Robert’s Community Report: 8/31
Last Thursday, as part of Boca Chamber Festival Days, members of the community attended a back to school brunch to celebrate and congratulate Connie Siskowski as the American Association of Caregiving Youth recapped a decade of work. Siskowski’s vision for AACY is to ensure that youth caring for ill, injured, elderly or disabled family members will achieve success in school and life. To that end, she has committed herself to increasing awareness and providing support services for youth caregivers and their families by connecting them with Healthcare, education and community resources.
Later that day we joined the Greater Boca Raton Chamber as we welcomed the Brass Tap to its newly remodeled location on the SE corner of Dixie Hwy and Glades Rd (1198 N Dixie Hwy Boca Raton FL 33432).
That evening, another great BCFD event was held at BRIO Turscan Grille to help find a cure “under the sea” for the benefit of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It was a great night supporting an important cause.
Our community can take pride in the fact that Boca Raton-based cell tower operator SBA Communications was be added to the S&P 500 index on September 1st replacing diversified chemical company, DuPont. SBA leases antenna space on its more than 24,000 cell towers worldwide to wireless service providers AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile. The company employs 1,500 workers nationwide, including 400 people at its headquarters. SBA President and CEO Jeffrey A. Stoops was named the Sun Sentinel Co.’s 2014 Excalibur Award for Business Leader of the Year in Palm Beach County.
Congratulations to Orangetheory on the official opening of their new corporate headquarters in the Park at Broken Sound. Last month, Governor Rick Scott visited Boca Raton to recognize Orangetheory for its job creation efforts. Orangetheory, with over 11,000 employees worldwide, has over 100 employees on Boca Raton and plans to double that amount over the next year.
Boca Chamber Festival Days continued at the Renaissance Boca Raton Hotel, on Friday, August 25th, where the Battle of the Bartenders was fought. Proceeds from the night were earmarked for Best Foot Forward Foundation. There was lots of fun as the competing Bartenders mixed, poured and entertained. Best Foot Forward, founded by Donna Biase and Debbie Ellman, is the only nonprofit organization in Palm Beach County dedicated to the educational success of youth who have been abused, neglected, or abandoned and have entered the foster care system. Ellman and Biase believe that by empowering children in foster care they can help avoid the all-too-common negative outcomes many experience. Their program programs support, guide and empower foster care youth, giving them every opportunity to succeed in school and beyond.
On Saturday, the YMCA BIG Fall Kick-off event was held at the Peter Blum Family Y in Boca Raton. Hundreds of families enjoyed a free family fun Open House event with activities inside and out and discounts on Fall program registrations!
Wine & All That Jazz, one of Boca Raton’s largest wine tasting parties, was held last Saturday evening. Attendees treated themselves to more than 100 fine wine tastings, delectable food provided by some of Boca Raton’s finest restaurants, a VIP room with live entertainment, live music, dancing and exciting Drawing prizes.
Bowling for Bread raised Dough to support Boca Helping Hands’ program on Sunday afternoon at Strikes @ Boca, thanks to the generosity of Debralyn & Ronnie Belletieri as well as the many sponsors for the day’s fundraising fun! Mayor Susan Haynie was on hand to help select the prizewinners.
On Tuesday evening and again on Wednesday afternoon, the members of the community (including the City Council) attended kick-off meetings for the Boca Raton II Tri-Rail Station (Project Development & Environmental Study), moderated by PBC Commissioner Steven Abrams. The PD&E study will evaluate alternatives for a second Tri-Rail station within the South Florida Rail Corridor in the City of Boca Raton between just north of Glades Rd and south of Palmetto Park Rd. The proposed station would likely be built around 2022. The project goal is to serve underutilized travel markets of Downtown Boca Raton, colleges and universities and area businesses (e.g. Boca Center, Town Center) and residents as well as improve access to the Tri-Rail system.
The Third Annual Lip Sync contest was another great BCFD fundraiser. Held at the Blue Martini at Town Center, the event benefited the Nat King Cole Generation Hope. Local celebrities and community favorites pulled out the stops as they performed to the delight of a standing room only audience. Competing were Mohamed Abdala, Marilyn Blanco Corey, Stephen Edwards, Linda & Doug Patton (Linda channeles a great Olivia Newton John), Jackie Reeves, AnnMarie Van Castern, Robert Vazquez, Katie Volman and Mary Wong. It was a great night pf fun while supporting a wonderful organization.
