By Mary Thurwachter

Despite the uncertainty connected to the coronavirus, Town Manager Deborah Manzo didn’t have to wait long for an answer when she asked whether or not to commit to a fireworks contract for the Fourth of July.

The $30,000 contract with Zambelli Fireworks would need to be signed soon to reserve the date, Manzo said. But if the town decided at some point to cancel, Lantana would lose between $6,500 to $17,000, depending on how close to the show date the cancellation was made.

The council voted March 23 to go ahead, regardless of the possibility of cancellation due to COVID-19.

Even if a large gathering in Bicentennial Park were prohibited at the time, the fireworks could still go off from a barge on the Intracoastal Waterway so residents would have something special to watch that evening, council members agreed.

Memories of the last time Lantana didn’t have fireworks on the Fourth of July, in 2011, still haunt Mayor Dave Stewart and Vice Mayor Lynn Moorhouse, who were both on the council at the time.

“I had 30 unhappy people at the door. We had sad little kids dressed in red-white-and-blue turn out at Bicentennial Park,” Stewart said. Father David Kennedy of Church of the Holy Guardian Angels “was praying for me. He said fireworks are America and help people shake off a depressing economy.”

“It was horrible,” Moorhouse added. “Let’s have fireworks!”

Stewart said the plus side of contracting for the fireworks show outweighed the possibility of financial loss.

“Fireworks make people feel good,” Stewart said, “and people need that.”

A concrete answer for the nature trail

On another matter, the council voted to pave the Lantana Nature Preserve trail with concrete, a choice rejected previously as it was considered too costly (about $130,000). In addition to money the town has already set aside for the project, about $60,000, funds will be taken from reserves and paid back from annual payments received from the Carlisle assisted-living facility for maintenance.

The council debated what type of material to use for the trail for more than two years, and twice decided on asphalt — an unpopular choice with Friends of the Nature Preserve.

In February, another option was considered: crushed concrete, which was less costly than asphalt and more eco-friendly.

But on March 23, Stewart proposed concrete, considered the best long-lasting solution.

“We’ve kicked this tin can down the road so long it’s not even a can anymore,” Stewart said. “I don’t want this to come up ever again in my lifetime!”

“That’s music to my ears,” Manzo said.

In other news, the council, for safety reasons, voted to remove obtrusive road striping on Hypoluxo Island in compliance with Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices guidelines for streets and highways. Removing the yellow lines will cost about $5,000.

Islanders, in person and with letters, urged the town to remove the double yellow lines after several residents had to leap into the bushes to avoid being hit by speeding vehicles whose drivers would not pull over.

Hypoluxo Island does not have sidewalks.

Layton had three more ‘Jive At Five’ sessions planned this season when the president of the homeowners association called him March 16 to say all events had been canceled in light of the coronavirus threat. ‘They’ve locked both clubhouses,’ Layton says. ‘The only good news in this is, I won’t have to work as hard getting ready for next year. I’m almost halfway there.’
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Ron Hayes

Bob Layton has an intriguing theory about popular music.

“I’ve heard,” he says, “that the music you were hearing when you were 14 years old affects your musical taste for the rest of your life.”

For him, that was 1943, when The Mills Brothers’ Paper Doll was the year’s biggest hit.

Layton was born on July 14, 1929, the year of Tip Toe Thru The Tulips. He’s 90 now, with a long life of singers and songs between his ears and in his heart.

For the past 20 of those 90 years, he’s shared those singers and their songs with his neighbors at the Crown Colony Club in Ocean Ridge.

On Tuesday evenings during the season, men and women in their 70s, 80s or 90s gather to hear him play the old recordings that make them feel 14 again, and learn a few bits of biography and musical trivia along the way.

“Jive At Five,” he calls it, and it’s a hit, too.

By 4:45 p.m. on the last Tuesday in February, they’re wandering in to the community’s clubhouse, water bottles, beers, Cokes and Chex Mix in hand, greeting, gossiping and settling down along the bingo tables.

“Maximum capacity 44,” a sign on the wall says.

By 5 p.m., there are definitely 44 people waiting. Salvatore Renna is in the kitchen, boiling the hot dogs, getting the wine and beer set up for later. Layton is at his table up front, and his sound man, Dom Pillaria, is at the tape deck nearby.

Showtime!

“This is the best music of the 20th century,” Layton begins, “from the 1920s to the 1970s. I promise you won’t hear anything after 1980.”

Yes, he has strong musical opinions.

“Nineteen-eighty is my cutoff point,” he will tell you, lip threatening to curl. “That’s when the amateurs took over.”

Bruce Springsteen?

“I was born in New Jersey and went to Asbury Park High School, but I don’t get him at all,” Layton says. “I tried. What’s his problem?”

Stephen Sondheim?

“He’s a one-hit wonder, as far as I’m concerned.”

And that one hit, of course, is Send In The Clowns. But Layton favors the Sinatra version, not Judy Collins’ big hit.

“No, I’m not crazy about her, either.”

Layton and his neighbor, Thomasina Cole, have a friendly dispute regarding Barbra Streisand.

“She’s not on my list,” Layton says, making the thumbs-down sign. “She’s got a whiny voice that’s irritating to me.”

When Layton hears whine, Cole hears tone.

“She’s one of my favorites,” she says, “but not one of Bob’s. He has a blind spot, but I love her tone.”

Cole considers the Streisand tone. “Maybe it’s something to do with her nose. …”

A retired ad executive from Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, Layton had about 2,000 LPs in the attic five years ago when he and Irene, his wife of 65 years, decided to live in Ocean Ridge full time.

“I sold a few, but most of them went to Goodwill,” he says, “and I can tell you, they’re really heavy.”

Anything worth keeping he put on tape. Now he has 15 shoe boxes full of cassettes from which to choose and mix his weekly listening sessions.

“This gives me something to do in the summertime,” he explains. “I get an idea while I’m shaving, so I get a pad and make a list of what I have.”

Crown Colony residents smile as they to listen to Bob Layton talk about music history.

During each Jive At Five, Layton will introduce and comment on about 15 songs. Every session has a theme, drawn from three categories — an artist, composer or subject.

“I’ve never repeated a program in 20 years,” he’s proud to say.

He’s done “Songs With Love In The Title,” “How World War II Changed American Popular Music,” and even “Music With Sexually Suggestive Lyrics.”

But that’s sexually suggestive lyrics from before 1980, you understand, so you get All Of Me (Why Not Take All Of Me?).

Tonight’s theme is “Fifteen Italian Singers Take Over American Pop,” and Layton has come up with a clever way of introducing them.

“Vito Rocco Farinola,” he announces, to puzzled frowns. The audience knows him as Vic Damone. Layton tells them of the time young Farinola cornered Perry Como in an elevator, asked to sing for him, and won a few words of encouragement.

