(PRESS RELEASE)_Boca Raton, FL (March 15, 2021)—Zach Mandel, a 12-year-old boy in Boca Raton, established a “Covid Care” project benefitting Boca Helping Hands (BHH). With his Bar Mitzvah approaching, Zach asked his friends and family to contribute food and other necessities in lieu of traditional gifts. In the end, he donated 429 pounds of items to the nonprofit. “I came up with the idea of ‘Covid Care,’ a Feed the Families Food Drive, as my mitzvah project to help collect toiletries and food for less fortunate people,” Zach said. “It feels pretty good to have donated. I visited Boca Helping Hands on a school student council field trip a couple years ago. The pandemic has been tough on so many people in our community, so I was inspired to help." Mandel is a 7th grader at the Pine Crest School in Boca Raton. The donations, which he picked up from friends and delivered to Boca Helping Hands, included canned fruits and vegetables, cereal, cereal bars, crackers, jelly, pasta, peanut butter, soup, tomato sauce and rice. He also collected toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, razors, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and soap. Friends and family either purchased the items themselves or used an Amazon link. “Zach really set an example for kids his age,” said Greg Hazle, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “We’re delighted to have received this generous donation of much-needed items.” About Boca Helping Hands Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is a community-based nonprofit that provides food, medical and financial assistance to meet basic human needs as well as education, job training and guidance to create self-sufficiency. Through its various assistance programs, BHH supports over 27,000 people annually. BHH distributes more than 80,000 pantry bags each year at four Palm Beach County locations and serves over 90,000 hot meals annually, six days per week. The organization expands access to affordable medical, dental and behavioral care through its partnership with Genesis Community Health, serving clients at clinics in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach. BHH sends weekend meals home with food-insecure elementary school students via the BHH Backpacks Program and assists working families with the rising cost of childcare through the Children’s Assistance Program (CAP). With an increased focus on client self-sufficiency, BHH awards scholarships for qualified candidates to attend accredited vocational training classes that prepare them for careers in the healthcare, information technology and transportation industries. BHH also offers free English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes and courses in nutrition and other life skills. Staff and volunteer mentors counsel the unemployed and underemployed in basic workplace skills and help them polish resumes and search for jobs. Boca Helping Hands is a partner agency of The Town of Palm Beach United Way. Since 1945, the Town of Palm Beach United Way has been committed to improving lives and building strong communities throughout Palm Beach County by focusing on programs and priorities that promote education, health and financial stability. Charity Navigator named Boca Helping Hands a Four-Star Charity for the 14th consecutive year in April 2020. Boca Helping Hands is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432. For more information, please visit BocaHelpingHands.org.
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(PRESS RELEASE)_(Lake Worth Beach, FL – March 10, 2021) Dave Lawrence, President & CEO of the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County today announced that the 16th annual season of CULTURE & COCKTAILS will conclude with its traditional musical finale. The fun theme for this all-virtual season of C&C was Cool People Doing Neat Stuff! April 5 – 6 to 7 pm Wayne Hosford & Stars of Tomorrow Postponed from last season: Our annual musical finale of this series will feature a live conversation with and performance by Wayne Hosford, an award-winning entertainer, singer, comedian, actor and composer, who tickles the keys regularly at Club Colette in Palm Beach, was featured in five different shows at The Colony Hotel’s Royal Room, and has appeared with many cabaret giants (Michael Feinstein, Ann Hampton Callaway, Marilyn Maye). Hosford will introduce musical performances by some amazing young talents, including: + Kai Alivia Koren, 18, is the recipient of the 2016 Young Artist’s Award for the Society of the Great American Songbook, and has performed with her musical mentors Jill & Rich Switzer, and at such legendary venues as the Palladium, Carnegie