It wouldn’t be right not to acknowledge the terrible devastation visited on the residents of Texas and Louisiana over this past week. With over 50” of rainfall, Houston and the surrounding communities are going to have a long hard road ahead as residents rebuild their lives. Multiple agencies are working to help people and pets through this time. Select the agency that resonates with you and do what you can to help those who have little but the clothes on their back left.
FAU is getting ready for Game Day as the Owls prepare to welcome the NAVY Midshipman for the season opener, FRIDAY at 8PM. Get your tickets to this epic matchup at: www.fausports.com/tickets/football-tickets.html All eyes are on FAU’s new head football coach, Lane Kiffin as he gets his first opportunity to show off the results of his recruiting and training efforts. It promises to be a very exciting season. Could this be the year FAU makes it to the playoffs? Let’s fill those stands and give our Owls the support they need to make this a winning season.
Habitat for Humanity”s Restores are holding a Grand Reopening Celebration. It’s time to “re-think thrift” featuring over $1 million in brand new Ethan Allen furniture for 50% off. VIP Magic Hours Are Now On Sale For Exclusive “Early Bird” Shopping: Shoppers can now purchase $25 “VIP Magic Hours” tickets for the opportunity to be first in-store “before regular hours” to have their “early bird” pick of the Ethan Allen inventory that will be shared between stores. VIP Magic Hours admission — which includes breakfast bagels and beverages or cocktails and light bites — helps fund Habitat’s mission of bringing people together to build homes for hard-working families, communities and hope. Tickets are available for $25 for one store or $50 for all three stores. Go to: http://donate.habitatsouthpalmbeach.org/campaigns/4953-the-restore-grand-re-opening-celebration
STEAM through September (Science – Technology – Engineering – Art – Math). Help you students swing back into studying. Challenge your youngsters to engage in a citywide scavenger hunt! Explore some of the amazing educational exhibits, programs and events offered across Boca Raton during the month of September. Collect a STEAM through September Passport at the Boca Raton Public Library, the Children’s Science Explorium or Gumbo Limbo Nature Center and complete one challenge in each of the disciplines to earn a passport stamp. Get your “STEAM through September” Passport at any of the participating locations. Complete one challenge in each of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math categories to earn a stamp. Some programs require pre-registration and/ or fees. Check the locations website for more details. Collect all five stamps to win a prize! Prizes may be claimed at any of the participating locations, before Friday October 13th, 2017.
Get ready for the 6th Annual Brazilian Beat in Downtown Boca on September 9th! Come hear the sounds and rhythms of Brazilian music, dance to invigorating Samba drummers, see beautiful costumed dancers in a Rio-style parade, and enjoy savory Brazilian cuisine and cocktails. As an official celebration of Brazilian Independence Day, Brazilian Beat brings together the art of music and dance in one mesmerizing cultural event in the heart of Downtown Boca. Headlining the event is Latin Grammy winning songstress, Vanessa da Mata, one of the biggest stars in Brazilian music today. Her highly anticipated performance at Brazilian Beat will kick-off her US debut tour. Opening for da Mata will be Batuke Samba Funk mixing rhythms from Afro-samba and Brazilian big band with classic 70s funk. The SambaLá Samba School will perform a vibrant Rio-style parade with beautifully costumed dancers and Samba drummers. Attendees of the event will also enjoy a Zumba showcase, Capoeira circle, street dancing, and much more. This is a FREE community event.
Mark your calendar on September 23 for the 2nd Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day @ South Beach Park in Boca Raton. Join Boca Save our Beaches and World Of Scuba Boca Raton from 9 to 11AM. Beach cleanup supplies will be provided, bring the family,
Have you joined a team for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s? This is a charitable walk by the Alzheimer’s Association, held this year on Sunday, September 17th, 2017. Registration on the day of the event will be at 7:30AM with the Walk beginning at 8:30 AM. This is Free and Open to the Public, Pre-registration is suggested. The Walk is held annually in more than 600 communities nationwide. The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. This inspiring event calls on participants of all ages and abilities to join the fight against the disease! For more information, go to: http://act.alz.org/site/TR?sid=23932&type=fr_informational&pg=informational&fr_id=10300
Also check out other upcoming happenings at: GumboLimbo.org; SugarSandPark.org; myboca.us/826/Mizner-Park-Amphitheater and follow me on twitter at @BocaCalendar for the latest events.
