The sixth annual golf tournament in support of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County raised $33,000. The money will be used for programs that help local children and adults succeed in school and life. ‘Our annual Literacy Links golf tournament is one of our most popular fundraisers, and it’s easy to see why,’ coalition CEO Kristin Calder said. ‘The Palm Beach Par 3 offers spectacular views and excellent food, but more than that, these golfers are fans of the programs we provide in Palm Beach County, and this tournament is a fun way for them to chip in.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Betsy Greene, Brenda Medore, Casey Syring and Caron Dockerty. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photography

The Endowment Fund of the Junior League of Boca Raton’s annual fundraiser not only celebrated the 16th anniversary of the fund but also raised $30,000 for the league. More than 150 attended. Proceeds will benefit the Vegso Community Resource Center, which offers free training for local nonprofits. ‘Everyone had a great time,’ said Lisa Bariso, league president. ‘We were excited to be able to have the event after a two-year hiatus.’ ABOVE: Celebrity bartenders (l-r) Kimberley Trombly-Burmeister, Kelly Fleming, Forrest Heathcott, Melissa Bonaros, Tim Snow, Jamie Sauer, Doug Fash, Reilly Glasser, Sal Saleh, Howard Guggenheim and Eric Applewhite. Photo provided

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County’s 50th-anniversary celebration raised a record-breaking $8 million to support club programming and the construction of a new facility. During the Moroccan-themed gala, a $5 million lead gift for the construction was announced. ‘The guests at the Winter Ball came to support this worthy cause,’ said Gretchen Leach, event chairwoman. ‘It was a truly outstanding evening where everyone was happy, festive and generous.’ TOP: Sacha and Josh McGraw. LEFT: Robert and Pamela Weinroth.
Photos provided by Capehart

La Goulue partners Ed Carter, Kevin Richards and Janna Bullock staged an unforgettable fundraiser in support of the Ukraine Resistance Organisation, an on-the-ground network based in Kyiv. Featured speakers were Richards, who recently returned from Kyiv, as well as Aleksey Brynzak and Ireesha Blohina, who created the URO the day of the invasion. Brynzak and Blohina shared touching, heartbreaking stories via satellite of what life is like during a war. More than $20,000 was donated to the cause. ‘This is our country, our city, our family,’ Blohina said. ‘Like so many of you, I am a mother of two beautiful children.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Brett Orlove, Dina Fink and Ron Burkhardt. Photo provided by Christopher Fay

The Fuller Center event, held for the second time, featured delectable food and on-field action to benefit underserved children and families. Attendees included 50 members of the center’s Legacy Society, a group instrumental in fulfilling the Fuller Center mission. ‘We were so pleased to see such a great response from our Legacy Society members who play a critical role in helping local kids and families in need,’ event co-chairwoman Peg Anderson said. ABOVE: (l-r, front) Stacey Packer, Doug and Marcia Mithun, Ellyn Okrent, Lori Shepard, Kathy Yaffe, Cheryl Leskar and Valerie Silverman with (l-r back), Nerone de Brito, Elen de Paula, Steve Okrent, Murray Shepard, Dan Yaffe, Marc Silverman and Yvette Drucker. Photo provided

The Jewish Women’s Foundation has granted the wishes of 10 organizations — nine of them local and one from Israel — to further good deeds. Thrilled to celebrate in person after two years apart, the crowd of 200 marked the largest in the history of the foundation — a program of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County. In all, a total of $105,000 was donated. ‘Today you have seen the impact of the grants we have funded,’ trustee Randee Rubenstein said. ‘Women are a powerful force in philanthropy, and that power shapes our world and our community.’ ABOVE: (l-r) Janet Sahr, Miriam Atzmon, Dana Egert, Roxane Lipton, Amy Rosenberg and Rubenstein. LEFT: Harriet Kimball and Laurie Kamhi. Photos provided by Jeffrey Tholl Photography

To underscore the Hanley Foundation’s belief that family time is time well spent, the 27th annual outdoor event took place with more than 220 in attendance. Chairs Joe and Kelly Rooney and Christian and Ann-Britt Angle ensured a day filled with fun for all. Proceeds will go toward substance-abuse prevention programming in Florida. ‘At Hanley Foundation, we know that the best thing we can do to help keep our children safe from drugs and alcohol is to spend time with them,’ said Turner Benoit, the foundation’s chief philanthropy officer. ‘Imagine a world free of addiction — we do.’ ABOVE: Jeff and Aggie Stoops. Photo provided by Tracey Benson Photographys

TOP: At Fries to Caviar in Boca Raton, French fries pair well with a variety of roe, served with mother-of-pearl spoons. BELOW:  You can eat indoors at Fries to Caviar, or take advantage of the casual patio setting at the back of the restaurant. Photos provided

By Jan Norris

Adaptation is the word in restaurants as remnants of the pandemic shutdowns still affect the industry. Fine dining is almost a thing of the past, for a number of reasons including lack of qualified servers and kitchen staff, as well as capital costs. You’re as apt to eat on a patio as in a white-linen dining room.
But chef-driven spots remain, bringing upscale, creative foods to newer, more casual audiences.
Example: caviar service on a patio with a burger. Check out Fries to Caviar in Boca Raton, billed as an American garden bistro “with a hint of fine dining.”
Fries to Caviar owner Philipp Hawkins elevated the way roe is presented to include a traditional caviar service with blini and chopped egg. But diners may instead opt for large plank fries served with creme fraiche and the roe.
With no formal restaurant experience, Hawkins dove into the restaurant world — and ultimately, the caviar industry — to learn about different fish eggs, quality and sourcing. The former casino security expert tries to demystify the food for a new clientele who come for a burger but are curious about the caviar menu.
He’s also adapting in other ways — lowering the price of caviar, to start.
“It should be accessible to everybody,” Hawkins said. “I know how much I pay — why do I need to be greedy?”
It is still a costly item, as is the mother-of-pearl spoon used to serve it. “Caviar should never touch metal; it dulls the flavor. So, we ordered the special spoons for each service,” he said.
To discourage pilfering of the delicate spoons, Hawkins said, the servers trained to describe the details include the sentence, “Our spoons are available for purchase if you’d like one.”
He also doesn’t want dining here to be a stuffy experience.
“At one point I thought about taking the restaurant to fine dining, but my chef Lily, who comes from a fine-dining background, said it would kill the business,” Hawkins said.
The atmosphere at Fries to Caviar is upscale casual, but people in dress clothes would feel at home.
“I remember going to Tarks, in Hollywood,” Hawkins said. “There were bikers at the counter, and gentlemen wearing suits. Two ends of the spectrum of society eating and enjoying each others’ company.”
That’s his ideal, he said.
Hawkins also is lowering the prices of other foods on his menu that are frequently found at much higher prices around town. He said it’s an expectation of doing volume to achieve a reasonable profit without gouging.
“My branzino is ‘catch of the day’ here. There are restaurants in the neighborhood who charge north of $85 for it. I know what they pay per pound. It’s ridiculous to charge that.
“I think some of the restaurant owners who’ve been in the business a long time have lost sight of what it’s like to be a customer. I call myself a professional customer,” Hawkins said.
“I may not have tons of restaurant experience, but I’ve eaten thousands of meals out, so I come into this with a different perspective.”
Fries to Caviar, 6299 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton. Phone 561-617-5965; friestocaviar.com. Open for dinner from 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Sunday brunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Summer madness happy hour, 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

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A number of other restaurants in the area feature chef-driven menus and fine-dining touches in more casual settings. Here are but a few:

Consistently fresh food, including these oysters, is a hallmark of Prime Catch in Boynton Beach.

