Boynton Beach officials and others gathered for the tearing-down of the old Civic Center, at 128 E. Ocean Ave. City employees moved in August to temporary space. After the city hall at 100 E. Boynton Beach Blvd. is demolished, the site will be cleared for construction of Town Square, which will include a city hall, hotel, 705 apartments and two parking garages. Construction is expected to finish by the end of 2020 at an estimated cost of $250 million to the partnership between the city and E2L Real Estate Solutions. The city’s public meetings are now at the Intracoastal Park clubhouse, 2240 N. Federal Highway. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

Several companies in South Palm Beach County ranked on the annual Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, with two in Boca Raton placing within the top 200.

With sales that jumped 4,547 percent in three years to $11.3 million, reCommerce, 1515 N. Federal Highway, a company that partners with brands to optimize their presence on Amazon, placed 62nd nationally. Alturna-Tech, 2300 Glades Road, Suite 302E, an IT management company, ranked 129th. Its revenue rose 3,082 percent in three years to $10.3 million.

The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held in mid-October in San Antonio.

The National Association for the Self-Employed announced that a Delray Beach small business, Mayhem T-Shirt Printing, was awarded a $4,000 Growth Grant to help expand its business operations. Mayhem T-Shirt Printing, owned by Rose Jean, is a custom T-shirt printing website. 

“Mayhem T-Shirt Printing was chosen for this Growth Grant award because of its demonstration of a well-defined plan for growth, ranging from executing new marketing initiatives, purchasing new equipment or other creative ways to grow and expand,” said John Hearrell, the association’s vice president of membership and affiliate programs. 

Members of the Boynton Business Professionals Leads Group recently met at the Banana Boat in Boynton Beach for a business social event. Two leads groups within the Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce meet twice a month. The goal is to give members a chance to develop referral networks.

The Festival Management Group of Delray Beach recently named Patrizia Sceppa its 2019 South Florida Garlic Fest poster artist. Out of Garlic Fest’s 20 years, Sceppa has been the poster artist eight times. She is the creative director for her company, Patrizia Sceppa Inc.

According to the J.D. Power 2018 North America Airport Satisfaction Study, North American airports have managed through record passenger volumes and massive construction projects to achieve a record high in overall passenger satisfaction.

The study noted improvements in five factors — check-in; food, beverage and retail; accessibility; terminal facilities; and baggage claim — that helped drive overall passenger satisfaction 12 points higher than last year’s study. Palm Beach International Airport ranked 13th among medium airports in the report. Buffalo Niagara International Airport ranked highest among the medium airports.

Art historian and curator Elliot Bostwick Davis has been appointed director and CEO of the Norton Museum of Art to succeed Hope Alswang, who is retiring March 1.

Davis comes to the Norton from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She’ll join the Norton soon after the Feb. 9 opening of its 59,000-square-foot expansion and new sculpture gardens designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Lord Norman Foster of Foster + Partners.

The new wing and expanded museum includes new galleries, classrooms and auditorium.

Evelyn & Arthur stores will close Nov. 6 to raise awareness and to encourage voting in the midterm elections. “We believe voting is not just a constitutional right but also an important civic responsibility,” said Adrianne Weissman, president of Evelyn & Arthur. “As history has shown, everyone has the power to make a difference, and now, more than ever, this is important to stand up for what we believe in, whatever that may be.”

When stores reopen Nov. 7, shoppers who provide proof they voted, either with a photo taken outside the polls or by presenting their voting sticker, will get 20 percent off one item.

Lang Realty launched Lang TV, a streaming lifestyle real estate channel, on Sept. 17. It features South Florida agents, real estate, lifestyle activities, interior design, travel and country club living. 

The network kicked off with three shows from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Each week, a new show or segment will broadcast starting each Monday. The lineup includes: Showcase of Homes with host Olivia Hollaus; Luxury Living at The Oaks with Lisa Hindin and Brian Bahn; and Luxury Living at DelAire Country Club with Jim Pappas and Paul Bidva. Lang TV can be viewed across all smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV and from any internet connection by logging onto www.langrealty.tv. ;

Overall sales of single-family homes in Palm Beach County realized a 1.7 percent year-over-year increase for August, and sales of homes priced over $1 million increased by 12.9 percent, according to market reports.

The median sales price had no change at $340,000.

“We have had a stable market month over month with moderate variances in year-over-year data for single-family homes in Palm Beach County,” said Jeffrey Levine, president-elect of the Realtors of the Palm Beaches and Greater Fort Lauderdale. “What is notable is the 5.4 percent year-over-year rise in the median sale price of condos and townhomes to $185,000. This is simply because there is very little inventory in that price range for single-family homes.”

An 8,431-square-foot home built in 2017 at 1400 Royal Palm Way in Boca Raton, which was listed for $13.75 million, sold for $11.25 million to 1400 Royal Palm Land Trust LLC. The listing agent was Chad Gray of Coldwell Banker, and representing the buyer was Marie Mangouta of Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

According to Douglas Elliman, this is the third Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club home that sold this year for more than $10 million, and this sale marks the second-most expensive home sold in that community. Highest sale this year was for 312 E. Coconut Palm Road, which sold for $11.6 million in January.

A home at 6017 Old Ocean Blvd. in Ocean Ridge, once the site of fundraising events for Republican presidential candidates, including the late U.S. Sen. John McCain, is on the market for $7,999,999. The events occurred when Lothar and Carlyn Mayer owned the home and played hosts.

Its current owner, Yves Moquin, has listed the property with Val Coz and Jeff Wilson, agents with Douglas Elliman Real Estate. The British West Indies-style house has 13,376 square feet of living space with ocean views from all major rooms.

On Sept. 4, Mason Slaine sold his unit at 1000 South Ocean in Boca Raton for $5.475 million to Diane Portnoy. Slaine is chairman of FT Media Holdings, based in Greensboro, N.C. He is also a director and investor in RS Energy Holdings, Reorg Research, Efront Holdings and Certara LLC. Portnoy is the CEO and founder of the Immigrant Learning Center, near Boston.

The four-bedroom, 41/2-bath condo was first listed for $6.1 million by Douglas Elliman Real Estate agent Senada Adzem. Slaine bought the condo in June 2014 for $5.725 million. In 2016, Slaine bought a five-bedroom home at 850 Lake Drive in Boca Raton for $11.5 million, according to property records.

Unit 901 South at Mizner Grand, a condominium development at 500 SE Fifth Ave., Boca Raton, sold in September for $4.65 million. The new owners, Julia and Roberto Cascella, bought the unit from William, Catherine and Rita Rappaport.

“It was the highest resale in the building for a three-bedroom unit,” says Scot Karp, director of the ultraluxury condominium division at Premier Estate Properties, who has been selling units in the building since its preconstruction days. The two-tower, 12-floor development opened in 2001.

Palm Beach State College alumnus Robert M. “Skipp” Orr, Ph.D., will start the college’s 2018-19 honors college speaker series with a lecture, “Course Change: Seven U.S. Presidential Elections That Changed History,” at 2 p.m.  Oct. 10.

Orr was U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank from 2010 to 2016. He graduated from Atlantic High in Delray Beach and is now a distinguished visiting professor at Florida Atlantic University, where he earned a B.A. in history.

Orr has been a professor at Stanford and Temple universities and was president of Boeing Japan. He earned his master’s degree in government from Georgetown University and a doctorate in political science from Tokyo University. His book, The Emergence of Japan’s Foreign Aid Power, won the 1991 Ohira Prize for best book on the Asia Pacific region.

His lecture will be in the Public Safety Conference Center, PSD 108, on the Lake Worth campus, 4200 Congress Ave. The event is free and open to the public. To attend, RSVP at www.palmbeachstate.edu/Honors/SpeakerSeries.

