(l-r) Pat Thomas, Nikki Stelzer and Junior League President Renata Sans de Negri are planning the Nov. 16 event. Photo provided
By Amy Woods
Pat Thomas has been named honorary chairwoman, with Nikki Stelzer as event chairwoman, of the Junior League of Boca Raton’s Woman Volunteer of the Year Luncheon set for Nov. 16 at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.
Thomas has a long history with the league and was named Woman Volunteer of the Year in 1999. This year’s luncheon marks the event’s 31st anniversary.
“Our Woman Volunteer of the Year Luncheon spotlights not only the Junior League of Boca but the entire nonprofit community,” league President Renata Sans de Negri said. “It is remarkable to see the difference we are making as female volunteers in the community.”
Food Bank names board members, officers
The newest members of the Palm Beach County Food Bank’s board are Shelly Himmelrich, Shandra Stringer and the Rev. Cecily Titcomb. Officers for the 2018-19 season are Chairwoman Marti LaTour, Vice Chairman
and Secretary Mark Busse and Treasurer Bill Kramer.
LaTour said she is pleased to lead the board and congratulated the newly elected members.
“We have an important mission to alleviate hunger in Palm Beach County,” she said. “Working with a dedicated board and staff, we will continue the high level of service provided by the agency, as well as to fulfill other areas of unmet needs related to hunger in Palm Beach County.”
Homebound seniors receive emergency kits
Volunteers from Florida Power & Light Co. joined forces with Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches and Eastpointe Country Club to provide hurricane emergency kits to 250 homebound seniors.
The kits contain three days’ worth of food and one gallon of water.
“These hurricane emergency kits are particularly important to our clients since homebound seniors often find themselves without adequate food supplies in the aftermath of a storm,” said Pamela Calzadilla, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches. “Thanks to the support of our partners, we are able to ensure there is food in each of our clients’ homes in the event of an emergency.”
Fashion show benefits Achievement Centers
Local and national sponsors came together for the 10th-annual Proper Affair fashion show and raised more than $52,000 for the Delray Beach-based Achievement Centers for Children & Families.
The event featured a silent auction, complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres and special performances by the center’s dance troupe and drumline. Proceeds support programs that help hundreds of boys and girls ages 1 to 18 and their families.
Quantum Foundation invests in county’s health
The board of trustees of the Quantum Foundation has approved eight new grants totaling more than $800,000 to Palm Beach County nonprofits. The grants come on the heels of eight additional grants totaling $1.6 million awarded earlier in the year.
The foundation’s mission is to fund initiatives that improve the overall health of the community. In its two decades of grantmaking, it has distributed more than $125 million to hundreds of local organizations.
The recent recipients were: Center for Child Counseling; The Lord’s Place; Florida Atlantic University; Palm Beach State College; Achievement Centers for Children & Families; Gulfstream Goodwill Industries; Children’s Bereavement Center; YMCA of South Palm Beach County; The Spot (Vita Nova Village); South Florida Science Center and Aquarium; Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County; Community Health Center of West Palm Beach; Susan G. Komen South Florida; Meals on Wheels of the Palm Beaches; Holy Ground Shelter for Homeless; and 211.
Dollars 4 Tic Scholars’ program raises $5,400
Comedy, magic and mind reading by illusionist Gary Goodman comprised a trifecta of entertainment during Triple Threat!, the annual scholarship fundraiser for Dollars 4 Tic Scholars.
Dollars 4 Tic Scholars is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting college students and summer campers who have Tourette syndrome. The event took place at the South County Civic Center in Delray Beach and included an educational component called Tourette Syndrome Mythbusters, plus dinner, raffles, video messages from scholarship recipients and a silent auction. More than $5,400 was raised.
“I love being able to come up with fun events, such as our choice of Gary Goodman, to not only entertain but to raise awareness of Tourette syndrome in a fun way,” Dollars 4 Tic Scholars co-founder Kelsey Diamantis said.
FAU launches program
for student activism
Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters launched a program for high school students titled “The Barb Schmidt Fellowship: Cultivating Community Involvement, Activism and Social Change.”
Students will earn six college credits through weekend workshops during the 2018-19 school year. There also is a $1,000 stipend for students who successfully complete both semesters. The goal of the program is to provide future leaders with a platform to develop the skills and knowledge needed to initiate, execute and sustain a social movement.
“We have all been inspired by what youth leaders are doing to make our world a better place,” said Michael Horswell, dean of the College of Arts and Letters. “We want to support the work being done by facilitating students’ growth in community engagement and social-change efforts.”
Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net
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