The HIVE, Inc.

04/08/2026

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Last month, we recognized this year's award winners at our press conference at the State Capitol, and we want to continue celebrating them throughout Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month! First up, our Innovative Program Award!

The Innovative Program Award recognizes programs, projects, or initiatives that demonstrate creativity and originality in addressing awareness, education, and/or prevention of sexual violence.

Hope Harbor, Inc. and The HIVE, Inc. were selected as an Innovate Program Award recipient for their collaborative partnership expanding sexual assault prevention and education to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Kentucky. Together, they developed a bi-weekly support group providing accessible programming on sexual health, boundaries, relationships, and consent. As noted by the nominator, the program “provides a safe space to learn and ask questions about sexual health, boundaries, and relationships, which have often been avoided by caregivers or dismissed by public education systems.” Led by Hope Harbor staff member Chloe Huntsman, this partnership exemplifies a thoughtful, community-driven approach to addressing barriers and meeting the prevention needs of an underserved population.

Thank you Chloe!

04/06/2026

Did you know that Precision Dental - Bowling Green has been supporting our HIVE through their work since they started in 2018?? We love Dr. Bryan, Ali, and the whole PD team!!! We’re so thankful for the thoughtful and generous business leaders in our community who support our mission!!

Get to Know the Doc🪥🦷

Born and raised in Southern California ☀️, Dr. Bryan Packard comes from a long line of dentists 🦷 — his dad, grandpa, uncles, and cousins all share the same calling. Inspired by his father’s passion for patient care, he proudly followed in his footsteps into dentistry.

At 19, he lived in Brazil for two years serving a church mission 🇧🇷 — an experience that deeply shaped his outlook and compassion for others. The love he felt and the service he gave during that time stayed with him, influencing the way he’s lived ever since.

He later served three years as a Captain and dentist in the United States Army 🇺🇸, gaining invaluable leadership and mentorship along the way.

He met his wife, Ali (a Western Kentucky University dental hygiene graduate! 🦷), dated for six months, and knew she was the one. Today, they’re raising four beautiful children — Henry, Isla, Jude, and Finn 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 — and building the life they once dreamed of together.

In 2018, a part of that dream became reality when they opened Precision Dental ✨. Since then, their lives have been full of blessings, growth, and gratitude as they continue serving families in our community 🤍

We’re so grateful for the leader, dad, husband, and dentist that he is. 🤍

For Fun:
🥤 Glass half-full kinda guy, so therefore a die-hard fan of Ted Lasso (IYKYK).
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Four wonderful kids and a superhero wife keep him happy, driven, and let’s be honest… cool.
⚾ Baseball player in another life, but will sing every word to every musical. Talk about the best of both worlds, right?
💪 His motto: “Go big or go home!”

04/03/2026

Spencer's Coffee is bringing back My Old Kentucky Throwdown April 17th to benefit our HIVE!!! Learn more from their Instagram post below!

04/02/2026

Caregiver guilt and overwhelm is REAL.
This month our friend, Lee Fowlkes, LCSW is coming to chat with us about managing these feelings.

Lee has 30 years of experience in counseling and is one of the founding members of the PossAbilities Expo.
If you know Lee, you love him, and that’s just that!

Thursday, April 30th from 5-7 pm at the HIVE Clubhouse in Our Parachute events are free!
But we need you to RSVP so we can get food for everyone, so go to https://www.thehivebg.org/parachute and hit that RSVP link!

03/31/2026

We’re running low on paper towels again!! If you’re able to donate a roll or a pack, we’d be grateful! 🥹

Drop offs welcome during program hours - thank you for supporting our Hive ❤️

03/31/2026

What an amazing community we get to be a part of!!! Congratulations to everyone who made this amazing Community Center happen in Scottsville, KY! If you haven’t seen it yet, go check out what The CUBE has to offer!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

03/28/2026

Come see us at in Logan County today!!!

03/28/2026

Puzzle Pieces is always up to something good! Check out The More Than Project’s Care for Caregivers Retreat coming to Owensboro this spring, and share to spread the word to other parents!

03/25/2026

03/25/2026

Crisis.
Survival.
Stability.
Release.