The League of Women Voters of Palm Beach County invites the public to a Hot Topic Luncheon, “Ballot Choices: Property Exemption and Taxes” with Anne Gannon, Palm Beach County tax collector, and Tim Wilmath, chief appraiser of the Property Appraiser’s Office. Scheduled for 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 17, the event will be at the Atlantis Country Club, 190 Atlantis Blvd. in Lake Worth.

The talk will include Amendment 1, which would increase the tax savings for permanent residents but create shortfalls for county and city governments. Amendment 2, which would continue a 10-year cap that helps business owners in the county, also will be discussed. 

Gannon will explain options for paying tax bills, while Wilmath will discuss the pros and cons of each amendment.

Registration starts at 11 a.m.  Tickets are $25 until Oct. 10, and $35 after that date. RSVPs are requested at www.lwvpbc.org or 968-4123.

Crane’s Beach House Boutique Hotel & Luxury Villas hosted its first Tastings at the Tiki with Chalk Hill Winery, Smith & Hook Winery and Saltwater Brewery in September. The event benefited the Arts Warehouse in Delray Beach.

Upcoming Tastings at the Tiki include PR Yak-Yak, the 11th annual benefit for the Gold Coast PR Council and PRSA Palm Beach, which will be held on Oct. 18.

Best Bite for Vets, an annual restaurant competition benefiting Project Holiday and the HOW Foundation of South Florida, will be Nov. 15.

For information, call 278-1700 or visit www.cranesbeachhouse.com.

The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties invites residents to share a meal and discuss ideas to strengthen the community during a localized nationwide movement, On the Table, scheduled for Oct. 24.

People will participate at homes, restaurants and other venues throughout the day, as well as through social media using #OnTheTableFL. It’s a national initiative funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

“On the Table reinforces our commitment to building a more vibrant community by going straight to the source — the people we serve — to understand the issues that matter to them most so we can continue to invest in organizations that impact the community,” Bradley Hurlburt, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to bring this initiative to our area and we know that great ideas will come together and inspire even greater grassroots action.”

The issues and ideas discussed will be driven by the perspectives of the participants. Each table discussion will be led by a host organizer, who is a local volunteer who brings together a table of participants.

“The most rewarding aspect of On the Table is that it serves as a reminder to every resident in this community that their voice matters, and what they have to say will collectively inspire greater impact,” Daryl Houston, community investment officer at the foundation, said in the statement. “Taking part in this initiative is simple, as these conversations can take place during breakfast, lunch, dinner or even during a coffee break or cocktail hour.”

Participants will complete a survey, which will be compiled by national research firms to analyze the issues and ideas for community improvement that resulted from the day’s discussions. The Community Foundation will share these outcomes to help determine how best to advance some of the ideas and solutions generated.

The Community Foundation is one of 10 foundations across the U.S. participating in On the Table, which had a successful pilot in 2017. For information or to sign up to participate as a host or a guest, visit www.onthetablefl.com.

Downtown Delray Beach will again host “Downtowns Go Pink” on Oct. 25 in support of Susan G. Komen South Florida and National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pink lights and banners, compliments of the Delray Beach Downtown Development Authority, will adorn Atlantic Avenue and Pineapple Grove. Restaurants and stores will offer discounts and gifts with purchases, with a portion of sales to support Komen’s local breast cancer programs and research.

For more information, visit www.komensouthflorida.org/downtowns-go-pink or email info@komensouthflorida.org.

Send business news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com. 

The repaired Atlantic Dunes pavilion is now in use, providing beachgoers a shady place to take a break. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Jane Smith

More than two years after the Atlantic Dunes Pavilion burned to the ground, the Delray Beach setting is ready for weddings, birthdays and other celebrations.

Its metal roof matches that of the main pavilion at State Road A1A and Atlantic Avenue and of those at nearby beach gazebos. The Atlantic Dunes Pavilion provides a southern entrance to the city beach, just north of Linton Boulevard.

“The day is finally here,” Mayor Shelly Petrolia said at the mid-September ribbon-cutting ceremony. “I expect to receive far fewer emails about when the pavilion will be finished.”

Arsonists burned the pavilion sometime in the overnight of June 27-28, 2016. “No one was arrested,” said Dani Moschella, police spokeswoman. The case is no longer active, she said.

The pavilion reconstruction was delayed by the police investigation and insurance negotiations. It also was delayed because the city could not pound pilings in the sand during the March to November turtle-nesting season, said city engineer and project manager Isaac Kovner. It cost $320,000 to replace the pavilion, built in 1977.

“It provides a quiet respite,” Petrolia said. The roof provides shelter from the rain and sun. From the pavilion, visitors have a vista of the ocean.

The city also lost a revenue source for more than 26 months. The pavilion, rented by the Parks and Recreation Department, was a popular venue for weddings and other special occasions. Make reservations via the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

The pavilion is just the beginning of improvements planned for Atlantic Dunes, said City Manager Mark Lauzier. Soon, the beach will have Mobi-Mats so wheelchair users can roll down to the ocean. The main pavilion at Atlantic Avenue also has mats.

Other plans call for an upgraded nature trail with a raised boardwalk and educational signs, and renovated public restrooms. 

The improvements will be designed during the financial year that began Oct. 1, said Missie Barletto, assistant public works director. The actual work will be done in the following year. 

ABOVE: Volunteer Nicole Baldwin, managing partner of Carmen Care Advanced Laser Therapy, speaks with volunteer Farris Brown as she provides laser treatments.

BELOW: Candace Rojas, founder and chairman of Starz Foundation, provides information to an 18-year-old man.

Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

Some people think offering services to homeless people will just make it easier to be homeless, but a new program is making it easier to leave homelessness behind for good. 

HOME, which stands for Homeless Outreach, Mentoring and Education, is offering a hand up — not a handout — to homeless people who are trying to get off the streets.

Meetings are Saturday mornings at the First United Methodist Church, just a block off Federal Highway in Boca Raton’s Mizner Park.

This isn’t just a place to get a sandwich or a hygiene kit, although HOME does those things, too. It is a place to make connections, find a place to live, get a job, access medical services and learn about options for low-cost housing.

Lesly Morales volunteers every Saturday. She said the outreach tries to fulfill basic needs, from food to laundry services to temporary shelter and more. People become homeless for many reasons, she said. Injury and illness, layoffs and bad investments, legal issues like divorce and child custody, and sometimes just bad luck can derail a person whose life seemed to be chugging along.

James Batmasian is the man behind HOME. His company, Investments Limited, is one of the largest private landowners in Boca Raton, and he’s the landlord for hundreds of businesses in dozens of strip malls.

Batmasian moved to Boca Raton from Cambridge, Mass., in 1983 and immediately started buying property — at a rate of about one a month for the first three years — in the underdeveloped coastal towns of South Palm Beach County.

Armed with a degree in economics from the University of North Carolina and an MBA and law degree from Harvard, Batmasian and his wife, Marta, built an empire, but not without scandal. He was found guilty of not paying $250,000 in taxes and spent eight months in federal prison in 2008. He can no longer practice law. Lawsuits by former employees alleging fraud and sexual harassment were dropped in April.

Earlier this year, Batmasian became embroiled in a scandal involving Boca Raton Mayor Susan Haynie. She has been charged with failing to disclose income she and her husband, Neil, received from Batmasian, whose city projects Haynie favored in several City Council votes.

While some may suggest that Batmasian is just trying to rebuild his image, he is a deeply religious man known for his generous philanthropy. He says that 15 years ago God spoke to him: “God told me to go to Dixie Manor. I was scared, but I went.”