Then he plays You’re Breaking My Heart, Damone’s 1949 hit.

Did you know the melody was based on an older Italian song called Mattinata?

Francesco Paolo LoVecchio. He became Frankie Laine, who sang That Lucky Old Sun.

Genaro Louis Vitaliano? Jerry Vale, and Layton plays Summertime in Venice.

Pierino Ronald Como was an easy guess, and they hear Perry Como’s Prisoner of Love.

Jasper Cini? They know him as Al Martino of Spanish Eyes fame.

“Next, a record where Dean Martin seems to be sober,” Layton jokes, and Memories Are Made Of This.

John Katsaros, 96, is tapping his cane, bobbing his World War II Purple Heart cap and grinning. Shot down over Frankfurt on March 20, 1944, he bears a shrapnel scar still visible on his right forearm.

“I love this,” he says. “I been coming here since they started it. You know, I saw Glenn Miller in Haverhill, Mass., before he became popular. Yeah.”

Walden Robert Cassotto? That’s Bobby Darin.

“But I’m not going to disappoint you on this,” Layton says. “I’m not going to play Splish Splash.

He knows his audience, and so of course they hear Mack The Knife.

The story goes that Darin chose his last name when he glanced out a hotel room window and saw a neon sign for a Chinese restaurant called Mandarin, with the first three letters dark.

“But that may be apocryphal,” Layton concedes.
By now, much of the audience has stopped resisting the urge to sing along.

Everyone knows Anthony Dominick Benedetto, of course. But did you know that in 1957 the great songwriter Johnny Mercer got a letter from a grandmother in Youngstown, Ohio, enclosing what she felt sure would be a great line for a song?

Mercer agreed and wrote I Wanna Be Around — “to pick up the pieces when somebody breaks your heart.”

Tony Bennett got a big hit out of it, and Sadie Vimmerstedt got a third of the royalties.

And now, the finale.

Do we really need to tell you his name?

Jacques Revaux wrote the melody, Paul Anka wrote the English lyrics, and he sang it his way.

Sally Valenti, 93, leans over to her neighbor.

“You know,” she confides, “my friend had a funeral home in New Jersey, and when Frank Sinatra’s father died, my friend called me up and said, ‘Sally, we got Frank Sinatra’s father!’”

Bennett, Como, Damone — they’re all fine. But this is a Sinatra crowd, so Layton announces that Frank has agreed to do an encore.
New York, New York.

And suddenly they’re all on their feet, swaying from side to side and singing along, clapping for Frank, for New York, for the songs that were young when they were young, and for Bob Layton.

Briny Breezes Town Manager Bill Thrasher runs the council meeting last month with appropriate social distancing and phone technology allowing aldermen to attend from home. Photos by Jerry Lower and Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Rich Pollack

In South Palm Beach, council members held a special meeting in the Town Hall parking lot.

In Highland Beach, a television screen was placed in front of Town Hall so residents could see what was happening inside.

And in other cities and towns throughout coastal South County, chairs in commission chambers were cordoned off with yellow tape and elected officials took alternating seats on the dais to make sure they kept 6 feet away from each other.

For most local municipalities, finding ways to govern effectively during the unprecedented coronavirus crisis is requiring innovation, often aided by technology, as well as huge amounts of patience and flexibility.

“There are going to be as many ways to hold meetings as there are cities until things become clearer,” said attorney Glen Torcivia, whose firm represents Highland Beach, Ocean Ridge and South Palm Beach.

Conducting meetings while making sure the public has an opportunity to participate, as required by Florida’s Sunshine Law, is just one of the challenges that local governments face.

Another is the task of making difficult decisions at a time when situations change from hour to hour — and when no one knows for sure when everything will be back to normal.

Add to that the task of figuring out how to ensure municipal services aren’t interrupted and employees are safe while encountering new situations every day, and you can understand why city and town managers have a lot to be concerned with.

“Things are changing so fast,” said Boynton Beach City Manager Lori LaVerriere. “It’s like trying to stay abreast of a moving target.”

LaVerriere said that in some cases she would pull her leadership team together for a meeting in the morning but then have to call members back together in the afternoon to present new information and tell them to disregard what they heard a few hours earlier.
“You have to be adaptable,” she said. “You try to stay two steps ahead of what’s coming.”

Because circumstances change quickly, with information from health officials evolving and executive orders coming from the governor, many decisions that would have been made by a city council or commission are now being made by city or town managers.

In Boca Raton, for example, last month’s decision to order nonessential businesses to close was made by city staff members, led by City Manager Leif Ahnell.

That decision, which under normal circumstances might have been made by the City Council after discussion, was made by Ahnell with input from the mayor and council members.

“We’re in a situation where we are not the direct governing source,” said Delray Beach Mayor Shelly Petrolia. “There are a lot of policy decisions that the city manager has to make.”

She said waiting until a city commission could meet to make decisions in an emergency situation would be unwise.

“You would be well behind in every decision,” she said.

Petrolia said that Delray Beach’s new city manager, George Gretsas, has been in constant contact with her and other members of the commission, listening to their input and advising them of decisions he is making.

“He’s using us as a sounding board,” she said.

That same process holds true in a small town like Manalapan, where Town Manager Linda Stumpf is in daily contact with members of her commission.

“We have a fully engaged commission,” said Mayor Keith Waters, adding that Stumpf and commissioners are accustomed to working together even in non-emergency situations.

Last month, Manalapan canceled its commission meeting in a move similar to what Boca Raton did when it canceled its March 23 and 24 City Council meetings.

Waters, who credits the town staff and residents for making sure Manalapan runs smoothly during the crisis, said there weren’t enough pressing issues on the agenda to warrant holding a meeting in an emergency.

In Lantana, crime-scene tape in alternating chairs helps keep attendees apart.

For many communities, however, the meetings are a necessity in order to ensure residents receive services.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to not debilitate the services we provide to the community,” Boynton’s LaVerriere said.

Although they’re in an emergency situation, local governments still have to pay bills, make payroll, issue building permits, ensure public safety and provide other services.

Municipalities in the area are all still working, although most are not permitting residents to enter the town or city halls. In some cases employees are working from home.

In Manalapan, where employees work in close quarters, Stumpf devised a plan where staff members alternate days working from home so as not to be within 6 feet of each other at the office.

For managers like LaVerriere, it’s often necessary to get commission approval before a contract can be signed or a major purchase can be made. There are also policy decisions that commissioners need to make that are timely but not urgent.

Recognizing the need for local governments to meet, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order last month that allows commissions and councils to meet electronically and to meet without a quorum.

“That was huge,” LaVerriere said.

While towns such as Lantana and Ocean Ridge initially continued to hold actual meetings in town halls, others switched to electronic meetings.