Prime Catch, 700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach. The seafood, service and Intracoastal Waterway view qualify as top-tier; a fish sandwich is delivered with the same quality as a full entree. Servers are on top of things here. Florida fish is the specialty. The tiki bar dockside is the way to come-as-you-are and get the full experience of waterfront dining.

Brule Bistro, 200 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach. A casual sidewalk bistro (indoor dining, too) with an array of house-made foods from a chef who adds to the traditionals. Always check out the specials. Weekend brunch is a favorite for off-Avenue dining. Visit Brule’s sister restaurant nearby, Rose’s Daughter.

Driftwood, 2005 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. The chef, Jimmy Everett, brings the unexpected to food and drink. Definitely a spot to order from the daily menu. Patio and inside bar and dining room — all intimate.

Grouper au poivre with roasted potato and cipollini onion and asparagus in a brandy-cream reduction is a favorite at Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen. It has locations in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.

Gary Rack’s Farmhouse Kitchen, 399 SE Mizner Blvd. (Royal Palm Place), Boca Raton; 204 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach. A healthful approach to cooking “just good food” comes from these kitchens. Gary Rack wants us to dine, not just eat, he says. Make a meal of just their apps: Zucchini chips and buffalo cauliflower, or truffle-yaki brussels sprouts give an idea of what’s to come from the full menus. These are places where vegans and omnivores meet.

Max’s Grille, 404 Plaza Real (Mizner Park), Boca Raton. Arguably the beginning of upscale, chef-driven casual in the area is here. It adapts its full-on bistro menu with something for everyone. From sushi to pork chops with peaches, a signature tomato bisque and loaded chicken Caesar, plus a notable wine list, it’s Boca’s own icon.

Josie’s Ristorante, 1602 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Old-school Italian service and friendly bartending with modern casual dining are what you get, along with a chef-driven menu that spins off the classics. Salads are stars instead of afterthoughts, and pastas creative, well-prepared dishes you’ll remember. Don’t miss desserts. Josie’s does a lot of takeout.

La Cigale, 253 SE Fifth Ave., Delray Beach. People in the know seek out this Mediterranean spot in between the U.S. Highway 1 split. Outdoor dining under a tent is a result of the pandemic, but the serene dining room is a nice fit for the food. Classic service that doesn’t feel stuffy; dishes are explained and recommendations made. Great wine list, too.

800 Palm Trail Grill, 800 Palm Trail, Delray Beach. Chef touches abound at the Grill (the former Patio). Unusual ingredients and a thoughtful use of herbs, spices and flavors in both drinks and foods make this a hidden gem. A huge patio, comfortable even in summer, gives visitors and locals alike the tropical feel apropos to the name. Specialties include Maryland style crabcakes, and herb-crusted scallops. The Palm salad is a favorite for summer. Going for drinks only? Don’t miss the Black & Tan onion rings as a snack. (Dinner only, daily.)

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In brief: Longtime Palm Beach County diners know of the iconic Cafe L’Europe in Palm Beach. We were sorry to hear of the passing of Lidia Goldner, co-founder of the restaurant. A peppy Brazilian, she oversaw the beautiful dining room for years and made guests feel as though they were equal to all the dignitaries who dined there, as well as part of her family. …
Sorry, Delray, but a Planta restaurant isn’t in your immediate future. We had our avenues wrong in last month’s column — a new Planta Queen recently opened on Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale. No plans for Delray at the moment. The closest one is in West Palm Beach at The Square on Okeechobee Boulevard.

Jan Norris is a food writer who can be reached at nativefla@gmail.com

Jim Wrona holds the 50.4-pound wahoo that took first-place honors during the 27th annual Lantana Fishing Derby. Wrona, who along with teammates Pete Reardon, John Dimiceli and Rich Mitchell caught the fish while trolling off Palm Beach at a depth of 250 feet, said the 45-minute fight ended with the team landing it on the boat by 8:30 a.m. — taking pressure off the rest of the day. The Posh Properties team received $4,500 in prize money. Photo provided by Leonard Bryant Photography

By Janis Fontaine 

After weeks of anxious scrambling to find a school for their children next year, the parents of St. Joseph’s Episcopal School received a reprieve late last month.
Leaders of St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, which has rented church property to the school for decades, relented on an earlier decision not to renew the school’s lease when it expires in November and have reached a new agreement that will allow the school to remain open until June 30, 2023.
“This is a wonderful way to kick off the upcoming summer break,” Bill Swaney, president of the school’s board of trustees, wrote in a May 26 email to parents.
While the two entities share a name and land on Seacrest Boulevard in Boynton Beach, the school is independent from the church.
Just a few days earlier, a weary Pastor Marty Zlatic had addressed parishioners during Sunday services, imploring them not to discuss the school’s lawsuit against the church. After services, Zlatic warmly greeted the congregation — it was a busy weekend of graduations and milestones so church attendance was good — but declined to say anything about the church’s actions or reasoning.  
Swaney, 84, a big benefactor to both the school and the church, is co-plaintiff in a class action filed May 14 to resist the lease termination. The $5 million suit alleged breach of contract and misappropriation of restricted charitable donations. The lawsuit will proceed as planned despite the extension of the lease, Swaney said in the email.
The tumult caused by the church’s April 21 announcement to cancel the lease prompted outraged responses and speculation on social media and flurries of emails among parents. Some picketed outside the homes of the church’s nine-member vestry, which made the decision to end the lease.
Zlatic has been harshly criticized by school parents on Facebook for taking a vacation cruise after the hectic Easter holidays (a priest’s busiest time) with his wife, Dee, just as parents found out about the lease.
“I worked every day,” Zlatic said of his two-week vacation.
Some parents think Zlatic, 65, wants to retire and they still cannot fathom the church’s reasoning for the sudden non-renewal of the lease.
Despite a claim of “transparency,” the vestry has been silent. According to the church’s website, the vestry had sincerely hoped that mediation would resolve the dispute, but the school elected to file a lawsuit instead. 
The school claims it was “blindsided” over the non-renewal of its $5-per-year lease on church-owned land after more than 50 years.
While many suspect that money is the root of the dispute, the lawsuit claims that the deadlock started because of mask mandates.