Visiting Dixie Manor, a notorious pocket of poverty in central Boca Raton, was the impetus for PROPEL — People Reaching Out to Provide Education and Leadership — which Batmasian founded in 2004 with other Boca Raton businessmen and community leaders. Its goal was to improve educational achievement and bring leadership development to youths living in poverty. Through PROPEL, kids found jobs, went to college on scholarships and conquered poverty.

Now Batmasian has turned his attention to another struggling sector of society — homeless people. HOME is in its second year and grew from other organizations at the church.

HOME volunteer Sheri Gunther, a mortgage specialist during the week, paints the nails of a woman at First United Methodist Church in Boca Raton.

How HOME works

Homeless people arrive at First United Methodist Church at 9 a.m. They stop at the intake desk, where they meet Sue Keith. They sign in and answer basic questions.

“Are you sober?” If you are, you move on. If not, you’re asked, “Do you want to get sober?” If you do, HOME helps you get in a program. If you don’t, “We tell them, ‘Come back when you do,’ ” Keith said.

Keith came to Boca Raton from New Hampshire in January for another job that didn’t work out. In New England, she’d been working to get homeless veterans off the street. She met Batmasian and he immediately recognized her knowledge and people skills and recruited her. In a looseleaf notebook, Keith has names and numbers, resources and referral forms. She knows the complicated passageways through the bureaucracy and navigates them with skill.

Right away, Keith begins to assess the person. “We have to get them mentally and medically stable first,” she said. “Otherwise, we’re setting them up to fail.”

For a lot of homeless people, the first and biggest problem is not having a driver’s license or state ID. A lack of personal identification prevents people from accessing services, so Keith starts there.

With an affidavit of homeless status, a person can get a copy of his or her birth certificate and can save the processing fee. With homeless declarations, people can use the church as their address to receive mail.

The next step is getting a copy of the person’s Social Security card. Now the person can get a bus pass, health care district insurance, food stamps and apply for a job.

Before she worked with the homeless, Keith spent two decades working in mental health.

Johanis Torres, from ASM beauty academy, trims Willie Hill’s mustache and beard. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Changing the mindset

One client, who didn’t want to reveal her name, said, “If I had cancer, people would sympathize with me, but I’m bipolar. Mental illness isn’t a crime. We need to talk about it.”

A homeless mindset exists that takes some work to break down. “The hardest thing is getting them to believe they’re worth it,” Keith said.

But mental illness and addiction aren’t the only reasons people end up at HOME looking for help. Jack D’Ambrosio, 46, with neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper hair and a winning smile, is dressed in a football jersey and cargo shorts. He’s carrying a backpack and says he’s on his way to work a security job Batmasian got him. He’s also homeless.

D’Ambrosio lost his job and got behind on child support. When he started working again, the government garnished his wages. He takes home about $225 a week, not nearly enough to afford an apartment or even a room. For now, his car is home.

He doesn’t dispute owing the money or begrudge his family for wanting the court-ordered funds. “I just keep going, keep trying,” he says. The emotional support he gets from Keith and Batmasian helps.

Jan Kory was living with a few roommates and making it on her small monthly check until her roommate’s drug use spiraled out of control. “It was deplorable,” Kory said. “I was afraid. I talked to Sue and we decided I would be better off homeless than in that environment. When your options are limited you have to make tough choices.”

Kory left with the few possessions she could fit in her car and was scouring a list of low-cost housing that HOME compiles and updates each week, along with info on hot meal sites, job listings, sources of medical and dental care, drug and alcohol treatment centers, and other nonprofits offering services.

A lot of focus is placed on job readiness and putting your best foot forward. The outreach provides a place for clients to shower, get clean clothes and vouchers for the coin laundry, haircuts and manicures.

Sheri Gunther is a mortgage broker in Boca Raton, but on Saturday, she gives manicures — one of her former jobs. When she heard about the program, “I really felt compelled to go,” Gunther said. “I always feel twice as blessed when I leave. I get great joy from giving.”

Gift cards for food, services

Mentoring is an important component of the program, and Batmasian mentors dozens of people. Some will sit beside him in the pew at Sunday services. Everywhere he goes, Batmasian recruits people to help. “The beautiful thing is the caring partners we’ve found,” he said.

Batmasian’s pockets are full of gift cards to local businesses. Each card is good for a service — a haircut or manicure — or meal, most with a $100 limit but with no cash value. The cardholder uses the card for food or service and the business owner turns the card in with his rent, which he’s paying to Batmasian.

Only a few things exclude people from the program: an arrest warrant, being in the country illegally, active drug or alcohol use. “We never turn anyone away, but we are a substance-free program,” Batmasian said. He’d like HOME to be a pilot program for other cities. He’d like to give a significant gift of $100,000 to 20 cities to start their own HOME programs.

Lesly Morales, Batmasian’s right-hand person, keeps things running on time. She recruits volunteers, including medical professionals and people to work in the kitchen, putting together the bags of food each person leaves with. One Saturday morning, 43 people signed in for services. Keith says between 40 and 80 show up each week.

“As long as they’re trying to improve, we’re here to help them,” Morales said. “Sometimes people need a third or fourth chance, and we’re OK with that.” 

HOME is having a benefit and awareness-building event, Everyone Has A Story, at 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at The Wick Theatre in Boca Raton. Tickets are $100, available at www.HOMEBoca.org/Tickets. For information about HOME or to volunteer, call 465-5311 or visit  HOMEBoca.org.

By Lona O'Connor

People who are sick expect a nurse to take a medical history as part of the process of healing. But they might be surprised if the nurse asks them life-history questions that don’t seem medical.

Pat Liehr, associate dean for research and scholarship at the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing at Florida Atlantic University, has been studying the connection between healing and life stories for more than 20 years. Nursing students at FAU are trained in the techniques of collecting important life events and personal values from their patients. Their goal is to enlist the aid of patients in maintaining their own health. 

In one instance that Liehr and her colleague Mary Jane Smith cite in their published study, patients who were asked about their lives by nurses showed a drop in blood pressure. 

More than 100 million Americans, or about one-third of the population, have hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, which is connected to heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms, memory problems and dementia.

“Hypertension has long-term outcomes that are devastating to the cardiovascular system, the kidneys, the brain,” said Liehr. “It affects a lot of major systems.”

Liehr does not make exaggerated promises for the health effects, either physical or mental, of sharing life stories. But she emphasizes that gathering the details of one’s own life story is best done with a trained professional.

“This is another resource for you to get your hands on,” Liehr said. “One of the examples that sticks out in my mind is about a woman with high blood pressure. In a story group, she said, ‘I’m told that I’m not supposed to eat any meat. But I’m the daughter of a butcher. I’ve grown up eating meat. I need some help.’ ”

That important detail might never have emerged from a traditional medical history, but it did get snared in the net of a storytelling session, said Liehr.

“Everyone has those little keys that open doors,” she said.

A health crisis can be the critical moment to get a patient to think about how life events have affected his health — and buy into the cure.

Liehr and her colleagues at the FAU College of Nursing follow a protocol for collecting life stories, listening closely for the details that might help with the treatment and engage their commitment to the cure.

They may start by asking for a family tree, a history of marriages, deaths and other significant life events — or in some cases offer a blank sheet of paper for the patient to begin writing a life story. Based on the facts they collect, they can then ask questions about the patient’s values.

One of the case histories Liehr and Smith wrote about in their 1999 study on collecting life stories was that of a 35-year-old computer programmer with hypertension. He told the interviewing nurse that he had been working 14-hour days for years. His weight had crept up and he was in the early stages of hypertension. He looked and felt older than his years and his father had died from a stroke at age 52.

“He was asked what was important to him in this moment of medical crisis,” said Liehr. “We start in the present with what matters to you right now and the nurse helps you reflect on it.”