Briny Breezes, for example, held its council meeting last month via teleconference, the first electronic meeting in the town’s 57-year history. Council members approved policies and procedures for future emergency conferences.

The ground rules say that the public must have a physical place to attend (large enough to allow social distancing) and hear all electronic meetings while the council members participate by phone. The place typically would be Town Hall.

One of the challenges for municipalities is figuring out how to ensure they comply with Florida’s open government laws, which require an opportunity for public participation in meetings.

“The optimal situation is that the press and public have an opportunity to be in the room,” says Florence Snyder, a First Amendment lawyer and strong advocate of the state’s open government laws.

Still, Snyder says, there has to be flexibility in emergencies.

In Highland Beach, a television is set up outside to broadcast the live-streaming of the commission meeting.

“As long as we have government that’s accessible, that’s good,” she said.

Figuring out how to hold meetings electronically can be a challenge for some places, even in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and Highland Beach, which live-stream their meetings over the internet.

“We never offered virtual meetings before because of the Sunshine Law,” said Chrissy Gibson, Boca Raton’s communications manager.

Some options include teleconference and conference calls with options for residents to be on the call. Another option being explored is to have meetings available to residents electronically with an option for them to send in comments via email.

Towns and cities along the South County coast hoped to have details worked out before their meetings this month.

Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie said his town is making a sincere effort to ensure the public has an opportunity to participate in meetings and he believes most other public officials are taking similar actions.

“We all want the public to participate because it is in the best spirit of good governance,” he said.

Labadie said that whereas municipalities already have plans for a hurricane, the COVID-19 emergency comes with uncertainty about when — and perhaps if — the way towns and cities govern will return to how they were just a few weeks ago.

“There’s no playbook for this,” he said.

Barbara Flores, a designer and author, stands in front of two of her poster creations and holds copies of her four books, including a memoir about her marriage breakup. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Brian Biggane

It was about the time Barbara Flores had her third book published that she decided she needed to learn how to write.

Flores, a 71-year-old South Palm Beach resident who in 2019 published her memoir Separated, Acting Badly to positive reviews, produced a book of quotes for Al-Anon families and two cookbooks before actually making the time and effort required to consider herself an accomplished writer.

“I started out as a graphic designer, and getting the design right was actually more important to me than what the book had to say,” she said.

When her third book, The Great Book of Pears, became a finalist for the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Award in 2001, she decided to take a different tack.

“That was what I call my big-ass award,” she said. “That was when I decided to get interested in writing. I didn’t even call myself a writer then. I really wanted to design more than write.”

Living in the Bay Area, Flores started by taking writing classes from Adair Lara, a columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I took so many of her classes she got sick of me, but we became writing partners, so everything she wrote for the Chronicle she sent me, and all the crap I wrote I sent her. We had to write a column every day, and I got very good very fast, and that’s when I had the thought of writing a memoir.”

Her plan was to catalogue the ups and downs of her marriage, which had lasted more than 30 years, but it was about that time her husband had an affair with a younger woman and left her.

“So, there goes the book idea, but then people said why not write about the experience of him leaving, so that’s what I did.”

That was in 2004, and in 2006 she decided to leave the Bay Area to join her parents in South Palm Beach. After years of grieving over the failed marriage and many stops and starts, she wrapped up the manuscript last year.

“We had a very long separation before we got the divorce, so that’s the ‘separated’ part, and the ‘acting badly’ part is me acting badly,” she said.

Flores, who has married again — to artist George Canberg — has spent many years as a teacher, first at an inner-city school in Oakland and more recently at G-Star School of the Arts in the village of Palm Springs. That background contributed to her latest manuscript, a work of fiction involving guns. The book is intended for ages 11-13.

Q: Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A: I grew up in a village, yes a real village, called Menomonee Falls outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I wanted to leave as fast as I could. I wanted to see the world, the ocean. I wanted notoriety as an artist. I already won awards in high school and college — my artwork sold — and I grew too big and too bigheaded for my small hometown. Now I really appreciate the people. They’re so kind, friendly, soft-spoken … just don’t schedule anything during a Packers game.

Q: What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A: My career as an artist/writer/teacher has been a see-saw of peaks and valleys. My writing mentor, Adair Lara, a former San Francisco Chronicle columnist, has called me a serial enthusiast. In college in Madison, Wisconsin, I began illustrating shoes like Andy Warhol did. By the time I was 22 my illustrations for Nunn Bush shoes were appearing in Playboy and GQ. That gig allowed me to buy a small starter cottage in the Bay Area. I raised three kids in the ’80s and when the youngest was 2 I decided to quit my job as a magazine art director to be home with them and do volunteer work for the war-torn refugees flooding into the Bay Area.
I founded a work program called Manos with grants. But I was broke and had to ask my husband for a food allowance to feed the kids. After five years, my graphic design work picked up and I opened a graphic design studio in Berkeley.

One of my good friends from church was the mother of Mark Miller, the Coyote Café chef. She had a wacko idea that I should fly to New Mexico the day after Christmas and talk to him about designing a chile poster. This was in 1990 when no one had even heard of a jalapeño or a chipotle. It launched a 12-year career of designing food posters and authoring cookbooks for TenSpeed Press.
After my husband, whom I had adored, left after 31 years of marriage, I needed something more in my life. I decided I wanted to write more than I wanted to design. I published essays and took a job teaching writing to inner-city kids in Oakland. I moved to Florida and taught at G-Star School of the Arts.

At age 60 I got a degree in writing and literature at Bennington College, Vermont. I’ve been honored to teach at U.C. Berkeley Extension, Moraga College and Palm Beach Atlantic University.

Now I teach adults, edit manuscripts, care for my great-granddaughter and I’m on the third draft of my next book, a tween fiction.
I am most proud of my work with women. Today I continue to volunteer to mentor disadvantaged, marginalized and abused women in recovery.

And I am proud of my memoir, Separated, Acting Badly.

Q: What advice do you have for a young person seeking a career today?
A: Success is where your greatest passion meets the needs of the marketplace. You hear “follow your heart,” but with the cost of education today, your heart can lead to financial ruin. Yes, follow your heart but there’s also a stomach(s) to feed. In my twisty-turvy career path I’ve taken low-paying jobs serving ice cream, teaching high school, and after my husband left and my third book won a big cookbook award, I took a serving catering job just so I had a party to go to every Saturday night.

Also, if you want to work in a creative field — film, design, publishing — I suggest you work as an intern at the most prestigious company you can find. Find the win/win in every difficult situation.

Q: How did you choose to make your home in South Palm Beach?
A: When I first moved to South Palm Beach in 2006 a stranger said, “Everyone that moves to Florida is either moving away from something or moving to something. Which one are you?” I didn’t miss a beat answering that I was moving away from a marriage breakup. I ran away from California as far as I could until I hit an ocean. And the ocean healed me. Also my parents lived here, and I needed them, especially my dad.