Board president has big investment in school
As children returned for the 2021-22 school year, the school’s leadership opted for a mask-optional classroom. The lawsuit alleges that “in July/August 2021, the Church vehemently disagreed with the School’s mask policy for the current school year,” and the school leadership points to that disagreement as the heart of the matter.
Swaney admits that masks were the only issue he could point to where the school and church differed.
The Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida had been exceedingly cautious where the coronavirus was concerned, and while the diocese dictates what its fellow churches and schools — like St. Paul’s Episcopal Church’s Day School — must do, St. Joseph’s School is independent and free to make its own decisions. 
Since Swaney and his wife, Nancy, joined the church in the late ’80s, he has funded repairs and improvements to the church buildings and paid for sabbaticals and pilgrimages for staff, but most of his attention has been on the school. “I have 17 grandchildren,” he said. “I care deeply about the kids.”
“We tried to have a conversation back in February and we’ve been trying ever since. I don’t think it’s about the money,” Swaney said by phone from Michigan before the agreement was announced.
He said the church has other strong donors and a nice endowment.
Even though he’s not physically in Boynton Beach, “there’s still Zoom and email,” he laughed. And he’s found the positive side: “The school is really doing well, and there are a lot of good people working to resolve this.”
In February 1994, Swaney donated 50,000 shares of stock of his company, Perrigo, which at the time was worth approximately $2.5 million, to the church “for the express purpose of the church constructing buildings and facilities for use by the school,” according to the lawsuit. 
Swaney made it clear to the vestry that this gift was being made in exchange for a promise from the church that the school would never be displaced from its property. The church sold the stock and built a gymnasium, library, classrooms and administrative offices.   
In 1995, the school, which had been under the umbrella of the Episcopal Diocese, split away from the church and incorporated independently from it.
At the private school, tuition and fees range from $12,000 for pre-K half-day to $18,000 for fifth through eight grades.

City concerned, parents speculating
The church — like many churches nationwide — is struggling to stay afloat. The church’s annual report for 2021 shows that it met none of its goals for income and it saw extra pandemic-related expenses for cleaning and sanitizing. 
Andrea Barnett, a St. Joe parent, spoke to the Boynton Beach City Commission meeting on May 18, calling out anyone interested in profiting from the valuable acreage. She said the commission has “a moral and political obligation to eliminate any internal or external parties that are enticed to develop that land where our children once played.”
After listening to dozens of school supporters, commissioners said no zoning change requests had been made, but appeared concerned about the possible loss of a school in their city. 
Eric McCabe, who owns McCabe Brothers Construction, has two kids enrolled at St. Joseph’s and one who has already graduated.
He told The Coastal Star he and his kids “don’t connect” to Father Zlatic, who doesn’t support the school. “You have to have a unifying pastor. I heard a lot of the parishioners had no idea what was happening. I feel like we’re losing our church and our school.”
Although parents at the school suggest it’s a real estate deal the church is pursuing, the church denies it. In a statement on its website, the church spokesperson wrote: “… we feel it is imperative to clearly state that there are no plans to sell or develop the property.”
McCabe would just like to get to the truth.
“There’s a lot of speculation,” McCabe said.
Someone suggested a seminary might be a possibility. The fair market value of the rental of the school’s property is estimated in the church’s tax filings at $695,339 annually — money a struggling church could use for survival.

South Tech Academy senior Katherine Ledsome (center) designed the winning poster and stands with (l-r) Ryan Wertepny, Diamond Howard, Trinetta Ledsome and Kathryn Grace, director of prevention for the Hanley Foundation. Photo provided

By Christine Davis

Katherine Ledsome, a senior at South Tech Academy in Boynton Beach, won the 12th annual School Bus Drug Prevention Poster Contest, and was awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Hanley Foundation. Ledsome plans to attend Palm Beach State College in the fall.
The theme for this year’s contest was “Adventure with Me Alcohol Free. Adventure with Me Vape Free.” Ledsome’s graphic featured a woman on a rainforest adventure and noted an important statistic from the 2020 Florida Youth Substance Survey: 86% of Palm Beach County teens are alcohol free.
As part of Ledsome’s award, her poster will be displayed inside up to 1,000 of the school district’s buses and will be displayed in schools.
“Katherine’s poster used key statistics to show that most of her peers are not engaging in underage drinking,” said Kathryn Grace, director of prevention for the Hanley Foundation. “The goal of this contest is to show that despite what some teens think, most of their friends aren’t drinking alcohol and this poster drives that message home.”
The annual School Bus Drug Prevention Poster Contest was held by the Palm Beach County Behavioral Health Coalition in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida Students Against Drunk Driving, Florida Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Art Synergy.
Sponsors included the Hanley Foundation, the Judith Carreras Scholarship, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Rotary Club of Wellington, the South Florida Fairgrounds and the Michael Joseph Brink Foundation.

Manalapan Vice Mayor Stewart Satter with his wife, Susan, and Bethesda Hospitals CEO Nelson Lazo. The Satters’ $1 million gift will help fund renovation of the emergency department at Bethesda Hospital East. Photo provided

Satter family donates $1 million for Bethesda
Manalapan Vice Mayor Stewart Satter, former president and CEO of Consumer Testing Laboratories, and his wife, Susan Satter, donated $1 million to the Baptist Health Foundation in May. Their gift will benefit the renovation of the Bethesda Hospital East Emergency Department that is scheduled for completion in June 2024.
“The importance of high-quality emergency care to the community cannot be overstated,” Stewart Satter said. “The ER is the front door to the hospital for so many, and now more than ever, it’s essential to the well-being of Palm Beach County.”
“We are most grateful to the Satter family for this generous gift,” said Barbara James, vice president of development and development support at Baptist Health Foundation. “This $15 million campaign will be philanthropically funded entirely by members of the community, and will make a tremendous difference in the quality of emergency care in our area. With the Satters’ donation, we are now 70% to our fundraising goal.”
Bethesda Hospital aims to modernize its emergency department into a state-of- the-art facility with private rooms, smart technology and optimized patient care.

Boca Helping Hands in health care partnership
Boca Helping Hands has partnered with Florida Atlantic University Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and Genesis Community Health to help provide access to health care services.
Through a voucher program, Boca Helping Hands funds the cost of providing uninsured individuals access to free primary medical, dental and behavioral care at FAU’s two nurse-led clinics in West Palm Beach and Genesis Community Health’s clinics in Boca Raton and Boynton Beach.
“The Florida Atlantic University Northwest Community Health Alliance clinics provide integrative mental health services to those with limited access to quality care,” said Dr. Karethy Edwards, CEO/executive director of FAU/NCHA Community Health Center. “Our partnership with Boca Helping Hands enables us to treat more local residents with physical, mental and chronic illnesses.”

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

Sandi Schwartz of Boca Raton has written a new book, Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer. Photo provided