The man told the nurse that what mattered most to him was his two young children. The nurse asked how he was finding time for them with his long workdays. 

“That’s why this is hard to do by yourself,” said Liehr. “People don’t reflect on those things. They just barrel through their days.

“He said, ‘I’m trying to make a good life for them,’ and the nurse asked, ‘What is a good life for them? Have you asked them about that?’ You are calling on people to reflect on their reality, their hopes and dreams. You support their examining it. Then you help them find a way out of it.

“When you’re confronted with a life-threatening circumstance, we want to find out what it’s going to take for you to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute,’ to slow it down and really reflect on what’s happening. The advantage of sitting with a health-care provider who cares to listen is that you have a chance to sort that out.”

Other people, such as survivors of a heart attack or bypass surgery, may become hypervigilant about their health and possibly paralyzed by fear. Other heart patients choose to deny that anything is wrong.

“That’s not a way to appreciate every moment, that’s not a way to move on,” said Liehr. “You need help to do that.”

Though she confines her research to what nurses and other health professionals can do to help their patients heal, Liehr sees larger implications for the storytelling form.

In an earlier study on trauma survivors, Liehr interviewed survivors of the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. Other colleagues interviewed survivors of the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. That experience had a powerful effect, not just on her professional interest in storytelling, but instilling a passion for the possibility that storytelling might heal large groups of people.

“What all the survivors told us was to make sure that we passed their stories on to other generations — and to the country on the other side” of the war.

In 2014, Liehr and a Japanese colleague were able to help fulfill the survivors’ request. They had asked FAU doctoral student Kathryn Morris to write a performance based on the Japanese and American survivors’ interviews.

The resulting piece, With Their Voices Raised, has been performed by both Japanese and American students whose high schools were near the bomb sites.

In her dissertation, Morris wrote, “With Their Voices Raised not only conveys the memories and fears of the survivors, but in its conclusion reveals how these victims of war have elected to live their lives in a quest for peace — choosing ‘hope over hate’ in a shared world.”

Liehr has also collected anecdotes of indigenous people in America and Australia.

“Indigenous cultures survive through oral traditions, and part of that is story sharing. When they have lost every shred of their dignity, they still have their stories,” said Liehr. “When people use story theory the way we talk about it, they will respect the dignity of every human.”

Lona O’Connor has a lifelong interest in health and healthy living. Send column ideas to Lona13@bellsouth.net.

Breast cancer survivor Ellen Crane, director of public affairs for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America, works with Steven Squadrilli of the Boca YMCA fitness staff. Photo provided

A new program at the YMCA of South Palm Beach County helps people affected by cancer reach their holistic health goals. It’s called Livestrong and it’s a free activity available from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Peter Blum Family YMCA in Boca Raton. A second class will launch at the DeVos-Blum Family YMCA in Boynton Beach in January.

Participants are not required to be members of the YMCA. 

“Research shows exercise is the simplest way for cancer survivors to reduce fatigue, improve their mood and bounce back from the debilitating effects of cancer treatment more quickly,” said Greg Lee, president and CEO of the Livestrong Foundation. “But there weren’t enough programs to help people affected by cancer reach their health and well-being goals, so Livestrong and the Y joined forces to create Livestrong at the YMCA.” 

As part of the program, cancer survivors work with trained staff to build muscle mass and strength and to improve flexibility, endurance and functional ability. The program also focuses on the emotional well-being of survivors by providing a supportive community environment.

Locally, Boca Raton-based Cancer Treatment Centers of America, a national network of facilities, is a supporter of the YMCA and participating funder of the YMCA Livestrong classes.

For more information, call Robin Nierman at 300-3227 or email him at rnierman@ymcaspbc.org. 

Kerry-Ann McDonald, M.D., has been appointed to the medical staff of the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute and BocaCare Physician Network. A specialist in benign and malignant breast disease, she is a board-eligible breast surgeon. She received her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in Rochester, N.Y. She then completed her general surgical residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania, followed by a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.

Last month, Boca Raton Regional Hospital Urgent Care Centers received Certified Urgent Care Category 1 designation by the Urgent Care Association of America. The designation was awarded for meeting or exceeding the association’s guidelines in patient-care processes, facility management, and scope of care, record management, quality, technology and human resources.

The Boca Raton care centers offer both basic services as well as serve as an immediate gateway to care at Boca Raton Regional Hospital. Centers are at 3313 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Suite 100 in Deerfield Beach and 10 E. Palmetto Park Road, Boca Raton. Both are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital again received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Cancer, a program of the American College of Surgeons. The commission evaluates cancer-care programs on their commitment to provide comprehensive, high-quality and multidisciplinary patient-centered care.

In addition to the accreditation, the institute received five high commendations for standards of clinical research accrual, public reporting of outcomes, College of American Pathologists protocols and clinical documentation, oncology nursing care and data submission accuracy. 

The Parkinson’s Foundation will host a fundraiser, Bagels & Schmears, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 8. Bagels will be offered along with a lecture on speech and swallowing as well as the benefits of group exercise to complement therapies.

The event will be at Temple Beth El, 333 SW Fourth Ave., Boca Raton. Ticket price is $18. The event will honor the temple’s Rabbi Emeritus Merle Singer, who has Parkinson’s disease and is an ambassador for the Parkinson’s Foundation.

For information and to RSVP, call Robin Miller at 962-1702 or email her at RMiller@parkinson.org.

Send health news to Christine Davis at cdavis9797@gmail.com

Kol, an 8-year-old golden retriever, comforts a family member affected by the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Photo provided by Jane Eisenberg

By Arden Moore

The phrase “heart dog” is often bestowed upon a once-in-a-lifetime dog that connects deeply with its adopted person. I had such a dog in Chipper, my husky-golden retriever mix who died two years ago but remains vibrant in my memories and my heart.

But I have never met any dog like Kol, an 8-year-old golden retriever from Boynton Beach.

The morning after a gunman with an assault rifle killed 17 and wounded more than a dozen at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, this certified therapy dog arrived to the shattered campus with his pet parent, Jane Eisenberg.

“On Feb. 14, I saw the news of the school shooting and I said to my husband, Bruce, ‘I am going to that school tomorrow with Kol,’ ” she recalls. “I was not sure if they would let us in. I took a gallon jug of water and treats for Kol along with his therapy ID and veterinary medical records.”

Even though this duo for years has visited patients in hospitals and hospice care as well as residents in nursing homes, victims of domestic abuse, and college students cramming for exams, Eisenberg did not know what to expect at Stoneman Douglas. She knew the school staff and students could benefit by Kol’s amazing ability to take in the grief of others and generate gentle joy.

“We got out of the car and I did a little brushing of his coat,” she says. “I took a deep breath and I remember saying to Kol, ‘OK, let’s do our magic.’ We ended up spending seven hours there. I had to force Kol to take a break and to take a drink. It was as if he was telling me that he was needed.”

They returned every day until school ended for the summer, spending some time in Room 723, where Suzanne Camel taught math.

“The comfort that Kol provided to my students and me after what happened on 2/14 was immeasurable,” says Camel. “We were all having a great deal of difficulty just walking onto the campus. Kol’s calming and soothing demeanor allowed us to have a sense of security which enabled us to make it through the school year together.”

Kol’s canine compassion to students and staff has not gone unnoticed. He, along with four other dogs, recently received the prestigious AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence.

“Whether saving lives or providing comfort, these five ACE recipients serve as testimony to the immeasurable ways our canine companions touch our lives every day,” says Doug Ljungren, president of the AKC Humane Fund. “Each dog’s loyalty and dedication to their work and community is an inspiration to dog lovers everywhere.”