Q: What is your favorite part about living in South Palm Beach?
A: The exquisite aqua sea. I never get tired of looking at it. Also my grandmother was one of the first residents in South Beach when there was only the Tropicana on the Intracoastal side. My aunt also lived in the Imperial. Some South Beach trivia: The Imperial is built around a two-story beach house that was once owned by Howard Hughes. My Aunt Alvina lived there. I came here at 13 and fell in love with South Palm Beach. I watched the (recently demolished) Hawaiian Motel being built from my grandma’s third-story condo. Then the view was all beach and dunes and palm trees.

And now my granddaughter and her daughter live a few steps away. My husband, George Canberg, an artist, has a trailer at Briny Breezes where he paints. I call Briny my happy place.

Q: What book are you reading now?
A: I’m writing a kids fiction book so I’m into YA. I’m reading With the Fire on High, by Elizabeth Acevedo. One of my students also recommended Little Fires Everywhere.

Q: What music do you listen to when you want to relax? When you want to be inspired?
A: I’m a visual person and I’ll listen to whatever George puts on. He plays old rock ’n’ roll. I love it. I love to have music served to me. If I play music (salsa mostly) it’s to dance not relax. If I want to relax, I’ll meditate.

Q: Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A: My father. I feel sorry for the men who married me because my father was a hard act to follow. He was always very proud of me. But then I’ve been a workaholic who carried a briefcase to first grade. He was a small-town dentist, honest, humble, admired and he never said a bad word about anyone. I must have been in my 40s or 50s when I realized that my father was one of the grandfathers of the National Basketball League, a forerunner to the NBA.

Every time I drive into my condo parking lot I think I see his green station wagon. He passed last April at age 99.

Another mentor is Adair Lara. She was a columnist, not an academic, but she taught me how to write and teach.

Q: If your life story were to be made into a movie, who would play you?
A: I’ve been told that I’m a weird mix of wit, sophistication, and immature naiveté. I’d like it to be Meryl Streep because she can capture nuance and paradox.

Q: Who/what makes you laugh?
A: Honesty. Brutal honesty. A very successful writer told me once, “Barbara, when you write, you’re so funny. But when you talk, you’re not funny at all.” I find that hilarious.

Also my 7-year-old great-granddaughter, Giselle Solis. I can’t get enough of her. I wish I could see the world through those beautiful brown eyes.

Visit www.barbaraflores.net for more on her work.

On March 27, a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy explains to South Palm Beach resident Kumar Kalola that public beaches and other gathering venues are closed because of the emergency situation.

A bicyclist on Old Ocean Boulevard in Ocean Ridge zips past crime-scene tape and a sign on March 29 that declares all public beaches closed by order of the governor.

Golf carts are lined up for when customers return to the Raymond Floyd Par 3 course in Palm Beach. Golf courses and parks were some of the public locations closed by March 27 in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Shoppers at the Publix in Manalapan on March 14 contributed to the hoarding of a bewildering supply of goods at local groceries, ranging from logical items like meats and cleaning supplies to the less obvious like toilet paper.

Lisa Petersen, Manalapan’s town clerk, checks out books and movies to Mary Ann Kunkle, a resident of Manalapan. The town temporarily opened its library doors on March 25 so customers could load up on materials to keep their minds busy as they shelter in place.

Photos by Tim Stepien and Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Even health aides allowed to enter the Carlisle are screened for signs of illness such as a fever by staff members wearing masks and gloves. ‘We don’t want anything to happen to our residents,’ Carlisle executive director Richard Tournesy says. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Charles Elmore 

A region built as a haven for retirees finds itself under siege from a virus with no respect for advanced years.

Area hospitals and senior-care communities have barred nearly all visitors and taken a host of extraordinary steps as state health records showed the first 14 deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Palm Beach County all involved residents 73 or older. That ranked as the most deaths overall in any Florida county as of March 31.

At Harbour’s Edge in Delray Beach, resident Nancy Flinn called herself “very supportive” of measures to stem the spread of the virus, even if they mean no more meals or activities in large groups and no visits with loved ones except by phone or computer.

“The average age here is 88,” Flinn said. “I’m in my late 70s. They’re handling each of us as a jewel that has to be protected.”

County deaths associated with the virus included eight men and six women ranging in age from 73 to 94, according to data the Florida Department of Health posted March 31. Three of them were known to travel, to Egypt, Germany, France and New York, and four had known contact with a confirmed case.

Among cities with confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, Boca Raton (103 cases as of March 31), Boynton Beach (83) and Delray Beach (72) all ranked in Florida’s top 20. Also reporting confirmed cases: Lake Worth Beach (37), Lantana (6) and South Palm Beach (1).

The virus poses a threat to everyone, but its most relentless pressure has fallen on seniors.

South Palm Beach resident Denise Bach takes clean clothes and prescriptions for her mother at the Carlisle Palm Beach in Lantana on March 28. Because the facility closed to visitors during the coronavirus crisis, Bach had not seen her mother in more than two weeks. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

A 92-year-old man who said he lives alone in Delray Beach told U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, in a teleconference March 26 he was concerned about getting help buying groceries. She and others on the call issued reassurances such help is available.

Options include dialing 211 for Helpline Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, a telephone hotline designed to connect people with social-service agencies. Its services also include helping people who are feeling mental and emotional stress during the crisis.

Walking outside can be fine, but it is important to try to stay about 6 feet away from others, officials said.

“There’s no question for senior citizens and for medically vulnerable people, this is much, much more deadly than the seasonal flu,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

All of this hits home in a region where the median age exceeds 65 in several municipalities, according to U.S. Census data that acknowledges varying margins of error: Briny Breezes (74 years), Manalapan (66.5), Highland Beach (65. 7) and South Palm Beach (65.6). 

Other local towns and cities also surpass the national median age of about 38 years old: Ocean Ridge (58.9), Gulf Stream (54.5), Boca Raton (48.5), Delray Beach (46), Lantana (43) and Boynton Beach (41.5).

Nancy Messonnier, director of Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said about the virus, “Starting at age 60, there is an increasing risk of disease and the risk increases with age. The highest risk of serious illness and death is in people older than 80 years.”

Even before a state-ordered visitor ban, the Carlisle Palm Beach in Lantana had undertaken a series of precautions to protect its more than 230 residents, from curtailing group activities to building up supplies of soap, sanitizers and wipes, said executive director Richard Tournesy. “We don’t want anything to happen to our residents,” he said. 

A notice on the facility’s website says new admissions and tours have been suspended.

Hospitals begin to adapt

Hospitals face their own set of challenges. Delray Medical Center, with 512 beds, became the area’s first hospital to ban visitors, on March 20.

“We are happy to assist our patients with virtual visits via their personal devices,” the hospital’s website said.