By Joyce Reingold

School’s out and the promise of summer stretches from one Florida coast to the other and back again. Children long-jump into boundless, homework-free days. It’s time for morning lie-ins and stay-up-too-late sleepovers. It’s wet bathing suits and ice pops pilfered from the freezer.
For parents, well, it’s a bit more complicated.
But not to worry. Boca Raton author and journalist Sandi Schwartz has you covered with her just-published book, Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer. This engaging and informative guide may become as essential as sunscreen to your family this summer and far beyond.
In her book, Schwartz — the founder and director of the Ecohappiness Project — shares wide-ranging and persuasive research that confirms what she has long believed: Nature has the power to soothe and renew. And with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calling children’s mental health “an ongoing public health concern,” Schwartz’s work to connect children with nature feels timelier still.
“Humans evolved to live in nature, not indoors staring at screens all day. We all have a powerful instinct to experience nature, so creating a daily nature habit can help us feel more balanced,” she says. “I have found in my own battle with stress and anxiety that connecting with nature can soothe anxiety, calm the mind and promote feelings of joy. I call this connection eco-happiness.”
Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder, calls her book “a prescription for reducing the loneliness of our species.”
Schwartz had returned in mid-May from a Children & Nature Network conference, where she heard Louv speak. She quoted Louv as saying there are two types of people: the doers and people who write about them.
“And I feel like my job was to bring together all of the science, the research, the knowledge, the examples from all these amazing people that are doing the work on the ground, so that parents have this toolkit. And not just parents. The book is for therapists, guidance counselors, teachers, camp counselors.”
Schwartz introduces readers to the “nature tools” of mindfulness, awe and gratitude, outdoor play and adventure, creative arts, food and volunteering. Each gets its own chapter with lots of suggested activities and resources.
“This is the toolkit I wish I had growing up,” she writes. “My goal is to give my children, and all children, the ability to turn to some simple natural tools when they feel distraught. The last thing I want is for anyone to get stuck in the anxiety quicksand like I did.”
You can enjoy Schwartz’s book as a cover-to-cover read or dip into it on demand, thanks to its robust index.
“I always say, start with what your family or your individual child already loves. If they’re already into art and painting, I would suggest taking the arts and crafts outside. This could be making a collage of nature elements you collect on a hike. … Or it could be taking a blanket to the playground and having the kids pull out their journals and their crayons or their paints. … So, if you have a kid already kind of doodling or making cartoons or something and stuck inside, get them outside to do their creating.”
The good news is that you and your children can enjoy time in nature without spending a penny. Why not kick off your shoes and join the kids for “earthing” — a mindful walk across a patch of grass, soil or sand, when it feels cool enough?
“The goal is to walk barefoot while paying close attention to the soles of your feet as they connect with the Earth’s surface,” Schwartz writes. “This practice provides several benefits for our kids. First, it feels good to them. It is freeing to walk around without feeling constrained by their shoes all the time. Next, it improves their senses as the bottom of their feet touch different types of textures, sometimes for the first time.”
Of course, there are some necessary items for any outdoor excursion — particularly during a Florida summer — so don’t forget water and eco-friendly insect repellent.
A bit of planning can mitigate any “too hot, too humid, too buggy” pushback from the kids. The beach is lovely in the late afternoon and Green Cay Nature Center and Wetlands in Boynton Beach, one of Schwartz’s favorite spots, opens at 7.
“I personally think any way a child is engaging with being outdoors in nature is great,” she says. “I think if we’re too specific or judging people on how they engage in it, that’s just not going to get us anywhere. … So, it’s finding what works for you and that’s going to also make you happy.”
Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer is available online at IndieBound, Amazon, and wherever books are sold. For more information, visit ecohappinessproject.com.

Joyce Reingold writes about health and healthy living. Send column ideas to joyce.reingold@yahoo.com.

Rob Bonoit, a recipient of House A Vet services who is now a volunteer, met with Kevin Donahue, director of House A Vet, and Mia Bonutti to make the formal exchange of the RV that Bonutti renovated for a school project. Its new home will be at Phipps Park Campground in Stuart when it’s occupied. When it’s not, House A Vet plans to store it in a warehouse on its site. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

Mia Bonutti, a senior at Oxbridge Academy and a resident of Manalapan, finally found a permanent home for her remodeled RV.
Bonutti made news in February when she finished the renovation on the once dilapidated, pull-behind motor home as part of her student project.
Her hope was to donate the RV as living space for a veteran without a home. But the plan hit its biggest snag when she tried to give the RV away.
Bonutti didn’t want the RV to be auctioned or sold for cash. She wanted it to be a home for a veteran. Finally, after turning down offers from Louisiana to Lakeland, she found House A Vet in Stuart. The small nonprofit started in November 2013 in Martin and St. Lucie counties with the idea of helping Habitat for Humanity of Martin County build a home for a veteran.
But helping one veteran a year still left others on the streets. According to the Florida Council on Homelessness Annual Report, 2,472 homeless veterans lived in Florida in 2019. National estimates exceeded 40,000.
To help more people, House A Vet started to do free home maintenance for struggling veterans. It has a food pantry that feeds 65 families every week, and weekly “lunch and learns” on topics like healthy eating, positive thinking, budgeting and job placement. It also provides haircuts and other personal services.
In 2018, House A Vet received the American Legion Department of Florida Homeless Veteran Award. All programs are funded through direct donations from the community, without any federal or state money.
House A Vet says having Bonutti’s RV will save the organization about $7,000 annually in hotel room costs.
Kevin Donahue, director of House A Vet, negotiated a deal with Phipps Park in Stuart that the RV can stay rent-free at the campground in exchange for the occupants doing a few hours of work a day keeping the grounds neat.
“I was really impressed with Mia,” said Donahue, who served in the Navy from 1977 to 1981.
House A Vet is able to get about 10 veterans off the street each year, but he’d like to do more. His dream is to purchase a nearby trailer park where he could build a community of tiny homes for veterans. Though that takes substantial cash, Donahue is hopeful. People like Bonutti, he says, encourage him.
Bonutti says she feels like House A Vet is a good fit for her RV. She’s happy that it will be close to Palm Beach County and has plans to visit the site before she heads to the University of Virginia, where she’ll study chemical engineering.
“I’m definitely ready for a change,” Bonutti said. She’s been in classes with 20 students or fewer most of her life. A bigger pond awaits.
When she visited the Charlottesville campus recently, she met the dean, who told her nearly 33% of students studying math and science are women.
“I can’t wait to meet people with similar interests to mine,” Bonutti said, buoyed by the university’s commitment to women in STEM.
At home, Mia’s brother Mark, 16, will take over oldest sibling duties like the complicated carpool pickup of their four younger brothers and sisters.
“He’s already had some experience with the chaos,” Mia said.
House A Vet is in need of volunteers and donations. Call 772-678-8149 or visit www.houseavet.org.

Alyssa Jiggetts, Elise Siegel, Anna Jarvis and Mallory Thomas (l-r) make their case to the Philanthropy Tank. Photo provided

FAU High girls’ project wins Philanthropy Tank award
Four nature-loving students at FAU High School received $10,500 for their community butterfly garden project through the Philanthropy Tank, a nonprofit group that sponsors an annual challenge for high school students in solving social problems.
On April 11, Elise Siegel of Highland Beach, Alyssa Jiggetts of Coconut Creek, and Mallory Thomas and Anna Jarvis of Boca Raton made a presentation of the project they called GNOME — Growing Native Oases Made for Engagement.
GNOME would build and plant easy-to-sustain community butterfly gardens designed to lower people’s stress and add green space. Its secondary purpose is to promote the use of native plants in local landscapes.
The group worked with adviser Adriene Tynes, who spent five years on the board of Community Greening, a collective effort to improve the environment with trees. The students will be mentored by Frances Fisher as they enter the new phase of making gardens happen.
“The presentation went really well. All the preparation was worth it,” Mallory said.
The team filmed a video for National Learn About Composting Day in May to bring awareness to its work. To make GNOME sustainable, the team plans to start a club at FAU High School to carry on the work when the seniors on the team graduate.
For more information on the Philanthropy Tank, visit www.philanthropytank.org.