🧠💜 WHY CAREGIVERS SOMETIMES CRASH AFTER THE CRISIS FINALLY ENDS
(The biology behind the “post-adrenaline collapse” many families experience)

⚠️ Educational discussion. Not medical advice.

Many caregivers know this moment.

During the crisis you function.

You make the calls.
You monitor the medications.
You track breathing, seizures, GI signals, pain signals.
You advocate, coordinate, and hold everything together.

In the moment, you feel surprisingly focused.

Almost calm.

Then the crisis ends.

Your child stabilizes.
The hospital discharge happens.
The seizure storm passes.
The medical scare settles.

And suddenly…

your body crashes.

Exhaustion hits like a wave.
You feel emotionally raw.
You may cry unexpectedly.
You may feel shaky, foggy, or depleted.

Many parents quietly ask themselves:

“Why am I falling apart now, when everything is finally okay?”

Neuroscience has an answer.

🧠 1️⃣ THE ADRENALINE RESPONSE

During emergencies the brain activates the fight-or-flight response.

This involves two systems:

• the sympathetic nervous system
• the SAM axis (sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system)

These systems release stress hormones such as:

• adrenaline (epinephrine)
• norepinephrine
• cortisol

These chemicals increase heart rate, alertness, focus, and reaction speed — helping the body respond to danger.

In other words:

The body temporarily becomes extremely efficient at handling crisis.

🧠 2️⃣ CORTISOL KEEPS THE BODY RUNNING

After the first surge of adrenaline, the brain activates the HPA axis.

This system releases cortisol — the body’s main stress hormone.

Cortisol helps maintain energy, regulate inflammation, and keep the body functioning during prolonged stress.

During long medical events or emergencies, cortisol helps caregivers stay alert and functioning even when they are exhausted.

It’s the body’s temporary survival mode.

🧠 3️⃣ THE “LET-DOWN EFFECT”

When the crisis finally ends, stress hormones drop.

Heart rate slows.
Blood pressure normalizes.
The body begins shifting out of emergency mode.

But that sudden hormonal shift can create something known as the “let-down effect.”

This is when physical or emotional symptoms appear after the stressful event is over.

People may experience:

• extreme fatigue
• emotional release
• headaches or body aches
• irritability or sadness
• a sense of emptiness or collapse

It’s not weakness.

It’s the nervous system coming down from survival mode.

🧠 4️⃣ THE PARASYMPATHETIC REBOUND

Another piece of the puzzle is something called parasympathetic rebound.

During prolonged stress, the parasympathetic “rest and restore” system is suppressed.

When the crisis ends, that system may suddenly activate — sometimes strongly.

The result can feel like:

• heavy fatigue
• emotional release
• sudden need for sleep
• loss of adrenaline-driven focus

The body is finally allowing itself to recover.

💜 WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CAREGIVERS

Many parents quietly judge themselves during this moment.

They think:

“I should be grateful things are stable.”

“I should feel relieved.”

Instead they feel depleted.

But the biology of the nervous system explains why.

Your body held itself together during the emergency.

It postponed the emotional and physical cost.

And when safety finally returned…

the nervous system finally allowed the release.

This is not failure.

It is recovery.

And for many caregivers walking the Rett and MECP2 journey, that cycle is deeply familiar.

Crisis.

Survival.

Stability.

Release.

If you’ve ever crashed after everything finally calmed down…

Your body wasn’t betraying you.

It was finally allowing itself to breathe.

03/24/2026

🤩 How cool is this??
We are so thankful for our friends at Hope Harbor, Inc.!!

Today we attended the Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Kickoff in Frankfort🎉
Hope Harbor and The Hive BG were selected as an Innovate Program Award recipient for our collaborative partnership expanding sexual assault prevention and education to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the BRADD region in southern KY. Together, we developed a biweekly support group providing accessible programming on sexual health, boundaries, relationships, and consent.

As noted by the nominator, this program "provides a safe space to learn and ask questions about sexual health, boundaries, and relationships, which have often been avoided by caregivers or dismissed by public education systems."

Led by Hope Harbor’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Chloe Huntsman, this partnership exemplifies a thoughtful, community-driven approach to addressing barriers and meeting the prevention needs of an underserved population.

Way to show your True Colors!!!!🥹🙌🎉

Our friends at The Hive, this one’s for you💛