Spokesman Ryan Lieber added, “Our clinical leadership will work with families on an individual basis for compassionate care situations including pediatrics and end-of-life.”

At some hospitals, personal devices are also being encouraged for use by potential patients before they go inside the hospital itself. In addition, tents have been prepared on the grounds of at least two local facilities to assist with screening and other measures.

For example, a patient’s first interaction could be through a smartphone, computer or tablet at 400-bed Boca Raton Regional Hospital and 467-bed Bethesda East in Boynton, affiliated with the Baptist Health South Florida system. Doctors say Baptist Health’s Care on Demand app can be a potential “front door” for people seeking care.

“It’s very important that patients are advised properly, especially when they need to come into hospitals and emergency departments for care,” David Mishkin, medical director of Baptist Health Care On Demand, said in an advisory on the hospital’s website. “We can guide them through our tele-platform.”

Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said in early March that health officials expected “most individuals with COVID-19 will have a mild case” and perhaps 80% can be “home-treated,” the website noted.

Staffers in protective gear check in a patient at the Bethesda East emergency room on March 29 in Boynton Beach. The hospital is using an app to evaluate and advise people before they decide to come in. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Medical authorities nationwide have expressed concern that people with mild symptoms might inadvertently spread the virus in emergency rooms or urgent-care offices also populated with the “worried well,” making it all the more challenging to provide prompt treatment for those who might have more severe cases.

Hospital staff will employ “specific protocols when a patient does meet (COVID-19) criteria for an in-person evaluation based on their assessment on our tele-platform,” Mishkin said, referring to Care on Demand. “We’re going to guide them by notifying the facility, working with our infection control team and the Department of Health to make sure that it’s done in a very safe and smooth manner.”

Baptist Health spokeswoman Georgi Morales Pipkin said, “Some patients are able to self-quarantine, and others may need additional care, according to their condition.”

Delray Medical Center’s parent company, Tenet Health, said in a statement that it has “made preparations to handle the expected surge in patients presenting for emergency evaluation of COVID-19, and we have the proper care protocols to care for the subset of patients needing hospitalization while minimizing exposure to our staff.”

Meanwhile, Frankel told constituents, “You are the best defense against the virus.”

Keeping a safe distance from others, washing hands often and cleaning frequently handled surfaces have become familiar advice, with the CDC reminding: “The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus.”

BRINY BREEZES —Russell John Snyder Sr. died March 11 at Helene Fuld Medical Center in Trenton, New Jersey. He was 93.

Mr. Snyder was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 27, 1927, the son of Harriet and Oscar Snyder. He graduated from Trenton Central High School in 1945 and was a member of the Thunder football team and the Thespian Club. Unable to serve in the military due to a football injury, he worked at Acme Rubber and with Ernie Kovacs at the WTTM radio station.

After falling in love with and marrying Julia Okum, Mr. Snyder formed a partnership and purchased Valentine’s Inc., an office machine and furniture company that became a franchisee for Steelcase Inc. For over three decades the couple worked side by side to make the business grow and became the sole owners. In 1974, Mr. Snyder was instrumental in establishing Capitol State Bank in Trenton.

Upon retirement, Mr. Snyder pursued his passion for golf and harness horse racing. He and Julia summered in Ocean Pines, Maryland, and became residents of Deerfield Beach. Eventually, they moved to Briny Breezes and spent many happy years in the place they called paradise.

Russell was predeceased by Julia on Feb. 4, 2020.

He is survived by his five children, Julia (Robert) Kohut, Berlin, Maryland; Suzanne (Joseph T.) Snyder-Carroll, Briny Breezes; Cathy Worek, Fallsington, Pennsylvania; Russell (Stacy) Snyder Jr., Feasterville, Pennsylvania; Mark (Barbara Bradway) Snyder, Washington’s Crossing, Pennsylvania; sister Rita O’Brien, San Antonio; seven grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and his dear friends, Alma Papa and Sharon Smith.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated in New Jersey and a celebration of life gathering will be held in Briny Breezes at the convenience of the family. Donations may be made to Catholic Charities and Briny Breezes Charities.

— Obituary submitted by the family

By Jane Smith

Delray Beach Fire Chief Neal de Jesus abruptly resigned on March 10, according to an email he sent to the city manager.

Keith Tomey, assistant fire chief, took over as interim chief at a 10% boost to his salary, City Manager George Gretsas decided.
The city gave no public explanation for the unexpected departure of de Jesus, who is in his late 50s.

“I feel my time has come to move on and focus more on my family,” he wrote on March 10.

“The city does not comment on personnel matters,” Gina Carter, Delray Beach spokeswoman, said in a March 24 email.

De Jesus’ most recent salary was $175,684. His temporary $2,000 monthly housing allowance was made permanent in March 2017 while he was serving his first stint as interim city manager.

He left the city with 180 days’ pay and three months of health insurance to June, according to a city memo.

At the Sept. 10 City Commission special meeting, commissioners agreed to double de Jesus’ severance to 180 days and not require that he have a college degree. The vote was 3-2 with Mayor Shelly Petrolia and Vice Mayor Shirley Johnson dissenting.

In response to a public records request made by The Coastal Star, the city attorney’s office responded that it is unable to release documents involving de Jesus because there is an ongoing investigation.

De Jesus came to Delray Beach in March 2016 to be the fire chief. He has nearly four decades of experience in the fire-rescue field. He started as a firefighter in Sarasota County at age 18.

De Jesus retired from Coral Gables Fire-Rescue in 2002 after a 20-year career with that city. In 2010, he resigned after two years as a city commissioner of Cooper City to join the Broward County Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue and Emergency Services. He left that position in 2013 after the election of Sheriff Scott Israel.

In late December 2016, de Jesus was recognized for his leadership skills by then-City Commissioner Mitch Katz. He recommended de Jesus for the interim city manager opening.

De Jesus then served as interim city manager and returned to his fire chief position in November 2017. He became interim manager again in March 2019 until Gretsas arrived on Jan. 6.

De Jesus served as the point man in the city’s investigation of its reclaimed water issues from February until his resignation.

Workers stock shelves at the Publix in Plaza del Mar in Manalapan. Some items like toilet paper and fresh meats and eggs have been hard to keep in stock. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

By Christine Davis

The Small Business Association and local Chambers of Commerce have some suggestions to aid businesses in getting through the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some of them.

The Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce suggests “shop local, utilize local” by buying gift certificates, buying tickets to future events, ordering restaurant food to go, and by attending online classes, concerts, religious services, and so on in support of local businesses. This has been a repeated message on the chamber’s Wednesday morning weekly videos, “Delray Morning Live” posted on its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/delraybeach.)

The city also has links to resources on its homepage at www.delraybeachfl.gov.