Delray student wins filmmaking scholarship
After the candidates walked a red carpet at Maltz Jupiter Theatre, the winners of the Palm Beaches Student Showcase of Films were announced on May 6. And when the winner of the Sara Fuller Scholarship was announced, Joseph White of American Heritage School in Delray Beach heard his name.
Most of the film showcase awards recognize individuals for their filmmaking, but the Burt Reynolds and Sara Fuller scholarships are different.
Before Reynolds died in 2018, he played a vital role in the selection process and personally handed out the award each year. Reynolds looked carefully at the applicants’ character as well as their talents and aspirations. 
Fuller was a pioneer in Florida’s film production industry, and this scholarship sponsored by Film Florida honors her memory by supporting future filmmakers and encouraging excellence in the field of motion picture education.
For this award, White said, “I submitted a film reel, a letter of recommendation, an acceptance letter from a four-year university, and an essay as to why I think I should be considered for the award.”
The scholarship award is $1,000.
White, 18, who lives in Delray Beach, called the award “an amazing honor.” His parents, Troy and Suzanne, are equally excited about Joseph’s next chapter. He is going to the Savannah College of Art and Design to study film directing and producing.
The Palm Beaches film showcase has been supporting blossoming filmmakers for more than 25 years by providing cash awards, prizes and scholarships to creative students from Palm Beach County, giving out about $20,000 to talented seniors each year.
For more information, visit www.pbfilm.com/ssof.

South Inlet Park is a county-owned recreation area next to the Boca Raton Inlet. ABOVE: Eugene Katal and his son Victor try fishing from the jetty. BOTTOM LEFT: Cousins Rosanne DiFilippo and Frank Kopa soak up some sun on the beach.  Photos by Tao Woolfe/The Coastal Star

By Tao Woolfe

South Inlet Park, one of Boca Raton’s smallest, quietest oceanside parks, offers a laid-back day at the beach for families and serenity seekers.
It’s just south of Boca’s spectacular 2-mile oceanfront recreation area, but the humbler South Inlet Park — which is tucked alongside the Boca Inlet — feels almost undiscovered.
Among those who appreciate the charms of the county-operated park is Frank Kopa, who lives in Boca Raton during the winter months and returns to the New Jersey shore for the summer.
He and cousin Rosanne DiFilippo, nestled deeply into their low-slung beach chairs one recent afternoon, talked about how the beach had changed in the last 40 years.
“I don’t remember these big condo buildings all around,” said DiFilippo, who first visited South Inlet Park when she was about 20. “There used to be more dunes — and trees.”
The overpowering smell of baking seaweed seemed not to faze the cousins, whose bodies were golden brown.
“My skin is used to it. I don’t even use lotion,” Kopa said. “We’re beach freaks, here every day.”
DiFilippo said she likes South Inlet Park because it is more natural and less crowded than other area beaches.
The park offers barbecue grills adjacent to five small pavilions with picnic tables; a play area for kids 5 to 12 years old; and a jetty along the south side of the inlet that is a popular fishing spot.
Eugene Katal, accompanied by his son Victor, 6, stood on the rocky jetty and repeatedly cast his line into the wake of passing boats.
As late afternoon clouds rolled in from the west, father and son, their baskets and buckets empty, packed up their gear.
“It’s my first time here and my first time fishing,” Eugene Katal said with a shrug. “It’s a very nice park.”
The park’s largest pavilion is the last architectural remnant of the 1930s Cabana Club — a semicircular group of cabanas, card lounges and dining rooms that was demolished in 1980 to make way for the Addison on the Ocean condominium.
The pavilion, which originally served as a sheltered area for club guests exiting their cars, was preserved and moved to South Inlet Park in 1981. The porte cochere (covered entrance) is now on Palm Beach County’s Register of Historic Places.

Amanda Engelhart takes a break on the park’s boardwalk.

The park has tree-covered wooden walkways through the scrub, and shady coves with benches where beachgoers can get out of the sun.
Amanda Engelhart had stopped along a walkway to knock the sand off her red sneakers and appreciate the surrounding little forest.
“I think this park is beautiful, cozy,” she said. “There are areas in the water where you can see tropical fish and coral, and it’s always clean.”
Engelhart, of Minnesota, said she was traveling and stopped for a long stay in Boca Raton. She goes to South Inlet Park almost every day, she said.
“This little spot is well preserved and incorporates the city with nature,” Engelhart said. “It’s a good place for me to find solitude. It’s a good place for all.”

South Inlet Park at 1100 S. Ocean Blvd. is open from sunrise to sunset seven days a week. Dogs are not allowed on the beach. Balloons endanger sea turtles and are prohibited. Parking costs $3 an hour weekdays and $4 an hour on weekends and holidays.

RIGHT: This South Inlet boardwalk provides an easy walk through the coastal hammock dominated by cabbage palm trees.

Boca Raton’s South Beach Park features a large, oceanfront pavilion at the eastern terminus of Palmetto Park Road.

South Beach Park
Boca Raton’s other “south” park is the southernmost point of the city’s renowned coastal recreation area.
South Beach Park is known for its big, shady pavilion at the intersection of A1A and Palmetto Park Road; its walking paths shaded by sea grape trees; and its white sand beach.
“South Beach has been, and remains, one of Boca Raton’s most visited and utilized parks,” said Michael Kalvort, the city’s recreation services director. “Over the course of the pandemic, we saw unprecedented attendance and usage by our citizens as they looked to recreate, get healthy, and enjoy a moment of respite during these interesting times.”
Most of the 24.5-acre park is owned by the city of Boca Raton, but a 6.5-acre parcel within the park is owned by Palm Beach County, said Anne Marie Connolly, Boca’s communications and marketing manager.
About 50 years ago, the city entered into a dollar-a-year lease agreement with the county allowing the city to use the land as a park.
The city recently renewed the lease for 20 years, although the price has risen to $10 a year, Connolly said. The city has an option to twice renew its lease in the coming decades.
“This allows for our residents to utilize the parkland as we ... continue to maintain it,” she said.

South Beach Park is at 400 N. State Road A1A. Hours are 8 a.m. to sundown, seven days a week. No fires, camping, alcohol or smoking. Lifeguards are on duty from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during standard time, and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during daylight saving time. Surf fishing is allowed, but not in designated swimming areas during normal swimming hours. Pets are not allowed. On-street parking is $2 an hour. All-day parking for South Beach Park, and adjacent Red Reef Park, is $25 for cars and minivans.

