In the News
Weises have a game plan for Hannah and friends
BY VAUGHN MCCLURE, Staff Reporter
Chicago Sun-Times
August 29, 2006
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Out of nowhere, Hannah Weis will look at her mother and ask, ''Are you happy?''
Those simple words can trigger tears of joy from Maura Weis.
The wife of Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis knows Hannah -- who has global developmental delays, which impede speech, motor skills and social skills -- never will live a normal life. Hannah also suffered seizures in her younger years, causing more brain damage.
But listening to the 11-year-old now, the way she picks up phrases, shows signs of extraordinary progress.
''When she was younger, it was a lot tougher,'' Maura said. ''You couldn't even leave her alone for a minute. But she's really grown into a lovely young lady. She's really easy to care for.''
Hannah is Maura's mission in life. With the help of her husband, she has turned the mission into a crusade.
Through Hannah & Friends (www.hannahandfriends.org), the nonprofit organization they founded in 2003, Maura and Charlie Weis aim to open a South Bend-area community for young adults with special needs. They're in the process of finding a site, and Maura hopes doors will open one year after the land is purchased.
''What we want to do is build a community within a community,'' she said, ''somewhere people with special needs can live their lives in peace.''
Maura envisions four residential homes with four people in each home -- including Hannah, when she becomes an adult. A recreation center will be constructed.
The residents will have on-site jobs: anything from going to get the mail to taking care of the garden.
The state has an extended waiting list for special-needs adults seeking housing. Individuals will be plucked from that list to live in the Hannah & Friends community. Caretakers will be hired to live with each resident.
''I want people that feel like it's a calling for them to help people with special needs,'' Maura said.
Hannah & Friends has raised more than $600,000 this year. Maura said the yearly goal is $1 million. An endowment fund with more than $1 million already has been established. And Maura has been approached with a book deal to detail her cause.
Charlie Weis hasn't been just a figurehead, either. He has done numerous speaking engagements and charity events -- charging a lot of money in the process.
''I don't feel bad about taking money to give to people with special needs,'' he said.
One develops that type of mind-set when dealing with it on a daily basis. The Weises have had their share of struggles related to Hannah. Doctors even told them, when Maura was pregnant, that Hannah wouldn't live more than a few days because of a kidney-related disease.
Hannah is doing fine. Her parents just want to make sure she's happy.
''I did most of my crying early on because I didn't know what the plan was for Hannah,'' Maura said. ''Then you find out there is no script for it.
''God has his own plan. And we're just going with that.''