The Delray Chamber has a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/delraybeach) with a weekly video on Wednesday mornings to help community members stay abreast of business news.

The Boca Chamber lists various links for businesses, where among the resources are links to Small Business Loans and SBA Disaster Assistance, and information about the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program. Visit https://web.bocaratonchamber.com/the_chamber/coronavirus.aspx.

The emergency loan program, activated by Gov. Ron DeSantis, will provide short-term, interest-free loans, and the application period runs through May 8.

Small business owners with two to 100 employees located in Florida and affected by COVID-19 can apply for short-term loans up to $50,000. These loans are interest free for up to one year and are designed to bridge the gap to either federal SBA loans or commercially available loans.

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, manager of the program, will work with the borrower to ensure that repayment of the loan isn’t an overwhelming burden. To be eligible, a business must have been established prior to March 9, 2020, and demonstrate economic impacts as a result of COVID-19.

For more information, contact the Florida Small Business Development Center Network at 866-737-7232 or email Disaster@FloridaSBDC.org. Link is here: https://floridadisasterloan.org/

On another note, the U.S. Small Business Administration is working to help small business owners with counseling to navigate the pandemic. It will also work with state governors to provide long-term disaster relief loans, up to $2 million in assistance per small business. It also offers guidelines for loans made by its partnering lenders, community development organizations and micro-lending institutions. For information, visit www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans.

The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, in partnership with philanthropists, business leaders and government entities, has established the COVID-19 Response Fund, which will deploy resources to community-based organizations that are working with those disproportionately affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

These include community health centers, homeless shelters, preschool and after-school programs, food pantries and other social service providers. 

As of March 14, nearly $500,000 was raised in less than 48 hours. Contributions included $100,000 from Florida Power & Light Co., $100,000 from the Stoops Family Foundation and $100,000 from the Community Foundation. Additional funding partners included Jim Robo and Meredith Trim; SBA Communication Corp.; Sherry and Tom Barrat; Julie and Peter Cummings, and Susan and Peter Brockway. Contributions may be made at www.yourcommunityfoundation.org.

Because of the evolving nature of needs during the pandemic, responses from government and other organizations are constantly changing. Please check with the organizations for updates.
 
Christel Silver, owner of Silver International Realty in Delray Beach, served as a global ambassador of the National Association of Realtors at real estate meetings in Vienna, where she spoke to young real estate agents in Austria on how to be international members of NAR.
 
The Institute for Regional Conservation, a nonprofit that aims to protect, restore and manage ecological diversity in the long term, received a $1,000 individual “Volunteer for Good” grant from the New York Life Foundation. The award recognized the volunteer service of John Campanola, an agent with New York Life’s South Florida General Office in Sunrise.

The grant supported a coastal restoration field trip of Earth science students from Atlantic Community High School, who worked to remove nonnative asparagus fern while learning about the root nodules full of water that make this plant so invasive. Additionally, students picked up trash from the beach, focusing on micro-plastics.
 
South Palm Beach County agents were among the honorees at Douglas Elliman Real Estate’s annual awards ceremony, the Ellies, last month in Uncasville, Connecticut. Among the top 10 teams from Florida were the Senada Adzem team, which placed fifth; the team of Randy Ely and Nick Malinosky, which placed seventh; and the Marisela Cotilla luxury team, which placed ninth.
These teams also received the Pinnacle Club Award for earning more than $1 million in 2019.
 
Annie Davis, owner of Palm Beach Travel, which has an office in Manalapan, received the inaugural Black Pineapple Award from the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, at an event held at Sarabeth’s Park Avenue South in New York City. The Black Pineapple Award, named after a type of pineapple that’s found only in Antigua, honored Davis as one of 40 key partners, tour operators, resorts, travel agents and media who worked to promote Antigua and Barbuda in 2019. 
 
The Bill Gove Golden Gavel Toastmasters Club of Boynton Beach celebrated its 20th anniversary and Bill Gove’s birthday on Jan. 24 in Citrus Glen.

Founded by professional speaker Steve Siebold and insurance sales trainer Ed Lamont, the club was named for Bill Gove, who died in 2001. He served as the first president of the National Speakers Association and earned Toastmasters’ Golden Gavel Award in 1991. He was a charter member of the Boynton club.

Bill Gove Toastmasters has achieved Toastmasters International’s highest club award of “President’s Distinguished” for 13 consecutive and 17 of 19 years. Three members have served as District 47 governors, and one was elected to Toastmaster International’s board of directors and is in line to become the organization’s international president in 2022.
 
Bernard and Maggie Palmer, of SRD Building, sold a new waterfront estate at 320 S. Maya Palm Drive to Robert Irene for $12.6 million on Feb. 26, according to public records.

The four-bedroom, 7,753-square-foot home sits on the Fishtail Palm Waterway in Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton. Irene heads Asembia, a New Jersey firm that provides services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The property was sold by David Roberts of Royal Palm Properties.

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

This view from the stage shows the restored roof of the auditorium of the historic 1927 Boynton Beach High School. The ceiling still boasts its original Dade County pine beams. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Years in remaking, old Boynton high school soon to raise curtain as arts center

By Jan Engoren

Rescued from demolition by a grass-roots effort and transformed into a dynamic cultural arts and activities destination, the historic Boynton Beach High School is nearly ready to shine as the centerpiece of Town Square.

Town Square is a public/private partnership between the city of Boynton Beach and E2L Real Estate Solutions LLC and is scheduled to be up and running this summer, with the old high school to open sometime before then.

According to the city, the 20-acre development will be “a place for connecting — connecting the city’s historic past to its vibrant future; residents to each other; community members and visitors to arts, culture and other activities.”

The 28,009-square-foot high school building at 125 E. Ocean Ave. was neglected and vacant since 1990, and in need of some major TLC. Assistant City Manager Colin Groff, who is in charge of the project and gave a tour of the site in mid-March, said it took at least eight months of mold remediation, and cleaning up mildew, asbestos and lead paint before restoration of the property.

An original crest, depicting a shield, wreath and torches, still adorns the facade of the building.

When finished, the school renovation alone is estimated to come in at $11.3 million, according to Groff.

“We want the community involved in using this building and all the activities we have planned — from art, dance, yoga, karate and fencing classes to rotating public art installations,” Groff said. “We want to bring people downtown to eat, shop, have fun and play.
“We are re-creating downtown Boynton Beach,” he says. “This building will be engaged 24/7. This will be the place to be.”

Renovations were designed to keep the historical aspects of the 1927 structure intact, as the building is listed on the Boynton Beach Register of Historic Places. Efforts have been made to preserve the bell tower; historic window shapes (bringing them up to code and adding hurricane impact); and the school’s crest, original art on the facade (torches depicting enlightenment and learning) and a shield with laurels representing achievement.