Hall, Birdland Jazz Club, and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. + Tyler Corbett, 11, a sixth grader at St. Vincent Ferrer School, has performed in shows both there and at the Lake Worth Playhouse, and is a three-year member of the Delray Summer Sing Camp. + Kaylee Owen, 8, a second grader at Plumosa School of the Arts, performs as both a singer and pianist with the hip-hop dance club, K-2 Choir, and the Delray Summer Sing Camp. + Zachary Lee Williams, a 17-year-old piano player who has performed with the Kretzer Kids, has been described as “an old soul with a classy touch, defying his young age.” Interviewed by Kathi Kretzer, Founder & President of the Kretzer Music Foundation. Note: The Yamaha Grand Piano at this event is generously provided by Piano Distributors in Jupiter. How to View: This virtual CULTURE & COCKTAILS is FREE for everyone, both Cultural Council members and nonmembers. RSVP ASAP with Debbie Calabria at 561.472.3330 (or visit www.palmbeachculture.com/cocktails and she will email instructions on how to connect live). The 2020-2021 season of CULTURE & COCKTAILS was generously sponsored by The Roe Green Foundation, Roe Green, Founder; Scott Teich, Teich Wealth Management of Raymond James; The Palm Beach Daily News; Legends Radio; and PR-BS, a Boca-based public relations firm. (PRESS RELEASE)_(Palm Beach, FL – March 10, 2021) Novelist Tom Turner relishes exposing the steamy, seamy-side of local society in a series of sizzling hot mysteries under such page-turning titles as Palm Beach Nasty, Palm Beach Deadly, Palm Beach Poison, Palm Beach Predator, Palm Beach Bones, Palm Beach Pretenders, and more. According to Publishers Weekly, “Turner’s Palm Beach is a blend of desperate criminals, social climbers, merciless billionaires and surprising heroes.” The popular book series has already garnered about 2,000 glowing 5-star reviews on Amazon. The devilishly handsome protagonist in the series is Charlie Crawford, a cynical, crafty cop and a former NYC homicide detective now solving scandalous crimes on the Island. Each mystery is filled with twists and turns galore, along with familiar places and personalities, some only lightly disguised. Palm Beach Taboo, the 10th novel in the fast-paced series was published recently and immediately shot to “#1 New Release” on Amazon. Like its gossipy, funny, but full-speed ahead predecessors, the new thriller is available for purchase online, both as an ebook and a paperback. The plot: There’s a dangerous cult in Palm Beach. The members say it’s all about altruism and philanthropy, but to doubting detective Charlie Crawford, it looks a lot like sex and money…and MURDER, when someone is found brutally stabbed to death. The list of suspects include a billionaire heiress, an ex-movie star, a former member of Skull and Bones, a Blackwater psychopath…and the weird thing is, they’re all members of Mensa. A native New Englander, Tom Turner spent 10 years as an advertising copywriter in Boston and New York before moving into commercial real estate, which is how he ended up in Palm Beach, buying, renovating and selling houses. At the same time, he was collecting raw material for his novels. On the side, he wrote Palm Beach Nasty, its sequel, Palm Beach Poison, and a screenplay called Blood Red Sea. He has also written mysteries that take place in Charleston, SC (Killing Time in Charleston, Charleston Buzz Kill) and Savannah, GA (The Savannah Madam), as well as standalone novels Broken House and Dead in the Water. Both his in-print and audiobooks are available on Amazon. Tall, handsome, and white-haired, the prolific Turner now lives fulltime in West Palm Beach, next to the Intracoastal and just a few blocks north of the Flagler Memorial Bridge. He can occasionally be spotted at Palm Beach hotspots, coolly contemplating both the glitzy “OG” and the ambitious new arrivals, picking up tidbits for his next best-selling thriller. For more information, please visit www.TomTurnerBooks.com, where readers can get a taste of his novels, including the first few enticing chapters of both Palm Beach Nasty and Palm Beach Poison. From left: Paul Leone, CEO, The Breakers Palm Beach; Kathy Leone, child welfare advocate; Dan Cathy, CEO, Chick-fil-A; Mascot; Tom Rivera, Regional Director, Xcel Strategies; Tim Coffield, President and CEO, YMCA of the Palm Beaches (PRESS RELEASE)_YMCA of the Palm Beaches on Feb. 26 hosted the unveiling of Xcel Strategies Mentoring Network's new WORX Mobile Training Unit, a skills training concept that provides hands-on experience in HVAC, carpentry, electrical, automotive, and plumbing systems for young men and women between the ages of 15-25.