The other dogs honored were Copper, a coonhound K-9 police dog with the Cocoa Police Department; Sampson, a golden retriever service dog from Foosland, Ill.; Inspector Gadget, a search-and-rescue bloodhound from Lancaster, Calif., and Teddy, a standard poodle companion dog from Harbor Springs, Mich.

Every school day from Feb. 15 until the first week of June, Kol and Eisenberg arrived by 7 a.m. and left about 40 minutes before the final bell. 

“For the first couple of weeks, it was more about the healing and unconditional love he could offer,” says Eisenberg. “Kids would come over, pet him and cuddle with him. Some would talk to him as they rubbed his coat. He could smell someone who was really struggling and he would want to go over to them.”

Kol even earned his own student ID badge. He would walk the halls with his favorite stuffed, plush toy in his mouth, sparking smiles and laughter. He posed for hundreds of photos with students and teachers.

“He learned how to pose by backing up to students and leaning back as if he knew they were taking selfies,” laughs Eisenberg.

When school ended for the summer, Eisenberg sensed Kol was a bit down about not making the daily trip.

“Each morning, he would look at me as if to convey, ‘Well, are we going? Why are you not taking your bag and my leash? I’m ready,’ ” says Eisenberg.

The friendships formed at the school remain as Kol and Eisenberg now make regular visits to the school this fall.

But gracious Kol is a dog of many talents. He was a champion show dog, earning grand champion bronze at 14 months as well as titles in obedience and therapy.

“Kol is a dog I can take anywhere,” says Eisenberg. “He is extremely adaptable to many situations and is very intuitive. Throughout this Stoneman experience, I have learned just how lucky I am to have this very special dog to be able to share with others and to bring some happiness to people in need.”

More about awards

Each honored dog earns one year of free pet insurance, and the pet parent receives $1,000 to donate to a charity of his or her choice.

To learn more about the dogs that will be honored at the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence ceremony Dec. 15-16 in Orlando, visit akchumanefund.org/ace-awards. And to follow Kol’s activity, check him out on Instagram at Kolthetherapydog.

Arden Moore, founder of fourleggedlife.com, is an animal behavior expert and host of the Oh Behave! show on petliferadio.com. Learn more at www.ardenmoore.com.

By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley

Tucked among the strip malls and commercial trappings along Federal Highway sits about an acre of land that lets you peek into the past. Just south of Town Hall, the Hypoluxo Hammock is a re-creation of how this area would have appeared to settlers who arrived in South Florida 125 years ago.

Take a seat on a bench beneath the cooling canopy of carefully selected and planted live oaks, cabbage palms, gumbo limbos, paradise and mastic trees. Enjoy the bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife that take sustenance from the firebush, wild coffee and other native shrubs well-adapted to the local soil and climate.

Two native shrubs with great visual appeal and high food value to birds are beautyberry (top) and shiny leaf wild coffee.  Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Although it has historical significance and almost looks like it’s been here for over a century, this preserve dates back only to the mid-1990s. That’s when the Hypoluxo Town Hall was moved from a trailer to this property, which housed a hair salon and veterinarian’s office at the time.

Town Councilman Mark Hull, who also was manager of the Manalapan water plant, convinced the council that the plantings around Town Hall should require minimal maintenance and be storm resistant as well as reflect the history of the area. And, of course, they must be welcoming to wildlife such as migratory birds as well as humans.

He and Richard Moyroud, owner of Mesozoic Landscape in Lake Worth, set out to landscape the area with about 70 species of plants that would have been growing here before settlers arrived.

Moyroud’s first job was to inventory the plants that were already on site. A botanist, he found that the only natives were two cabbage palms and one scrub oak. Otherwise, Brazilian pepper and other invasives had gained footholds when the parcel was originally cleared for development.

“It’s unfortunate that there’s relatively little land anywhere up or down Palm Beach County that hasn’t been altered. That’s why preserving and creating natural areas is so important,” said Moyroud.

Native landscapes like this hammock don’t require fertilization and rarely require watering after the first year because they naturally conserve moisture. The designers assured the survival of their native plantings by locating the parking spaces around the perimeter of the site and grading the land so any runoff poured into the core of the hammock.

“I remember during a big drought I drove by this place,” said Moyroud. “It was an island of green.”

Visit this hammock today and you will be calmed by birds singing and butterflies winging their way against a backdrop of greenery. If you are quiet and observant, you’ll discover how well-suited this native flora is to its habitat.

For example, the cabbage palms that are resistant to hurricanes, flood, heat and cold also produce fragrant flowers and nectar to attract and nourish butterflies and bees. Their berries feed birds and other animals. What’s more, they create an evergreen canopy of fronds that if left on the tree provide habitat for mosquito-eating bats.

Elsewhere you’ll find a fiddlewood with its tiny but fragrant white flowers; Spanish stoppers with their small oval leaves, an adaptation that limits evaporation; and pigeon plums, a relative of sea grape that would have been common up and down the coast.

“We had a plan for this piece of land and I would say it worked almost perfectly,” said Moyroud.

If You Go

Where:Hypoluxo Hammock on the south side of the Hypoluxo Town Hall, 7580 S. Federal Highway, Hypoluxo. 

Information:Call Town Hall at 582-0155 or visit www.hypoluxo.org/266533.html

Hours:Sunrise to Sunset

Admission:Free

Gardening tip

“A bird feeder acts like a plant for birds to eat. But a plant is not only a bird feeder, it’s also habitat. It provides nesting, roosting and shelter. One native plant is worth a thousand feeders.”

— Richard Moyroud, botanist and owner of Mesozoic Landscapes, a wholesale nursery in Lake Worth

Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley can be reached at debhartz@att.net.

A shark provides a photo op for on-shore anglers before its release. Some beached sharks do not revive and later die. 2013 photo by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

By Willie Howard

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is considering measures to regulate fishing from shore for sharks — a sport that has become increasingly popular as Florida beaches attract devotees for catch-and-release shark tournaments.

Social media posts showing sharks being hauled into shallow water or onto beaches before being released have increased public concern that shore-based shark fishing is luring sharks into swimming areas — and that catching sharks, including species that are protected from harvest, is damaging shark populations.

Requiring anglers to take a class and receive a free shore-based shark-fishing permit were among the recommendations that anglers and FWC officials discussed during the commission’s Aug. 28 shark-fishing workshop in West Palm Beach.    

“We’re not here to talk about shutting down this fishery,” the FWC’s Melissa Recks said while moderating the discussion. “We’re here to talk about managing it better.”

Recks said there is no credible evidence that shark fishing from shore has led to an increase in shark attacks on swimmers. But she acknowledged that shark fishing might make swimmers uncomfortable, even though most shore-based shark fishing happens at night.

Not all sharks survive after being caught and released. But the FWC says shark mortality associated with shore-based fishing in Florida does not threaten the sustainability of shark populations.

Other possible regulations discussed at the FWC workshop included:

• A ban on shark chumming from shore, though experienced shark anglers say they don’t use chum, noting that they set their baits hundreds of yards offshore using kayaks or other vessels.

• Gear and handling requirements, such as the use of non-offset circle hooks and/or barbless hooks to facilitate quick releases. The FWC said it also could require that sharks remain in the water while being released and that the releases not be delayed by measuring.

• Prohibiting shore-based shark tournament anglers from targeting sharks that are protected from harvest, such as hammerhead, lemon and Caribbean reef sharks. Twenty-six species of sharks cannot be possessed or harvested in Florida waters.

The FWC has begun a shark fishing educational push, issuing “shark-smart” guidelines that encourage anglers to learn which sharks are prohibited from harvest, to use tackle that does the least harm to sharks, to minimize handling time and to leave sharks in the water while releasing them.