House, condo owners face spikes of 30% or more

By Charles Elmore

Palm Beach County’s southern coast might have been spared a direct hurricane strike in recent years, but residents are getting pounded by an insurance maelstrom only growing in intensity as the start of storm season approaches June 1.
Home insurance costs for many are spiking 30% or more, agents say — and even doubling or tripling for some condo dwellers.
“They’re obviously in a lot of shock,” said Steven Kirstein, owner-agent at Kirstein Insurance Services in Boca Raton, describing the customer reactions he is encountering. “No one likes it.”
Insurers are not renewing tens of thousands of policies. Two have gone out of business since February alone. And those remaining are often demanding tough new terms or vastly scaling back what they will cover.
Further shrinking the options: The state’s insurer of last resort, Citizens Property Insurance Corp., does not cover properties worth more than $700,000. Given the rocketing surge in home values, that leaves fewer and fewer properties eligible near the coast. Owners must scramble for whatever they can find — such as “surplus lines” insurers, whose rates are not regulated by the state.
Condo owners can feel the pinch in multiple ways. They might pay not only for policies to cover the contents of their individual units, but also assessments to a condo association to handle insurance for outer structures and common areas and the cost of any improvements made to those.
In Delray Beach, downtown condo unit owners including Vern Torney felt stunned to realize association assessments could roughly double from $530 per month to more than $1,000. That prospect arrived suddenly after an insurer threatened not to renew coverage unless owners replaced metal roofing about 20 years old, he said.
People who lived there thought the roof was fine and even understood it was supposed to last up to 50 years, only to have the insurer insist on the change before hurricane season. That left owners scrambling to assess their options, such as how to pay for it, late into April.
“‘Sticker shock’ fits here,” Torney said. “It’s also sort of out of the blue. Just a few months ago we didn’t realize the insurance company was not going to renew us. We were just blindsided on this roofing project and the cost of it. It’s very disruptive.”
Conditions have become so jarring that state legislators plan to meet in a May 23-27 special session to address property insurance, though it is far from clear if there is an easy fix or consensus on what to do.
From climate threats to contractor lawsuits to soaring property values to inflation in construction and repair materials, a host of issues are swirling together at once for the insurance industry and its customers in Florida.
The stream of Palm Beach County customers flowing into Florida’s last-resort insurer, Citizens, shot up 57% in one year to more than 87,000 by mid-April.
“The Florida property insurance market is in crisis and on a trajectory toward collapse,” said Mark Friedlander, Florida-based director of corporate communications for the industry-funded Insurance Information Institute.
The average home premium in Florida, about $3,600, is the highest in the nation, and it rose 25% in 2021, compared to 4% nationally, he said. The state is projected to average 30% to 40% increases in 2022, he said.
State-run Citizens is adding more than 6,000 policies a week and recently passed 800,000 customers statewide, President Barry Gilway said. He expects Citizens to swell to more than 1 million customers by year’s end.
“Policyholders in southeast Florida continue to see a very tight market, with many private companies non-renewing policies or placing further restrictions on what they will cover,” Citizens spokesman Michael Peltier said.
Owners of single-family homes pay Citizens an average of $3,806 annually in Palm Beach County, up about 8% from last year. Condo residents pay an average of $1,398 to cover the contents of their individual units, a 10.8% rise from 2021.
That’s just a county average. Premiums can run higher near the coast.

Citizens seeks max increase
Buckle up for more. In its latest rate filing, Citizens seeks permission from regulators to raise premiums close to 11% statewide, its legally allowed maximum, by August.
Citizens officials said they posted a $166.5 million underwriting loss last year, though the company’s investment portfolio more than offset that to produce net income of $81.1 million. The insurer also has $6.5 billion in reserves to help cover future claims.
Not every private insurer has proved to be so stable in a Florida market heavily reliant on smaller, homegrown companies. In February, St. Johns Insurance Co., with 160,000 customers, became the fifth Florida-based insurer to be liquidated since 2019.
That was followed in March by an order of liquidation for Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Co., affecting more than 37,000 customers.
Then came reports Lexington Insurance Co., which specializes in covering homes worth $1 million or more, is pulling out of Florida. That affects an estimated 8,000 affluent customers. A company spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.
While no major hurricane has recently hit the most heavily populated southern end of the state, storms have made landfall in other places including the Panhandle. 

Fix eludes lawmakers
Incandescent real estate sales along Florida’s southeast coast during the pandemic have sent home values to record highs. Supply-chain issues have pushed up the cost of construction materials. That means properties can quickly get much more expensive for insurers to repair or replace.
Meanwhile, the Surfside condo collapse near Miami last year brought renewed attention to risks for seaside structures, which were already under scrutiny as communities weighed how to respond to rises in sea level and other climate issues. State lawmakers failed to reach agreement in the spring’s regular legislative session on a range of insurance, safety and inspection proposals.
Many insurers have been trimming their risks in coastal counties. Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Co., for example, entered 2022 with 12,485 customers in Palm Beach County, down from 14,020 a year earlier, according to a state database.
Then there are the financial ripple effects of weather catastrophes in other parts of the nation and world, affecting the cost of reinsurance — insurance that insurers buy — and insurers’ overall appetite for risk.
“Insurance rates continue to climb as home prices increase and unexpected events like tornadoes continue around the country,” said Bill Sample, senior loan officer for Choice Mortgage in Boca Raton. “It is going up like everything else unfortunately.”
That’s why insurance agents are having more difficult conversations than they might prefer lately.
“It happens every single day,” Kirstein said.

Mary Hladky contributed to this story.

Volunteers gather one last time in April after cleaning up the garden land next to Cason United Methodist Church, which has agreed to sell the property. The fruit and vegetable garden had been there since 2008. Photos by Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

Garden volunteers lament closing but seek new digs

By Janis Fontaine

All that remains of the once flourishing community garden near the corner of Lake Ida Road and Swinton Avenue is black weed cloth and concrete blocks. The property is being sold and the garden had to go.
Cason United Methodist Church has been entertaining offers on the valuable Delray Beach acreage for 10 years. A soccer complex almost came to fruition. Other failed proposals included a water park and a homeless services facility. The current sale of the 4-acre tract won’t be final until the end of the year, but the scuttlebutt is that ten $1 million houses will be built there.
Gary Broidis of Atlantic Commercial Group is handling the sale, but remains mum about the buyer, the sale price and any development plans.
Garden manager Candy Evans called the closing of Cason Community Garden after 14 years “bittersweet.”

Candy Evans, Cason Community Garden founder, receives a farewell hug from a volunteer at the garden.

Evans was there with co-founder Lori Robbins when the first shovelful of dirt was turned over in 2008, and she gave the final orders as the organic garden closed April 9. A feeling of gratitude was evident as she exchanged hugs with volunteers she’s cultivated over the years.
The community garden at 342 N. Swinton Ave. began as a Hail Mary to help keep Cason United Methodist Church open. It turns 120 years old this year. But in 2008, the membership was dwindling and leaders were planning to close the church.
As members brainstormed ways to keep the church open, Evans and Robbins suggested using the vacant land just west of the church, unused for decades, as a public community garden.
“We never thought it would make any money,” Evans said. “We just wanted to do something positive for the community.”
Evans and Robbins were guided by three Christian responsibilities: feeding the needy, educating the public and being stewards of the Earth. A garden, they thought, would do all three.
There was one snag: Neither knew much about vegetable gardening.
“But we had everlasting faith,” Evans said.
One day, Michael Lorne of Lorne & Sons Funeral Home found himself carpooling to Miami with the Rev. Linda Mobley of Cason. When Mobley told Lorne, who has a degree in horticulture and is a master gardener, about the new garden, he couldn’t get involved fast enough. Through the years he offered guidance to citizens who bought plots.
The garden was started with donated compost and weed cloth, and Evans brought a hose from home that stretched from the church across the parking lot to the garden.
In telling the story to the Florida United Methodist Foundation, Evans said: “With every step in the building of the garden at Cason, doors opened, and volunteers and supplies were offered. With God’s hand, we were guided through.”
Like the church, Lorne & Sons has served the community for decades, since the 1950s. Michael Lorne hoped to take a different career path, in horticulture. But the family business needed him, and he took his place there in the 1970s. Gardening instead became an avocation, and he loved teaching Cason’s plot-owners the basics of Florida gardening without chemicals.
The first-year crops included strawberries, green beans, Swiss chard, heirloom tomatoes, melons, collard greens, beets, herbs and six kinds of peppers. Enthusiasm for the project grew each year and soon there was a waiting list for plots.
“A professor from the University of Florida came to visit and said it was one of the finest community gardens she’d ever seen,” Lorne said. “It’s a lot of work. You have to have eyes on your plants every day.”
Gardening without chemicals is especially hard because insects in Florida flourish like weeds. “It’s a real hands-on project and Candy Evans is the reason it was successful,” Lorne said.

