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

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)
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+ 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.
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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

(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.  
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“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)_NORTH PALM BEACH, Fla. – Doris Italian Market & Bakery and Stage Kitchen & Bar present an exclusive food and wine pairing with Shafer Vineyards on Wednesday, March 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Stage Kitchen & Bar, 2000 PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens.
 
Open to the public, the social distanced, outdoor tasting will feature five wines from Shafer Vineyards paired with cuisine presented by Chef Pushkar Marathe to best complement the wines. The wine and food pairings include:

• Shafer 2018 Red Shoulder Ranch Chardonnay served with mushroom karanji, gruyere cheese and truffle dust
• Shafer 2017 Relentless New World Red Blend (predominately Syrah, with Petite Sirah) and 2018 TD 9 (Bordeaux Blend) served with with lamb kebab, red onion, mint cilantro chutney and garlic naan
• Shafer 2017 One Point Five Cabernet Sauvignon and 2016 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon served with wood grilled prime ribeye accompanied by twice baked potato blue cheese foam, tomato salad and black garlic ranch
• Dessert is a chocolate cookie

 
Following the dinner, guests will have the opportunity to pre-purchase the wines at special pricing. Guests will be notified when they can pick up the wine at Doris Market in North Palm Beach.
 
Tickets are $135.99 per person and seating is limited to 35 guests. All health and safety guidelines will be taken to meet state and local requirements to ensure a safe and satisfying experience.
 
Tickets to the wine pairing event can be purchased online at dorismarket.com/online-store. Availability is on a first come, first served basis. RSVP is required.
 
For more information, email npb@dorismarket.com or call 561-517-8488.

(PRESS RELEASE)_(West Palm Beach, FL – March 3, 2021) The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County (LWVPBC) is officially endorsing the life-saving Emergency Info Plan, a family and friends alert system that was developed by Boca Raton resident John Pastore, who was inspired by a tragic life event to help others be better prepared for emergencies.
 
“When you have an emergency, every minute counts,” warns Pastore. “I know. When I was away on business, my wife called 911. If I had been alerted, she might be alive today. But I didn’t find anything out until a neighbor called me 40-minutes later. If first responders had contacted me immediately, I could have provided vital medical information that might have spared her life.”
 
“What if you had an emergency,” he asks. “Would your family and friends be alerted immediately? Would first responders have access to your vital medical information to treat you at the scene, and could your family members access important documents at a moment’s notice in order to represent you?”
 
His personal experience prompted Pastore to create a simple 2-minute assessment to help others determine just how prepared they are in an emergency. The Emergency Info Plan also explains how people can use their iPhone or Android as both an emergency alert device to notify contacts and as a medical ID the provides EMS personnel access to critical medical information for better onsite treatment.
 
Senior-friendly and easy-to-use, the plan starts with Emergency Alert Stickers for the communication device, the home and car, so those who came to a person’s aid will see that they are prepared and can take immediate life-saving action.
 
Pastore urges interested people take a free, two-minute, online assessment to instantly calculate their Emergency Preparedness. This can be done at any time at www.emergencyinfoplan.com.
 
In addition to the League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County, the Emergency Info Plan has been endorsed by UNITE US, LifeExec, and The Center for Caregiver Support.
 
For more information about this emergency alert service, please visit www.emergencyinfoplan.com or call 888-333-3079.