“It’s better to educate than to regulate,” said Josh Jorgensen, founder of the Blacktip Challenge shark fishing tournaments, during which anglers tag sharks for research before releasing them. “There’s thousands of people who want to fish our beaches.”

The FWC staff is expected to present shore-based shark fishing management options to FWC commissioners at their December meeting in St. Augustine.

If commissioners adopt rules in December, they would have to be finalized at another meeting, possibly in early 2019, before they would take effect.

To submit comments about shore-based shark fishing, go to myfwc.com/saltwatercomments and scroll down to “shark fishing from shore.”

Delray Beach approved a 2014 ordinance that prohibits shark fishing within 300 feet north and south of  the municipal beach and Atlantic Dunes Park, even though attorneys argued at the time that only the state can regulate shore-based fishing.

No chumming, or cutting up fish parts to create a scent line below the surface, is allowed in those areas, according to the city ordinance.

The ordinance also requires shark carcasses and pieces to be removed from beaches in the city limits. Any sharks caught by accident must be released, the ordinance says.

The town of Palm Beach has considered regulations on beach shark fishing in the past, but the council decided that state law would supersede any surf fishing ordinance the town might pass.

“We will be watching closely if the state changes the existing law,” Town Manager Kirk Blouin said.

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club spearheaded the design, construction and deployment of recycled concrete power poles to create vertical reef darts, an inexpensive type of artificial reef. The club has placed 36 of the structures off Singer Island. Photo provided by West Palm Beach Fishing Club

Fishing club deploys reef darts off Singer Island

The West Palm Beach Fishing Club scuttled a second group of vertical pole artificial reefs known as reef darts Aug. 21 in 105 feet of water north of Lake Worth Inlet.

The fishing club’s second deployment of pole reefs brings to 36 the number of darts it has deployed off Singer Island.

Reef darts rise 20 to 35 feet off the bottom and are expected to attract small baitfish and larger predator fish. Fishing club President Tom Twyford said the club plans to sink reef darts every summer.

At a cost of about $3,000 each   and built largely from surplus materials such as concrete power poles, the dart reefs are relatively inexpensive and versatile, Twyford said, noting that they might be used to fill mucky holes in the Lake Worth Lagoon. 

Fish are attracted to the structures in the water, specifically the marine organisms that grow onto the concrete. Fish feed on the growth.

The fishing club paid for the reef darts with funds from its charitable arm, the Palm Beach County Fishing Foundation, along with private donations.

The reef darts are located off Singer Island near the Princess Anne wreck, about 1.5 miles north of Lake Worth Inlet (also known as Palm Beach Inlet). Coordinates: 26/47.6556 N and 80.00.1500 W.

Team Yellowfin won the three-event Full Moon Wahoo series by catching fish in June, July and August totaling 94.6 pounds. Holding a 44.2-pounder caught Aug. 25 are (l-r) Kyle Munson, Mike DeLuca, Mark Prazak and Capt. Guy Bartels. Photo provided by Leonard Bryant Photography

Team Yellowfin wins full-moon wahoo series

Catching wahoo in a tournament can be difficult.

But Guy Bartels and his Team Yellowfin caught them consistently, weighing in a wahoo on tournament days in June, July and August for a total weight of 94.6 pounds to win the West Palm Beach Fishing Club’s Full Moon Wahoo Tournament Series.

Bartels and his teammates won the $1,000 cash prize donated by C&L Insurance of Boca Raton.

Scott Goldsmith and his team Solution took second place after weighing a 44.8-pound wahoo on Aug. 25 for a tournament total of 76.8 pounds.

Bones Outfitters/Mr. Mullet caught the largest wahoo of the series, 50.2 pounds, on Aug. 25 and finished the series in third place with 69 pounds.

Overall, 64 teams weighed in 27 wahoo in the three-tournament series.

The fishing club holds the summer wahoo tournaments on the Saturdays closest to the full moons of June, July and August. The club plans to host the wahoo tournaments again next summer.

Coming events

Oct. 6:  Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee $35. Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or email fso-pe@cgauxboca.org.

Oct. 11: CCA Florida’s South Palm Beach Chapter banquet and auction, 6-10 p.m., Seagate Country Club, 3600 Hamlet Drive, Delray Beach. Dinner, drinks, raffles and auctions. Tickets $140 per person. Corporate and sponsor tables available. Register at ccaflorida.org or call Nick Pectol at 407-401-7677.

Oct. 27: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $25. Register at the door. Call 704-7440.

Oct. 31: Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show opens at noon and continues through Nov. 4 at seven waterfront locations. Adult fishing seminars by IGFA School of Sportfishing Nov. 1-4 at Broward County Convention Center. Hook the Future youth fishing seminars (ages 4-16) offered Nov. 3-4 at convention center. Adult admission $33. Children 5 and under free with adult. Details: flibs.com.

Tip of the month

If you plan to clean and eat your catch of dolphinfish (mahi mahi) or other saltwater fish, chill the fish quickly and thoroughly by placing them in an icy saltwater slush, advises Capt. Ray Rosher of Miss Britt Charters in Miami.  Open some ice bags in the boat’s fish box and add ocean water. Immersed in a salty ice slush, fresh fish are instantly chilled, extending their shelf life and making them firm and easier to clean than poorly iced fish.

Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.

ABOVE: Gina Logan (standing) laughs with Jane Amme as they prepare for the sale of holiday crafts. BELOW: B.J. Mays dresses handmade angels. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Janis Fontaine

The women used to be bankers and teachers, nurses, software engineers and law enforcement officers. Now they’re retired.

But being retired doesn’t mean they have stopped helping their community. They are vibrant, accomplished and still making a difference. But now they’re using their hands instead of their heads.

These are the women of Holly House, whose Holiday Gift Shoppe at First Presbyterian Church in Delray Beach opened Oct. 2 to sell the fine crafts the women have been making all year. These sales — along with the group’s other annual fundraiser, a rummage sale held the second weekend in February — paid for the large building where the women gather two mornings a week to work on projects. They call it “our happy place.”

Inside the industrial-chic building, the women sew, knit, string beads for jewelry, refurbish furniture, price items for sale and organize donations. Bins full of ribbon, fabric and buttons are labeled and stacked neatly on shelves. A line of sewing machines stands like ready soldiers. Merchandise is everywhere.

Patty Years, 78, is working on a needlepoint project someone else started and never finished.

For more than 30 years, the women of First Presbyterian have been gathering this way, sharing the work, using their skills to raise money for their church and their missions. They hope the gift shop will still be going strong in 30 years.

Linda Prior, a former software engineer for IBM, has been a member of First Presbyterian for 15 years. “We come together because we enjoy each other’s company and we love crafting,” she said.

Gail Benson, a native of Vermont, is a Picasso with shells. A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute and a former caterer, Benson said she learned long ago to “only do the things that give me joy.”

Lucy Mureau, an experienced jewelry maker, leads a design team that makes original pieces and restores donated costume jewelry to its original beauty.  Three women in their 90s sit together crocheting and making little angel-doll dresses. Marie Boss, Helen Antal and B.J. Mays have almost 300 years of experience doing handwork, skills learned at a time when, if you wanted something, you had to make it yourself.

“It’s the fellowship that holds us together, plus it gives us a mission, a goal,” Boss said.

Norie Gelfond, 66, admits she was bored in retirement. The former project manager needed some projects to manage and she found plenty of opportunities at Holly House.

And there’s a certain symmetry to the projects: Merrill Beveridge makes wreaths from wine corks donated by local restaurants.

Cindy Pemberton, the group’s chairman this year, closes the work session with a business meeting. Holly House is solvent, with money in the bank. Last year, the group raised enough money to upgrade the sound system at the church.