The garden had some floral touches but mostly grew organic produce. More than 25,000 pounds of its food went to Delray’s Caring Kitchen to feed people in need. Photo provided

As a result of the garden, things began to change around the church. It had more laughter, hugging and banter, people helping each other, everything members wanted the church to be. Cason UMC became known as “the church with the garden.” Sunday attendance more than doubled, from 75 in 2008 to 165 in 2012.
The garden doubled in size too, from 2,500 to 5,000 square feet, with plots in two sizes. Some were rented by families and groups, others by individuals or couples. Evans, who had found support at the church as a new mom of triplets in the early ’90s, now had three teenage helpers and an ability to delegate.
“I have no problem telling people what to do,” Evans said. With her calm manner she doesn’t sound bossy. And she’s grateful for the help from people like Keith Humphries, whose red pickup was a familiar sight, always carting something somewhere. “Many hands make light work” is one of Evans’ favorite sayings.
The garden closing coincided with a day set aside locally for the annual Great American Cleanup, a months-long event sponsored by Keep America Beautiful Inc. The April 9 event sponsors were the county’s Solid Waste Authority and Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful. Evans and her volunteers left the garden area as neat as a pin so the church wouldn’t be fined by the city as it waits for the sale of the land.
Humphries’ final job was to haul away the last few plants and the garden bench where people had so often rested weary legs and backs after work. His mornings will no longer include watering or weeding plants.
“I probably put in about 15 hours a week,” said Humphries, who lost his wife a year ago. The garden had been his respite. He’s putting his Lake Ida house on the market, and he hasn’t looked too far past that.
The community garden premise is simple: People pay a fee for a plot and grow whatever they like under the guidance of a volunteer master gardener and with the support of the garden community. Gardeners get to keep most of their organic produce, but are asked to give at least 10% to soup kitchens and other charities that feed homeless people.
And that may be the biggest tangible loss. Evans estimates the garden gave away 25,000 pounds of organic produce to the Caring Kitchen in Delray Beach over the years. Now, the kitchen will have to buy vegetables to feed the hungry. In 2012 there were more than 20 local community gardens. Today there are a handful.
“It’s harder to find volunteers,” Evans said.
There’s also less interest among younger generations to work the land.
What will happen now? No one knows. At Cason, Robin Fogel is spearheading the search for a new spot for the garden. The gardeners would like 5,000 square feet, and it has to be full sun, fairly flat and cost nothing to take over.
“It would be a shame if the garden never found a new home,” Evans said. “Gardens are special because all at once you can connect with the earth, your spirituality and your community.”
Annual events, such as the popular pumpkin patch in the fall, are still planned on the remaining acreage, but smaller in scale.

For more information on how to help the garden find a new location, call the church at 561-276-5302.

Brenda Dooley presents Dana Littlefield with two quilts, one for himself and another for his brother Nelson Littlefield. Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star

Quilters surprise veterans with mementos to cherish

By Ron Hayes

What do you say to a military veteran after you’ve said, “Thank you for your service”?
In March, the Briny Breezes Hobby Club said it with needles and thread, yards of colorful fabric and countless volunteer hours.
On that breezy Tuesday morning, nearly a hundred neighbors and friends gathered by the town’s fountain to see 45 handmade quilts presented to men and women who had been members of the U.S. Armed Forces long before they were residents of Briny Breezes.
As flags of the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard fluttered high above the fountain, club President Marla Guzzardo called out their names.
“Larry Adams … Michael Amaturo … Terrence Brabham … Phillip Brackett.”
Elisabeth Galea, co-chair of the project, met each veteran with a handshake and a quilt — 40-by-60 inches, with red, blue and patriotic panels on a white background.
“Gail Elble … Tom Goudreau … Carol Guth … Bruce Jensen.”
The Briny Breezes Hobby Club had been sewing these quilts for strangers long before they made them for their neighbors.
Quilts Of Valor, they’re called.

The Briny Breezes Hobby Club honored 45 veterans, many of them seen here saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

A dream realized
In 2003, a woman named Catherine Roberts of Seaford, Delaware, whose son Nat was deployed to Iraq, had a dream. Not a metaphor, a real dream.
“I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over,” she recalled. “The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter.
“Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was: Quilts equal healing.”
And the Quilts of Valor Project was born. Nearly two decades later, the national group has sewn about 300,000 patriotic quilts and presented them to American veterans.
In the past, the Briny Breezes quilters had sent their quilts to that national organization.
“But we never saw the people who got them,” Guzzardo said.
And so, last October the club placed a notice in the Briny Bugle seeking veterans for whom they wanted “to do something special.”
They compiled a list, set to work, and on this Tuesday morning in March, that something special happened.

Under the fluttering flags of the United States and its service branches, Army veteran Paul Sullivan returns to the crowd after receiving his quilt.

Serving those who served
“I love this,” said Army Spc. 4th Class Stanley Brunell, who served as a radio telegraph operator in Germany, from 1965 to 1967. “This is awesome.It’ll be a permanent memory.”
Standing beside him as he held his new quilt was his wife, Carole. After marrying in February 1966, she joined him in Germany four months later. And 56 years later, she admired him as he admired his quilt.
Gail Elble graduated high school in 1968, but didn’t join the U.S. Naval Reserve until 1982.
“I was working as a school guidance counselor when I heard about the Direct Commission Officer program, which lets civilians receive a commission if you have special skill and pass the test. My principal flunked the test and I passed.”
She entered as an ensign, served 20 years and retired in 2002 as a lieutenant commander.
Army Spc. 5th Class Paul Sullivan was surprised.
“It was a total surprise,” he said. “The Briny hobby club is the largest with 200-plus members, and I knew nothing about this project. I don’t know how they got my name.”
But he was glad they did.

Elisabeth Galea presents a quilt to June Fingerhut in honor of her late husband, Pete. Her son-in-law, Tom Oglesby (in red), also was honored.

Eric Wolffbrandt served on the U.S. Air Force’s Air Defense Command staff in Syracuse, New York, from 1967 to 1969. He had a top-secret clearance, but never saw Vietnam.
“I appreciate this,” he said, holding his quilt but thinking more of others than himself. “I remember during the war our commanding officer told us, ‘Don’t wear your uniform off base because of all the protesters in the street.’ So I appreciate this remembrance, honoring all these men. I have awesome respect for all those who were actually in combat.
“I’ll put this on a wall somewhere,” he said. “It’s beautifully done.”
They chatted, they posed for smartphone photos with their quilts, and they dispersed. Honored for service decades ago, they returned to their lives today. And the Briny Breezes Hobby Club will return to its regular hobbies. The something special the members had arranged for the town’s veterans was also something unique.
“This is a one-time event,” Guzzardo said, “but we’ll continue to do this individually as more veterans move to Briny Breezes.”

