthood. He is always right there making sure even on the bad days, we are in this together. I would also like to thank my family because they are always there to help out or give advice (even when I don’t ask :)). They make sure to check in on me, help with virtual learning and some are even built in babysitters! I would also like to thank my girls, for always letting me know it’s ok to have a bad day and to be the people we can be ourselves with no matter what.

Favorite things to do with your kids? 

We love to go to Six Flags Great Adventure and spend time outside when it is nice. We also love going on vacation, especially Disney!

Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share! 

am the President of The Mackenzi Blair Foundation, which we founded after the loss of our daughter at 20 months old. Mackenzie died while taking a nap December 22, 2015 and after a thorough autopsy, was found to have died of natural causes. After some research, we found that her category of death was Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, an umbrella term for children ages 1-18 who die with no known cause. Although Mackenzie’s death is still difficult, we wanted to give back to our local community as well as families who deal with SUDC.  Our non-profit focuses on providing a scholarship to a Jackson High School student each year, we provide money back to the SUDC Foundation to assist with research for causes of SUDC and have recently started an endeavor to provide care packages for families who have suddenly lost a child. We have a goal of being able to financially assist those families affected by SUDC with funeral costs.

 

How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now? 

This community has been extremely supportive since we began three years ago. We have had great neighbors who would sit and listen to me talk about my ideas and dreams for the foundation and would support and encourage me and let everyone know about our Foundation. Everyone we have known and come in contact with through sports and activities has helped build us to where we are today. 

 

What is your favorite restaurant in Ocean County? 

Cornerstone Kitchen & Tap right here in Jackson. Great food and a great atmosphere!

What is your favorite activity to do with your child(ren) in Ocean County? 

Six Flags (he loves the rides!) and going to the boardwalk

What are your Mom Goals? 

My mom goals are to raise a happy and kind son. I want to be able to make sure my son is raised in a house that he will always want to come home to!

 

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