Along with the proceeds from the rummage sale, Holly House supported almost a dozen local charities, including the Caridad Center, CROS Ministries, Dress for Success, Faith Farm, Family Promise, the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, Ginger’s Closet and the Vietnam Vets. Holly House also helps children and family groups and animal charities.

But these weekly gatherings provide more than just products. When a member was ill, the other members brought her food every day. Another member who needed a daily ride to radiation treatments found women lined up to be her chauffeur.

No one had to ask. The community simply rallied around them, because that’s what you do.

Janis Fontaine writes about people of faith, their congregations, causes and events. Contact her at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Every year police and firefighters honor those who have died in the line of duty with a Blue Mass. The event is also a celebration of their faith and service to the community. ABOVE: (l-r) Boynton Beach Fire Chiefs Kathy Cline and Latosha Clemons, Delray Beach Fire Capt. Brian Pollack, firefighter Scott Bitzer, driver/engineer Keith Meyerson and firefighter Fernando Faubla at the Sept. 12 Mass at St. Vincent Ferrer. Photo provided by Marie Ryan

More than 100 people took part in the Blue Mass to honor law enforcement, fire safety personnel and first responders from federal, state and local jurisdictions held at St. Vincent Ferrer Church on Sept. 12.

The Mass gives the community the opportunity to honor those who have died or been injured in the line of duty, as well as to show gratitude for those who serve.

The first Blue Mass was celebrated by Father Thomas Dade on Sept. 29, 1934, in Baltimore. Blue Masses have become more popular since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Help fight hunger

CROS Ministries will host its annual Hustle2EndHunger, a 5K run/walk and family fun day on Oct. 6 at John Prince Park in Lake Worth.

Registration begins at 6 a.m., the run starts at 7 and the walk begins at 8:15, followed by family activities from 9:30 to noon. The fee for runners is $40, including the running chip, T-shirt and family fun day activities. For walkers, registration is free.

Walkers who raise more than $40 get a T-shirt, water bottle and admission to the family fun day. For non-runners and non-walkers, entry to the family fun day is a suggested donation of $20. All proceeds benefit CROS hunger programs.

For more information or to register, go to www.crosministries.org or call 233-9009, extension 108.

Progressive dinner

First Presbyterian Church will hold its annual meet and greet and progressive dinner on Oct. 24. Reconnect with your church family at this event beginning at 5 p.m. with appetizers in Holly House, where you can do a little holiday shopping. From 6 to 7, dinner is served in Fellowship Hall. The cost is $8 per person or $28 per family. Reservations are encouraged for planning purposes. First Presbyterian is at 33 Gleason St., Delray Beach. Call 276-6338.

Class registration at Chabad

Chabad of South Palm Beach in the Plaza del Mar, 224 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, is offering two extended-week classes starting in October.

The first, the Jewish Learning Institute’s Wrestling With Faith, meets for six Tuesdays at 7 p.m. from Oct. 23 to Nov. 27.

The second, Read It in Hebrew, meets at 11 a.m. Mondays from Oct. 15 to Nov. 12. This course is $50, which includes a set of flash cards.

Register at chabadspb.org or call 889-3499.

Send religion notes to Janis Fontaine at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Children get into the Halloween spirit during Sugar Sand Park’s Shriek Week, now in its 14th year. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Halloween is America’s favorite holiday. Americans love it so much, they’ll spend more than $8 billion on the holiday this year. 

The face (the mask?) of the holiday is changing along with its popularity. Halloween used to be about trick-or-treating in the neighborhood; but parties and get-togethers, haunted houses and trunk-or-treating (sort of like tailgating and popular at churches) have taken over. And sometimes bigger is better.

Case in point: Sugar Sand Park’s annual Shriek Week is in its 14th year. About 10,000 people visited the park for scary fun last year, said Stacee Lanz,  special events coordinator for Boca Raton parks.

“Because it’s spread out over five days, it never feels packed,” she said. “We’ve worked really hard to make this a great event for families, to fill the niche.”

The festivities take place Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 25-27. The event has a special night for the younger kids — Shriek Week Lite on Oct. 25 — with all the fun but not quite so scary, with brighter lighting and softer audio. Lite Nite is recommended for ages 5 and older and takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. All the attractions are open except the Alien Lab Haunted Walk-through.

For the four other nights, the “don’t miss attraction” is the Haunted House Dreamy-Land, designed for kids older than 7. This old-fashioned traveling carnival may have started its journey in a dreamy, magical world, but now it’s a haunted nightmare where everything has gone awry.

The attraction is open by reservation only from 6 to 11 each night. To prevent making people wait in line for hours and miss the other attractions, Shriek Week instituted the reservation system, and Lanz says it works out well.

People enter in small groups (a maximum of 12 people) at their reservation times, earning them a more intimately terrifying experience.

Lanz said it’s a good idea to show up 10 minutes before your reservation time, because it’s hard to make other accommodations if you miss it. A parent or guardian must accompany children 12 and younger, and adults must purchase a reservation with their kids. Tickets are $9 beginning Oct. 6, available at willowtheatre.org.

A special part of Shriek Week for the past seven years is the Kids’ Spooky Film Festival.

Lanz says she received about 20 submissions and plans to screen about a dozen films during Shriek Week.

The films may also be seen online during October. Film fans are encouraged to vote for their favorite. After Shriek Week, films will be judged and prizes will be awarded in November.

“We have some very good budding filmmakers submitting films,” Lanz said.

The 3- to 10-minute films may be spooky, scary, thrilling and suspenseful but cannot contain violence, bullying, nudity, excessive blood or profanity, and should not depict unsafe behavior or drug or alcohol use. All films are suitable for kids ages 5 to 12. 

For more information, call 347-3948 or visit willowtheatre.org.

Details on other attractions:

• The Alien Lab Haunted Walk-through aims to answer the burning question: Is there extraterrestrial life? Someone has been conducting secret experiments and what they reveal will shock you. Is it a coverup or a hoax? Open from 6 to 10:30 Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27. Get tickets on-site the day of the event.

• Like your Halloween less scary and more fun? The park will have an indoor black-light game room, glitter tattoo stations and make-and-take crafts. Also available nightly until 9 (8:30 on Lite Nite), your little engineer will love the Catabella Express Trackless Train Ride aboard a 26-passenger vintage-look train dressed up with LED lights and an, ahem, killer sound system. It’s ADA-accessible. Tickets are available on-site.

• The interactive animal exhibit is open nightly and features a tabletop petting zoo with some spooky (a big snake, a scorpion and a tarantula) and some not-scary animals (a bunny, a parrot and a chinchilla). Get tickets at the door.

• The Giant LED Robots & DJ Show returns with giant stilt-walking LED-lighted robots who dance and shoot air cannons on the first weekend only, with 30-minute shows at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the door.

• The Amazing Mr. A brings his signature brand of comedy, magic and ventriloquism to the stage with new tricks just for Halloween to the second week of festivities. The 30-minute shows take place at 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Oct. 26-27. Special Lite Nite shows are planned for Oct. 25 at 6:30 and 7:30. Get tickets at the door.

• And what would Halloween be without sugar? The Trick or Treat Trail will be open from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27, and 5-8 on Lite Night, Oct. 25. You get it all: the bag, the candy and special giveaways from participating vendors. The best part? It’s free! Interested in becoming a vendor? Contact Sugar Sand at 347-3900.

Pajama Game benefits Sweet Dream Makers

Love mahjong, canasta, bridge or bunco? Are you the board game queen? Use your love of games to help kids at the Oct. 9 Pajama Game Night for Sweet Dream Makers, a nonprofit that provides kids and families with new beds, including mattresses, box springs, pillows and sheets.

Suzy Broad, executive director of the Boca Raton-based Sweet Dream Makers, has provided all kinds of beds, from toddler beds to bunks to adult-size.