The windows of a planned office offer a view of the preserved kapok tree, a landmark near the corner of Ocean Avenue and Seacrest Boulevard. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

But everything else has been upgraded for modern conveniences — Wi-Fi, air conditioning, elevators and ADA accessibility. Even the bathrooms were redesigned as replicas of the originals with updated hardware and facilities.

Diane Valentini, who will manage the new cultural arts center, says it will have an on-site Fred Astaire Dance Studio, “every art class you can imagine,” and will work with the Lake Worth Playhouse to bring live performances to the venue.

Outdoors, a patio space will be available to rent for events, Groff says, and the grounds will include a family adventure park with themes tied to the city’s history. Examples include a ship, a 25-by-12-foot butterfly representing local endangered butterfly species, a large jellyfish figure, a Flagler train and a statue of the Barefoot Mailman.

The “pride and joy” of the renovation, says Groff, is the old school auditorium/gym, with its eight original Dade County pine beams. As one of the largest auditoriums in South Palm Beach County, it will seat 300 at tables and 500 in other chairs. It will be the future home of the city’s renowned biennial kinetic art events.

“We’re very proud of it,” Groff says.

Plans call for staff to move into the building as soon as a few months and to initiate programs over the summer.

The new City Hall is scheduled to open July 21, when construction moves to the outer edges of the project, including building a parking garage, completing the landscaping and breaking ground on a hotel.

Eventually the complex will include retail stores, restaurants, residential units and a new fire station and library.

Assistant City Manager Colin Groff discusses plans for the exterior of the 1927 high school building, which will be the centerpiece of Boynton’s Town Square. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

City seeks donors

Groff says that the city is looking for donors and that naming rights are available to individuals, organizations, businesses and foundations that would like to support additional technology for the auditorium and other rooms.

Rights start at $1,500 for the “Wish Upon a Starfish,” a 3-D graphic starfish, and go up to $2 million to have your name on the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum building.

Naming opportunities are available for all aspects of Town Square. In the Children’s Museum, new features include “Water World,” an interactive coastal and mangrove exhibit, available for $150,000, and the “Pepper Patch,” an interactive farming exhibit, for $125,000.

Brian Martin installs ceiling tiles in a second-floor classroom of the old Boynton Beach High School, which has been updated with new electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning systems. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Reflections and Synesthesia, kinetic art pieces on the plaza, can bear your name for $300,000 and $100,000, respectively.
Your plaque on the Barefoot Mailman’s Adventure Trail will cost $20,000.

Groff emphasized that the building complex will be secure and safe. “Our residents have made the right decision in going forward with these plans and should be very proud of their new building and downtown,” he said.

“Bring your mom, grab a cup of coffee at City Hall, drop the kids off at dance or the library, park once and take advantage of everything there will be to offer in our new downtown,” said city spokeswoman Eleanor Krusell. “This is an inclusive complex with something for everybody.”

By Amy Woods

The Boca West Children’s Foundation far exceeded last year’s tally by collecting more than 52,000 diapers from a record number of donors for the Junior League of Boca Raton’s Diaper Bank.

The annual drive took place Feb. 18.

Clean diapers are as essential as food and shelter for a baby, and access to diapers affects not only the health of children but their parents’ ability to work.

“Our mission is to help local kids in need, and with the cost of diapers being prohibitively high for many families, the Diaper Bank is such an impactful way to help,” said Pamela Weinroth, executive director and chief operating officer of the Boca West foundation.
“With so many people out of work due to the pandemic, the need for diapers is greater than ever,” Christy Stewart-Harfmann, president of the Junior League, said in late March.

To help, email community@jlbr.org.

Nonprofit asks for help in feeding needy residents

Because of consumers’ concerns about coronavirus, Boca Helping Hands has seen a drastic drop in its intake of surplus food from local grocery stores and restaurants.

As a result, the nonprofit that distributes 70,000 pantry bags and serves 55,000 hot meals annually is having to reduce its numbers.

“If anyone has a little extra food at home, or if any local restaurants have a surplus of food as they are forced to cut back on hours and in-dining service, we would very much welcome any sort of food donation,” said Greg Hazle, the organization’s executive director. “We serve a population of vulnerable children and families, and we are in particular need of produce, meat as well as any sort of packaged or canned food.”

MorseLife starts campaign to aid Holocaust survivors

As part of a larger commitment by MorseLife to ensure that no Holocaust survivor in Palm Beach County is left to live without basic services, the organization has launched a campaign via GoFundMe to assist two impoverished survivors during the next five years.
Named Tabor and Ella to protect their privacy, the couple met in a displaced persons camp and have been married for 70 years. They live on a meager monthly income and struggle to make ends meet. MorseLife’s goal is to raise $100,000 through online donations.

To donate, go to www.gofundme.com/f/morselifefoundation-now-for-holocaust

“Our objective is to provide five years of uninterrupted care to these two individuals, which will allow them peace of mind as they live out their daily lives,” said Keith Myers, MorseLife’s president and CEO.

Retired executive tells teens to dress for success

Achievement Centers for Children & Families’ Teen Program welcomed Lori Haram, former Estée Lauder Cos. senior vice president of business affairs and operations, to a special workshop titled “Dress for Success.”

The teens learned about first impressions, personal grooming and professional wear, and the workshop ended with a bonus question-and-answer session on etiquette.

“I felt like there was more to retirement than playing golf,” said Haram, a Boca Raton resident. “I’m so glad to have done it, and I really hope the kids got something out of it.”

Bound for College program expands in South County

A high school diploma often is not enough for students to build rewarding careers. Unfortunately for many youths, lack of academic and emotional support at home coupled with challenging financial times prevents them from obtaining a higher education.

Bound for College offers academic, emotional and financial resources for teens from underserved communities to help them reach their full potential. When founded, the program served two schools: Village Academy Center and Atlantic Community High School, both in Delray Beach. Now it also serves Boca Raton and Boynton Beach community high schools.

"To see the direct impact that Bound for College’s ACT/SAT tutoring has on our local kids in the form of college-acceptance letters and multiple scholarships is inspiring,” said Craig Menin, who donated $50,000 to the cause.

Boca woman receives international award

Diane Diamantis, co-founder of Dollars 4 Tic Scholars, won an international honor at the .ORG Impact Awards, an event that recognizes the achievements of nonprofits around the world.

Diamantis, of Boca Raton, received the Rising Star Award — a category aimed at professionals with five or less years of experience at his or her organization — for her commitment to encouraging students with Tourette syndrome to attend college.

Send news and notes to Amy Woods at flamywoods@bellsouth.net.

By Amy Woods

While Impact 100 Palm Beach County will not have the Grand Awards on April 15, it plans to distribute every dollar donated by its members to five nonprofits serving South County.

