Ted Hoskinson of Delray Beach keeps busy with programs that educate Palm Beach County children and reward teachers through his Roots and Wings nonprofit, which is based in Boca Raton. Tim Stepien/Coastal Star
Ted Hoskinson started out as a teacher but ended up creating his living, first by making a business around balloons and then by owning and operating Party ’N Paper, a card and gift store chain in Washington, D.C. After retiring — and following the death of his wife, Anne, in 2016 — he turned his attention back to education and founded a literacy intervention program and teacher recognition nonprofit, Roots and Wings.
This year, Roots and Wings marks its 10th anniversary with a Feb. 24 fundraising event, “Roots and Wings Goes to Hollywood,” which celebrates filmmaking.
Hoskinson, 78, of coastal Delray Beach, expects to host 180 guests and raise $100,000. In 2024, funding and donations brought in $1.3 million to cover costs of about $750,000, and the organization continues to grow.
Roots and Wings’ two programs are implemented in 20 Title 1 public elementary schools in Palm Beach County. The nonprofit’s teacher appreciation program is called Above and Beyond Awards, and this year Hoskinson foresees that 200 teachers and staff will receive awards. They will each receive a check for $200, gift cards and gifts from local businesses, and a framed certificate.
Roots and Wings’ Project Uplift program provides after-school instruction to 1,500 children needing help with reading.
“We have two ceremonies a year where we honor students’ progress,” Hoskinson explained. “At midyear, if they have already met their growth goal for the year, they receive a free bike and helmet courtesy of Boca West Children’s Foundation.
“The second ceremony is at the end of the year. We give certificates and we give Olympic-style medals for reaching their growth goals and stretch goals.
“We gave away 272 bikes last year, 900 certificates for making gains on their test scores, and 1,200 medals,” he said. “Many got both medals for growth goals and stretch goals. We also gave away 711 T-shirts for perfect attendance.”
Hoskinson hopes to expand the program to additional schools and, in time, he hopes to give out college scholarships.
More about the upcoming February event at Good Night John Boy in Delray Beach: “We are featuring 20 movies and we’re asking people to dress as their favorite character from one of those movies and we’re giving away prizes.”
Also, Hoskinson said, “All of our 20 schools will make different centerpieces. Each school had to pick one of the movies. Our judges will vote on the centerpieces and we’ll give prizes to the schools for the three best centerpieces.”
— Christine Davis
Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
A. I grew up in Washington, D.C., and attended Sheridan School for grades 2 and 3 and then St. Albans School for Boys for grades 4-12. I then attended Tulane University in New Orleans where I graduated with a BA in history.
Washington was a wonderful place to grow up, as it had small-town, old-town charm. St. Albans was an incredible school with great teachers and competitive students. That school environment taught me that I was not the smartest guy by far in the class, and that I had to work hard if I wanted to be successful.
Q. What professions have you worked in? What professional accomplishments are you most proud of?
A. I was lucky to become the senior class president at Tulane. I graduated in 1969 and I began a teaching career in New Orleans at a small private school called Metairie Park Country Day. I taught second grade. I loved the kids and they taught me as much as I taught them. They were inquisitive and kind and caring to one another. I was like their surrogate father since most of them were asleep by the time their fathers arrived at home.
I got a call from St. Albans in early April of that year, asking me to return and teach fourth grade there. I loved Washington and St. Albans so I said yes. Teachers don’t make a lot of money (my salary was $8,500 that first year), so I started a business to help me survive financially. It was a college marketing company. After a couple of years, I started a balloon delivery and decorating business. I taught for 15 years, but the school eventually had me establish their Summer Programs Office when they saw my business abilities.
That change in position at the school took me away from the students and the teaching that I loved. I decided to leave to pursue my business interests. The business ventures became successful, and I ultimately sold them to retire and spend time playing tennis in Florida and traveling.
When my wife passed away in 2016, I established with two friends a charity called Roots and Wings which my wife, Anne, had named. It has grown from a small charity to one that is in 20 Title 1 public elementary schools, honoring teachers and staff chosen by their peers … and providing funding to help teach literacy skills to more than 1,500 students. I am most proud of being honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by President Biden in 2022 and the Catalyst Award by the Carl Angus DeSantis Foundation in 2025.
Q. What advice do you have for a young person selecting a career today?
A. Follow what you love and are passionate about.
Q. How did you and Anne choose to make your home in Delray Beach?
A. Two good friends who were also avid tennis players had a place in Delray. There were only a few places to play tennis in the winter in D.C., so most of us either played squash or paddle tennis. I loved paddle but playing tennis outdoors in the winter was wonderful. And there were direct flights from D.C. to either Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale. We started coming and spending weekends until we decided to buy a condo.
Q. What is your favorite part about living in Delray Beach?
A. The relaxed atmosphere and its small-town charm. Great restaurants and a wide variety of choices. Tennis and the beach.
Q. What book are you reading now?
A. Passion Isn’t Enough, by David Rhode.
Q. What music do you listen to when you need inspiration? When you want to relax?
A. I love good jazz … and Frank Sinatra … and the oldies.
Q. Do you have a favorite quote that inspires your decisions?
A. “When you seek happiness for yourself it will always elude you. When you seek happiness for others you will find it yourself.”
Q. Have you had mentors in your life? Individuals who have inspired your life decisions?
A. Charlie Spicer, the fourth grade “master-teacher” at St. Albans, who taught me what to teach so that I could teach it my way … and Steve Potts, a true man of integrity, who showed me what that word really meant.
Q. If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
A. Robert De Niro.
If You Go
What: Roots and Wings Goes to Hollywood
Where: Good Night John Boy, 33 SE Third Ave., Delray Beach
When: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Feb. 24
Admission: Tickets are $150 (barstool seating), $250 (general seating at a table) and $300 (VIP seating by dance floor).
Info: 561-516-1957 or sherry@rootsandwingsinc.org
Tickets: secure.qgiv.com/event/rootsandwings or rootsandwingsinc.org/event/roots-and-wings-goes-hollywood-10th-anniversary-gala
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