In 2017, Sweet Dream Makers teamed with the Boca West Foundation and Boca Raton Regional Hospital to start Beginnings, ensuring no baby in need will leave the hospital without a crib, bedding, formula and diapers.

After food, water and shelter, sleep is our most primary physical need. It’s where our bodies heal themselves and solidify memories and learning. Sweet Dream Makers promotes good health and well-being by ensuring clients are not left sleepless in South Florida.

Game night takes place from 7 to 10 at St. Andrews Country Club, 17557 Claridge Oval W., Boca Raton. Tickets are $50 per player, which includes valet parking, snacks and drinks.

All proceeds help purchase beds and bedding for children and their families in need. PJs are optional; valet, snacks and drinks are included.

Call 271-8058, email games@SweetDreamMakers.org, or visit SweetDreamMakers.org.

Read for the Record returns

The Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County needs volunteers to read books to kids on Oct. 25 at locations throughout the county. Join millions of volunteers across the country to “Read for the Record” and take a few minutes to read aloud.

Sharing your love of reading encourages kids to want to read. This year’s book is Maybe Something Beautiful, by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell.

In 2017, Read for the Record boasted 415 local volunteers who read to 15,696 children at child care centers and schools throughout Palm Beach County. The campaign helps to highlight the importance of early literacy and celebrate the power of volunteers reading to children.

To sign up, visit literacypbc.org/event/read-for-the-record/.

Send Tots & Teens news to Janis Fontaine at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

Gulf Stream School kindergarten teacher Christina Wheat, a 1990 graduate of the school, works with Kaitlyn DaFoe and Raven Wolter as they assemble puzzles on the first day of school.  Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Actress, singer, writer and breast cancer survivor Rita Wilson will headline the 15th annual affair, which benefits the Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation and, specifically, the Eugene M. & Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute and the Christine E. Lynn Women’s Health & Wellness Institute. Time is 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Cost is $175. Call 955-4142 or visit donate.brrh.com/gopink. ABOVE: Committee members include (l-r, seated) Terry Fedele, Patricia Thomas, Charlotte Robinson, Nickie Siegel, Barbara Cohen, Judy Levis Markhoff, Patricia Carpenter, Freyda Burns, Rosalie Schlegel, Lana Rosenzweig, Joan Wargo, Helen Babione, (standing) Karissa Thomann, Jane Ciraulo, Marilyn Barry, Caitlin Dent, Michelle Stallone, Pamela Begelman, Kara Donvito, Heather Shaw, Gwen Herb, Stacy Atwater, Lori Newman, Rebecca Davis, Graziela Slaine, Tracy Caruso, Jeanine Banks, Dr. Francesca Lewis, Judi Larkin, Peg Anderson, Denise Zimmerman, Sarah Pollak, Mindy Shikiar, Patty Beck, Terry Adelman and Doreen Alrod. Photo provided

Karen Rogers and Nicole Pasqual are chairing Bethesda Hospital Foundation’s Women of Grace luncheon, which will honor five volunteers and one student. Photo provided

By Amy Woods

This year’s Women of Grace luncheon — the 19th annual — will return to its grassroots beginnings by downsizing the number of attendees, relocating to a smaller venue and focusing on the five female honorees as the center of attention.

“It won’t be as large as it has,” said Karen Rogers, one of two chairwomen of the event benefiting Bethesda Hospital Foundation. “We wanted to kind of make it very community driven. We wanted to kind of get people involved with their local hospital.”

The luncheon will take place Nov. 5 at the Delray Beach Marriott and will honor Debralyn Belletieri (American Association of Caregiving Youth), Deborah Dowd (Achievement Centers for Children & Families), Gail Oliver (Gift of Life Marrow Registry), Beth Schatman (Alzheimer’s Community Care) and Patricia Tormey (Forgotten Soldiers Outreach) for their volunteerism.

“These are just amazing women who deserve recognition,” Rogers said. “The organizations that they’re representing are really quite diverse.”

Also being recognized is Future Woman of Grace Isabella Diefendorf, a 17-year-old senior at American Heritage School, who founded the Blackberry Foundation. Her foundation combines Diefendorf’s love of triathlons with philanthropy by racing to raise money to help poor children in India and Tanzania.

“Isabella started a nonprofit with the money she raised from running marathons, which is incredible,” Rogers said. “The luncheon is about honoring the outstanding women in our community for the role models that they are, and it is inspiring to see these same attributes in our young women.”

Proceeds from the luncheon will support the hospital’s Center for Pediatric Development, specifically its intensive feeding program, the only one of its kind in the area. According to statistics, feeding difficulties affect more than half of premature babies and children with chronic medical conditions.

“There’s not that many of these feeding programs available,” Chairwoman Nicole Pasqual said. “Bethesda has the only local Level I neonatal intensive-care unit, so they do see a lot of at-risk babies and deal with a lot of at-risk births.”

Tickets to the luncheon cost $175. Gift baskets valued at $1,000-plus will be raffled off for $25. Premier prizes, including a $4,000 gift certificate to Private Jewelers and a $3,000 gift certificate to Dawn Edwards Salon, will be raffled for $100.

“One of the pillars of our community is our local hospital,” Pasqual said. “At one point or another, someone in your family is going to need to go. I can’t think of money better spent.” 

If You Go

What: Women of Grace luncheon

Time: 10:30 a.m. reception, 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. luncheon

Date: Nov. 5

Where: Delray Beach Marriott, 10 N. Ocean Blvd.

Cost: $175

Information: 737-7733 or bethesdahospital foundation.org

The Highland Beach chapter of UNICO National welcomed UNICO National to Delray Beach for the annual convention. More than 300 members of the Italian-American service organ-ization attended, traveling from several states. The five-day agenda was nonstop and kicked off with a sock hop-themed meet and greet on the first night and concluded with a gala. ABOVE: (l-r, seated) Gail Guy, Cleve Guy, Margaret Matinale, Rosaria Gismondi, (standing) Marianne Regan, Vivian Cardia, Susan Gengo, Carol Trojan, Lisa Marie Browne, Anne Matarazzo, Audenzia LoFria and Madeline LoRe. Photo provided

Palm Beach County Food Bank supporters kicked off the third annual Empty Bowls Delray Beach, which will benefit the fight against hunger in the area. The date is Dec. 2, and the location is Old School Square. The event invites the public to ‘eat simply so others can simply eat.’

ABOVE: (l-r) Leanne Adair, Empty Bowls Delray Beach honorary chairwoman; Patty Jones, event chairwoman; Karen Erren, Palm Beach County Food Bank executive director; and Brenda Medore, honorary chairwoman. Photo provided by Palm Beach County Food Bank

The club welcomed Michelle McLean Bailey, winner of the 1992 Miss Universe contest, to address members. Bailey, a Namibian actress and model, has worked with Rotary International and the district clubs in South Florida to provide classroom space and school supplies for children in the African nation. Member Mike Owen and past District Gov. David Freudenberg have spent time with Bailey touring Namibia and visiting locations where Rotary International has assisted the cause. Bailey thanked Rotarians for their support and answered questions from the assembly. ABOVE: Bailey addresses the gathering. BELOW: Owen, with club President Robert Kelley. Photos provided

Nearly 800 supporters cheered on their favorite community dancers during the 11th annual benefit for the George Snow Scholarship Fund. The theme of the evening was  ‘A Night to Last a Lifetime,’ and it was co-chaired by Terry Fedele and John Tolbert. Nancy Dockerty was the female fundraising champion, and Christopher Warren was the male fundraising champion. More than $480,000 was generated. ABOVE: Loreta Kriksciukaityte and Warren. BELOW: Dockerty and James Brann.  Photos provided by Viviimage Photography