The meeting previously set to take place at Lynn University in Boca Raton has been canceled amid coronavirus concerns, and as of press time, contingencies had yet to be finalized.

“We’re not going to hold the live event like we have in the past, but we are still going to announce our finalists and award the grants,” President Kathy Adkins said. “That’s the good news.”

Last year, Impact 100 gave five organizations in five focus areas $100,000 grants. An additional $43,000 was divided evenly among five semifinalists. This year, the goal is to raise $600,000, enabling the organization to provide additional funds to the semifinalists.

“There’s so much need in the community, and that’s why we’re continuously trying to grow our membership,” said Adkins, noting that more than 100 applications seeking the financial aid were submitted. “People think that our area wouldn’t typically have these needs, but they exist right in our backyard.”

Members agree to donate $1,000 when they join as well as attend one meeting — the Grand Awards — at which they cast one vote. The vote follows presentations by each of the five finalists about the program or project they want funded.

The five focus areas are arts, culture and historic preservation; education; environment and animal welfare; family; and health and wellness.

“The needs include everything from feeding underserved people, getting them the resources that they need, to helping our environment and our coastal areas,” Adkins said. “There’s everything from trying to provide music and art and education for children to the health and wellness piece.”

When, where and how the vote will take place is something the executive committee will have to decide.

“Our team has been hard at work, creating a virtual version of our Grand Awards event for our 2019-2020 grant cycle,” Adkins wrote in an email blast announcing the cancellation. “This will allow us to safely still fulfill our promise to our community to award five $100,000 grants to our local nonprofits.

For information, call 561-336-4623 or visit www.impact100pbc.org.

By Jane Smith

The Community Caring Center of Palm Beach County merged April 1 with a larger nonprofit geared to feeding hungry people from Boynton Beach.

The CCC was about to start a fundraising program last September to build a 5,000-square-foot commercial kitchen in east Boynton Beach.

That’s when City Commissioner Ty Penserga contacted one of the center’s board members, said Doreen Robinson, the board president. He suggested that the CCC talk with Feeding South Florida, a much larger group with a commercial kitchen under construction west of the interstate, on Park Ridge Road.

“We talked with Feeding South Florida and learned there are duplicate services between our groups,” Robinson said. “We can be more effective together. They provide meals and food at about one-third of our costs.”

Boynton Beach’s Community Redevelopment Agency paid $205,000 for the CCC’s building at 145 NE Fourth Ave. on Jan. 31 and provided an extra $45,000 for relocation assistance.

“The CRA and the CCC did not enter into a formal agreement to sell the organization the CRA-owned vacant parcels at the corner of NE Ninth Avenue and NE Third Street,” Michael Simon, CRA executive director, said in an email. “CRA staff recommended handling the two transactions separately in order to protect the Agency from an unforeseen circumstance such as a merger between the CCC and Feeding South Florida.”

Under a deal with the CRA, the CCC will stay at its current location until the end of June, when the merger will be completed.
The new kitchen on Park Ridge Road will be named Feeding Palm Beach County Community Caring Center. That 5,000-square-foot kitchen should be finished in mid-April, Sari Vatske, executive vice president of Feeding South Florida, told Boynton Beach commissioners on March 3.

The warehouse will be named the Community Caring Center.

Sherry Johnson, the chief executive who has been the face of the CCC for nearly three decades, announced her retirement in late March.

In a press release, Johnson said she feels confident that her life’s work has been placed in the competent hands of Feeding South Florida.

Robinson and Nancy Flinn, CCC board vice president, are serving on the organization’s Palm Beach County advisory board.
“We will continue to serve the 300 frail and elderly seniors who live in the heart of Boynton Beach,” Robinson said. “We operate a senior caregiving program with our own Veggie Mobile.”

Amy Kazma, Gina Santosuosso, Stacey Packer, Carrie Rubin, Denise Zimmerman and Yvette Drucker. Photo provided

Boca Raton Museum of Art Executive Director Irvin Lippman announced two major philanthropic milestones at this year’s event. The first was news of a $1 million contribution by Martin and Jody Grass for educational initiatives. The second was that more than $630,000 was raised that night — the most the museum has ever brought in. ‘These two philanthropic milestones represent the generosity of Boca Raton and the personal commitment to the museum’s trajectory of making a difference for the community,’ Lippman said.

Charlotte Pelton and Jeff Stoops. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties welcomed more than 400 board members, donors and fund holders as well as local nonprofits, corporate sponsors and community leaders to the seventh annual event. Recent initiatives were highlighted, grant partners were recognized, and a panel discussion titled ‘Power of Place — A Conversation on Housing’ was featured.

Beth Hecht and Dr. Robert Hecht

Nancy and Paul Zarcadoolas

Caridad Center Chairman Richard Retamar. Photos provided by Caridad Center

Caridad Center broke its fundraising record with more than $500,000 coming in during the 31st annual event. A crowd exceeding 400 came out to support the nonprofit’s mission of bringing health care to uninsured, underserved Palm Beach County families.

Henry and Marsha Laufer. Photo provided

Palm Beach Opera’s 2020 Gala featured a performer whose voice has filled great opera houses around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Paris Opera. Van Horn performed arias as well as musical-theater pieces. The exclusive concert also featured pianist Craig Terry and was followed by a delectable dinner. More than $600,000 was raised.

Gala volunteers Carol Besler, Lisa Ritota, Val Coz, Polly Joa, Mickey Austin Farley, Janet Schijns and Stella Kolb. Photo provided

The Ocean Ridge Garden Club sponsored its annual event with 100 guests who were greeted by professional James Bond impersonator John Allen, of Ocean Ridge. Hors d'oeuvres were passed, gift baskets were raffled off, a deejay provided music, and an estimated $8,000 was raised. ‘The gala is the one and only fundraising event we count on to provide the revenues we need for the philanthropic and community-service activities in which we engage as a club,’ recording secretary Jackie Reed said. ‘This year’s gala raised the most money ever and set a new bar for future fundraising events.’

Frank LoRe and Louis LoRe. Photo provided

Il Circolo, The Italian Cultural Society, gathered to hear professional singers from the Benenson Young Artist Program of the Palm Beach Opera. The performance was a stunning example of outstanding talent and included arias from Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, Gaetano Donizetti and Giacomo Puccini. A standing ovation at the end of the program attested to the members’ support of the budding artists.

DiStefano with Jill Baum, holding a plaque of recognition, and Juliet. Photo provided

The sold-out 35th annual event, themed ‘Carnival in Venice,’ raised more than $715,000 for JDRF to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs for the cure, prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes. In addition, Rebecca DiStefano, president of the Southern Florida Chapter-Greater Palm Beach Office, announced a $2.8 million gift from the estate of Marguerite Mae Rosner. The gift was made on behalf of 11-year old Juliet Baum, who has the disease.