I can’t remember how I learned to swim. I’d like to think I gripped my mother’s hands with my pudgy baby fingers as she bounced me up and down in the water of some muddy, Midwestern lake until I was floating — still grasping one finger until I let go.
In reality, I was likely tossed between brothers until they dropped me in the water and waited to see if I burbled back to the surface.
Ah, the life of a little sister.
Regardless of how I learned to swim, I do recall my busy mother (She had six children: my four older brothers and one younger sister) helping move my pencil along lined notebook pages to write the alphabet in cursive letters.
And teaching me how to cut fabric with a tissue-paper outline to create the base pattern of a blouse.
And how to hang laundry and make smooth, tight hospital corners on bedsheets.
And knitting. She taught me how to knit.
All of these tasks seem so old-fashioned. In today’s fast-paced, computerized world, these skills could be considered obsolete. And yet, I look back on these lessons as if they’re encased in amber.
It was rare to have my mother’s undivided attention and witness her (mostly) tireless patience.
Those are the real skills I hope I learned from my mother:
To listen closely with empathy and without interrupting.
To say “let’s take a break” when roadblocks seem insurmountable.
To open the umbrella and take a walk when it rains.
To be grateful that I somehow learned to swim (in spite of my brothers).
And to be thankful for my mother’s lessons — both obsolete and timeless.
Happy Mother’s Day.

— Mary Kate Leming, Editor

Phil Wotton, Delray Beach’s Ocean Rescue division chief, was riding with his wife, Elaine, on their tandem bicycle when they stopped to assist an unconscious cyclist in March. Photo provided

By Jan Engoren

Philip “Phil” Wotton is an unassuming fellow. As Ocean Rescue division chief in Delray Beach, Wotton is OK with being called a good Samaritan, but not a hero — despite having spent a huge chunk of his career in the lifesaving business.
On a Sunday in mid-March, Wotton and his wife were out on a tandem-bike ride along State Road A1A headed south to Atlantic Dunes Park. When they turned around and headed back, they spotted a group of people huddled around an unconscious cyclist lying in the bike lane.  
Somebody had called 911, but Wotton and his wife got off their bike and he helped stabilize the woman until the paramedics arrived and she was taken to the hospital.  
Not taking any credit for his role in aiding the woman, Wotton, 55, says, “I was in the right place at the right time. It’s just what I do.”  
Wotton, Delay Beach’s Ocean Rescue division chief since 2015, is responsible for water safety for the city. This means, for example, rescuing people caught in riptides or those who may have been tangled in the tentacles of a Portuguese man o’ war.
“It’s an occupation that found me,” says Wotton, who grew up swimming off the shores of Hollywood Beach and followed in his older brother’s footsteps to become a lifeguard.
He stays fit by running and by swimming five mornings in a master class at 5:45 and riding a tandem bike with his wife of 23 years, Elaine. Twice a year he must pass a qualification swim of 500 meters in under 10 minutes.
He loves surfing, swimming, rowing, boating, paddling and fishing — anything to do with water sports.
Wotton met his wife, who is from Manchester, England, in 1997, at a Jazz on the Avenue event on Atlantic Avenue.
The Delray Beach couple, who have two sons, one in the Coast Guard and one studying auto mechanics at PBSC, married the following year at sunset on a boat in Key West.  
With their sons they traveled and did things outdoors, such as going to the Keys, camping at Long Key State Park and lobstering.
At one Christmas dinner with extended family, Wotton remembers being hailed as a hero for pulling out 23 lobsters for appetizers.
“Chief Wotton is a true beach safety professional,” says Delray Beach Fire Chief Keith Tomey. “I do not believe there is any other lifeguard as knowledgeable, as professional or as compassionate about the job as Chief Wotton.”
He worked to improve the service and reputation of the lifeguarding profession, relocating the division from the Parks and Recreation Department to public safety at the Fire Rescue Department.
“People don’t realize that 35 years ago lifeguards were regarded differently, and it wasn’t considered a career,” Wotton says. “The concept of lifeguarding or ocean rescue is now a respected profession which people take seriously and choose for their career.”
He strives to be a role model to his peers and his staff.
“I don’t ask anyone to do something I wouldn’t do myself,” he says. “I put the operation’s needs ahead of my own needs. That is one of the reasons I swim early in the morning before coming to work. I take care of my mental and physical health. Once at work, there are no guarantees on how the day will unfold.”
Wotton was a serious competitor in his younger years and won national lifesaving competitions.
Wotton and his friend Steve Griffith, 61, the Ocean Rescue lieutenant for Boca Raton, were rowing partners and competed as a team in races for lifeguards throughout the country and in run-swim-paddle-row endurance events.
In 2017, Griffith and Wotton took home the gold medal for their age group in the doubles row at the U.S. Lifesaving Association national championships at Daytona Beach.
At the same event, Wotton took the gold in his age group in the American Ironman competition and the silver medal in the surf-race-swim event.
“We were always the team to beat,” remembers Griffith.
Griffith also credits Wotton with improving their profession.
“As division chief, Phil has promoted professionalism and a higher-quality standard of care for all lifeguards. Now all lifeguards must be EMTs,” Griffith said. “He has raised the bar for the level of care for Delray Beach residents and others.
“Phil is a very passionate guy — passionate about his job, about his professionalism and physical performance on and off the job. He pushes himself to do the best he can for himself, his job and for his city.”
Wotton doesn’t plan to retire until he is at least 70, meaning he has many more years of doing what he loves.
“As long as I stay healthy and enjoy my job and the people I work with, I’ll be here,” he says.

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The purchase of 9 acres of mangrove natural area for the town of Ocean Ridge is one of those decisions where I saw a whole town come together and show what living in this paradise really means. It is probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our community to make a real impact on preserving what we treasure.
I am thrilled that I had the privilege to be sitting on the dais for this momentous decision and thank the community and my fellow commissioners for coming out and saying yes to the purchase.
Ultimately we may be spending a few more dollars in property taxes each year, but the reward of knowing that there are 9 acres of mangrove forest and wetland that will never be developed surely is worth that. A town united has set the tone for the county, state and national levels by saying, “Yes, we do care about the environment and nature and the species that co-inhabit our community.”

Moving the mayor’s gavel
In Ocean Ridge, the mayor is elected by the five serving commissioners. The mayor’s role is to preside over commission meetings, with his or her voice having the same power as that of the other four members.
Given that Geoff Pugh, Steve Coz and Kristine de Haseth all have served as mayor, it was the most logical choice to have Susan Hurlburt, next in seniority, serve in this role.
I would like to thank Kristine de Haseth for her exceptional service in the position as mayor. Her leadership within town as well as at the League of Cities and other civic organizations has given our residents exceptional representation. We could not have picked a better mayor two years ago and I am proud of having been the swing vote.
Under Kristine’s leadership we have moved from being a town with deferred maintenance to being a proactive town tackling items that are not easy and not cheap, yet need to be done.
I am looking forward to Susan Hurlburt as our new mayor, to continue this journey and to represent our town at the state and national levels.

Martin Wiescholek
Commissioner, Ocean Ridge