In attendance for the official ribbon-cutting were leadership from YMCA of the Palm Beaches and Xcel, District 2 Commissioner Gregg Weiss, Xcel students, program participants and partners, Willie Snead IV, wide receiver, Baltimore Ravens and Willie Snead III, former NFL wide receiver. Xcel Strategies Mentoring Network serves the community through its partnerships with YMCA of the Palm Beaches, Vita Nova, Inc., Lutheran Services, Palm Beach Preparatory Charter Academy, Palm Beach County Sheriff Police Athletic League (PAL), and Palm Beach Christian Preparatory. Guests were treated to Chick-fil-A and were greeted by CEO Dan Cathy and the Chick-fil-A mascot. BOCA RATON, FL, March 8, 2020– The Junior League of Boca Raton will launch the second annual Little Black Dress Initiative (LBDI), a week long awareness campaign, March 8th-12th, to raise funds to help underserved women and children in Palm Beach and Broward Counties.
Junior League members that participate in Little Black Dress will wear the same black dress or outfit for five consecutive days to illustrate the restrictions poverty places on choices, opportunities, and access to resources. By wearing the same black dress or outfit, it symbolizes the somber situation and struggles that many members of our community face on a daily basis. Members will post to their social media channels pictured in the dress. To support Little Black Dress, visit https://jlbr.charityproud.org/Fundraising/P2P/2473 or send a check to the Junior League of Boca Raton, Vegso Community Resource Center, 261 NW 13th Street, Boca Raton, FL 33432. Donations are fully tax deductible. Donations will go to support the programs and mission of the JLBR, including Feeding our Community, Self-Esteem Programs and the Diaper Bank. Founded in 2014 by the Junior League of London, the Little Black Dress Initiative has been adopted by Junior Leagues throughout the U.S. The initiative will enable members to experience what it’s like to only own one dress and have to keep it clean and wear it for an entire week so they can reflect on the impact of poverty and the lack of choices people have who live in poverty on a daily basis. League members will raise money via their personal social media channels. In Florida, 62% of the workforce is comprised of mothers with infant children and one quarter of the state’s resident’s live below the poverty level. “Our members will wear the same dress every day for five days to illustrate the fact that many people who live in Florida have so little money to live on. Our goal is to raise awareness and funds,” Cristy Stewart Harfmann, President of the Junior League of Boca Raton, said. “The Little Black Dress Initiative shows how limited resources affect daily life.” The Chairs for the Little Black Dress Initiative are Tara Patton and Cheryl Marcus. (PRESS RELEASE)_(West Palm Beach, FL – March 8, 2021) The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County (LWVPBC) today invited concerned adults to two timely, informative and FREE Zoom Conversations in March and April: Wednesday, March 17 at Noon Hot Topic Discussion Economic Development in Palm Beach County Guest Speaker: Kelly L. Smallridge, President and CEO of Palm Beach County’s public/private economic development agency, the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County (BDB) + Background: Smallridge has worked for the BDB for 32 years, serves as the longest tenured economic development President in the State of Florida, and has a solid track record in facilitating some of the largest job creation projects for Palm Beach County. In 2013, Governor Rick Scott awarded Kelly with the Governor’s Ambassador Medal recognizing her hard work in creating jobs in Palm Beach County. She oversees all operations of the Business Development Board which is one of only two Accredited Economic Development Boards in the State of Florida. Her aggressive style in landing relocations and expansions has led to big announcements of jobs for this county from companies like United Technologies, Amazon, ADT, Pratt & Whitney, G4S, Fed Ex, Sikorsky Helicopters, Aldi, and TBC Corporation to name a few. + How to Connect: Advance registration for this Zoom webinar is required at: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_flGuuVYnSEGWmMxLbrJqwQ Wednesday, April 7 at pm Conversations with the League Palm Beach County Schools Guest Speaker: Edward Tierney, Chief of Staff for the School District of Palm Beach County, the 10th largest school district in the nation and fourth largest in the State of Florida. Background: How is the School District working to close the “digital divide” in Palm Beach County, and how is the District preparing for its next strategic plan, including using community input and lessons learned to inform where resources should be focused in the years ahead. Tierney, who has worked for the District for 8 years and has held a variety of positions from Behavior Intervention Associate to Principal of John I. Leonard High School, will discuss the current legislative session and court rulings, and how they may affect the School District. How to Connect: To connect with this Zoom chat, please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85845235206?pwd=VDhac2V3b0lETGVjVk5pdDhqZ3p0QT09 WHAT: Feeling a little green and lucky? Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap invites guests to celebrate the luck of the irish for St. Patrick’s Day week! Starting off, Batch will be starting the weekend with a St. Patrick’s Day-themed weekend brunch available on Saturday, March 13th and Sunday, March 14th. Who needs a lucky charm when Batch will be serving up with the purchase of bottomless mimosas, sangrias, and bellinis and its delicious Corned Beef Hash (made with house-cured corned beef, poached eggs, and mustard hollandaise)? Waiting to get lucky the day of St. Patrick’s Day? On Wednesday, March 17th, guests can enjoy $2 Proper No. Twelve Irish Breakfast Shots, $5 Pecan Whiskey shots and $5 Paddy’s Irish Whiskey, Smoked Brisket Rueben Sandwich (made with HM Kraut and 1000 island dressing). If you’re looking to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a twist of southern-style, Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap is the place to be! WHO: Batch New Southern Kitchen & Tap is a modern casual dining restaurant & bar featuring a scratch-cooked, locally sourced new southern culinary menu and garden-to-glass cocktails. We’re all about cookin’ from scratch. That means we avoid frozen products, we don’t cut corners, and we only feature the freshest and best ingredients we can source. We use local products, sustainable crops, and fair trade ingredients. It may take us a little more time and a little more work, but we were taught nothin’ worthwhile comes easy, and creating the best possible meal for you is all that matters. We are proud to cater to every diet- don’t be afraid to ask our servers for vegan and gluten-free options! We focus on craft American-made spirits, new-world wines, and Florida micro-brewed beers. 100% of our bitters, tinctures, and syrups are made in-house. We feature freshly squeezed & cold-pressed juices, make our sodas, use local fresh herbs, and even brandy our domestic cherries. We believe all of our beverages should be made to the highest possible standard with the best possible ingredients and care, so each one of your drinks is something we’re proud to call ours. WHEN: Saturday, March 13 and Sunday March 14 starting at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, March 17th staring at 11:30 a.m. WHERE: 223 Clematis St, West Palm Beach, FL 33401 --(PRESS RELEASE) From Ed Cunningham, Communications Manager for Village of North Palm Beach: "When the tide is high, the trash rolls in! But it doesn't leave...so come to Anchorage Park this Saturday, March 6th at 9am to assist the Environmental Committee with another park clean-up. Buckets, tongs, gloves provided and student community service hours available. Wear shoes you don't mind getting dirty so we can get every bit along the Earman coastline." (PRESS RELEASE)_Boca Raton, FL (March 3, 2021)—Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is expanding its drive-thru Pantry Bag distribution hours, to occur during a time slot previously occupied by its Thursday night, sit-down family dinner. It has been almost a year since BHH suspended its Thursday night dinners due to the pandemic. “Thankfully, due to the commitment of our volunteers and support from those in our community, we’re able to add additional services,” said Greg Hazle, Executive Director of Boca Helping Hands. “Without their dedication and willingness to give back to the community, we would not be able to continue to expand our services.” The drive-thru pantry bag (groceries) distribution on Thursdays is from 4:30pm to 6pm at the East Boca main facility at 1500 NW 1st Court in Boca Raton. This expansion will help accommodate those who work during the day, making it easier for them to pick up their pantry bags with groceries for their families. Boca Helping Hands is also exploring new locations to continue the expansion of its services to serve even more families. Previously, there were no weekday evening hours available to pick up pantry bags at the drive thru operation. “We are pleased to be able to offer the expanded hours of our drive-thru pantry bag distribution on Thursday evenings in East Boca,” said Bill Harper, Director of Food and Warehouse Operations. “This will help our families by providing more flexibility and is also a positive step in moving toward resuming pre-COVID operations.” A common misconception about BHH and the services it offers are that the organization is serving primarily unemployed individuals. However, most BHH clients are employed or underemployed, with a majority of these families still struggling to make ends meet. The Pantry Bag Program often serves as a supplement to their income so that they can better afford other necessities such as medicine, rent, and childcare. In 2019, BHH was serving 6,018 families and last year, they added an additional 3,435 families to the Pantry Bag Program. Much of that increase came from working families who have been undone by circumstances outside of their control, like client Rick C. When the pandemic began, Rick’s hospitality business "was ravaged" and "a lot of people were laid off." His wife works in the medical industry and also had mandatory shutdowns, so she wasn't able to work. "We are very proud people, and we have never looked for assistance from anyone. We have a child and food was running out,” Rick said. "[Boca Helping Hands] got us through the bad times. Without their help, I don’t know where we would’ve been. Slowly, but surely, we are getting our lives back on track.” To register for the Pantry Bag Program, visit one of the four distribution locations. Hours and addresses can be found on the BHH website at BocaHelpingHands.org/PantryBagProgram Boca Helping Hands also offers limited financial assistance for rent, utilities, childcare, and healthcare vouchers. For more information, visit BocaHelpingHands.org/ResourceCenter BHH offers six no-cost job-training programs, including Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health Aide, Medical Billing and Coding, Commercial Driver’s License, Information Technology and Customer Service Representative. For some programs, students can earn their certification in just a few weeks. For more information, visit BocaHelpingHands.org/JTP. (PRESS RELEASE)_Palm Beach Gardens, FL – Stop washing the dishes and support local restaurants, instead. Covid-19’s effects on our culinary habits have had dire consequences on the nation’s restaurant industry. According to data accrued by the National Restaurant Association, one in six establishments have permanently shuttered and thousands more face closures daily. Working with III Forks Prime Steakhouse and other local restaurants throughout Palm Beach County and across the nation, Certified Angus Beef® brand believes patron praise and generosity (buying gift cards, leaving a generous tip) can help stem the restaurant industry from its tailspin. Recently, the leading beef supplier launched the #RestaurantChallenge. Running through April 11, the online contest/giveaway rewards consumers for sharing their favorite food and drink images, online dining reviews, and other culinary content on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s how it works: Each week, ten social media users are randomly selected to receive a $100 VISA gift card to dine out. Posts must be tagged with #RestaurantChallenge for a chance to win. Restaurants can be contest winners, too, when they post on their own media platforms and tag #RestaurantChallenge. Diners, who include their dining location, provide restaurants an additional opportunity to win. Two restaurants will be randomly selected each week to receive $2,500 “tip” to be used to support their staffs. Restaurants must feature Certified Angus Beef® brand foods to be eligible for a chance to win a $2,500 tip. Consumers can dine at any restaurant in their local area for a chance to win a $100 gift card prize. For more information on Certified Angus Beef ® brand’s #RestaurantChallenge, please visit challenge.certifiedangusbeef.com. |
ABOUTExploring what to see and do in North Palm Beach and the South Florida area. Your hosts are Pam and Gerry Barker. GERRY PRONOUNCED GARYArchives
April 2024
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