South Palm Beach County Social Scene

By Pamela J Weinroth

Where were you last week?

The week began with lots of fun, food and Easter Eggs at the Wayne Barton Center thanks to Wayne, his staff, lots of volunteers including Rabbi Gregg Weisman and members of Temple Beth El of Boca Raton.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, there were Easter baskets and other gifts, galore.

(Pictured: Boca Pointe Clowns & Wayne Barton, Robert Weinroth and Jack Jaiven)

On Monday the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Services hosted the Spring 2019 Florida-Wide Engineering Senior Design Invitational.

Over 60 projects were presented for evaluation. An excellent opportunity for the recognition and celebration of outstanding students from throughout the state.

Over the past year, these students have been mentored by faculty to explore ideas, develop proposals, design, build and test prototypes that track real-world challenges with truly clever solutions.

It is clear, these students are on their way to significantly impact society and transform the world as we know it. As Dean Batalama notes, “we are among the first to celebrate in what is just the very beginning of [the students’] professional successes.” (Pictured: Robert Weinroth with future engineers)

On Tuesday, Child Rescue Coalition held a Town Hall meeting and CEO, Carly Yoost,  explained and demonstrated their mission to protect innocence through technology. 

Child Rescue Coalition is a nonprofit organization that rescues children from sexual abuse by building technology for law enforcement, free of charge, to track, arrest and prosecute child predators.

CRC collaborates with a global force of child exploitation investigators, police officers, digital forensic experts, child welfare agencies and donors to rescue children and apprehend abusers in real time.

CRS’s Child Protection System Technology provides the most comprehensive view of where child predators around the world are downloading and sharing explicit content online.

CRC works around the clock to collect and index 30 to 50 million reports of online users trading child pornography every day. This information allows us to expose hidden networks of abusers and report their activity.

CRC provides their data to local law enforcement agencies free of charge to help them protect children by tracking, arresting and prosecuting child predators worldwide — often without having to put children through the trauma of testifying in court. More than 10,000 law enforcement officers in all 50 U.S. states and over 90 countries use the CRC technology to target and apprehend predators who are most likely to sexually abuse children. And these efforts to protect children are working.

To learn more about CRC and/or to donate to their ongoing efforts, go to:  www.ChildRescueCoalition.org

(Pictured: Carly Yoost, Robert Weinroth and Lauren Wallach)

Tuesday evening, we had the opportunity to shop for a cause. Hosted by Stacey and Dr Evan Packer, supporters of the Florence Fuller Child Development Centers enjoyed browsing through the fashions of London designer, India Hicks.

India Hicks, a former fashion model, has created a lifestyle brand inspired by her design heritage, British roots and runaway island story. The exclusive collection of handbags, accessories, jewelry, beauty and fine fragrance are sold by a group of spirited entrepreneurs who, in turn, donate a large percentage of sales, to a specific charity.

(Pictured: Heather Shaw, Robert Weinroth, Stacey Packer, Yvette Drucker and FFCDC Board Members)

We had another opportunity to have an enjoyable evening of wine and great food while supporting the mission of CROS Ministries on Wednesday evening.

Raise Your Glass to End Hunger was a beer and wine tasting featuring signature dishes from local restaurants and caterers. This year’s event featured beer from Copperpoint Brewing Company, wines from Signorello Estate Wines, and food from City Oyster & Sushi Bar, Culinary Flair Catering, Banyan Restaurant & Bar, and Palermo’s Bakery. 

CROS Ministries serves the hungry in Palm Beach and Martin Counties through community collaborations. Here are a few accomplishments in 2018;

• 41,645 meals were served through The Caring Kitchen;
• 163 children attended CROS Camp Summer;
• 71,444 individuals received bags of food
  though our Seven Community Food Pantries;
• 527,356 pounds of fresh produce was recovered by CROS Gleaning and distributed to local food programs in the 2017/2018 Season.

To learn more about CROS Ministries, go to: www.CrosMinistries.org/mission

(Pictured: Jody Young, Ruth Mageria, Robert Weinroth and Christine Stiller) 

St. David and St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Churches, the Knights of Vartan Hayasdan Lodge, FAU’s Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education (CHHRE) and Marta & Jim Batmasian invited the community to join in a Commemoration of the 104th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Wednesday evening.

The program, facilitated by CHHRE Director, Linda Melvin, offered a poignant tribute to resiliency of the Armenian people, as they continue to prosper and flourish despite attempts to eradicate them.

Former State Senator, Maria Lorts Sachs, delivered a heartfelt keynote address stressing the tragedy of repeated instances of Genocide and mass murder.

The evening was anchored by a musical program performed by Dr Carmine Miranda Berberian on cello, accompanied by Marina Berberian on the piano.

The program aimed to remind those in attendance of one of humanity’s saddest chapters as 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated by Ottoman Turks from 1915-18.

The Armenian Genocide was the first holocaust of the 20th century, and foreshadowed what Nazi Germany would do to Jews living in Europe during World War II.

(Pictured: Fr Der Vartan Joulfayan, Marta Batmasian, Maria Sachs, Robert Weinroth, Marina Berberian, Fr Gomidas Zohrabianand and Carmine Miranda Berberian)

Thursday evening was the 3rd Annual ACE Champion Awards.

Student ACES was founded in 2013 and will serve over 12,500 student athletes by the end of the 2018-2019 school year. 

Student ACES Miami Dade was launched in the summer of 2017 and have impacted over 2,000 high school student athletes. Most recently, ACE launched programs in Broward County.

The Student ACES Yearlong program is provided to students from public and private high schools and consists of six classes and a community project.

Students are nominated by their high schools or peers for exemplifying leadership traits in athletics, education and in their community. Students are excused from school and work together with students from different ethnicities, backgrounds and cultures to discuss values-based leadership.

A network of young men and women of character and integrity is created and life-lasting friendships are formed!

Captains Summits are designed specifically for high school athletic captains to learn leadership skills, techniques and life lessons that will enable them to lead each of their teams on and off the field. Participating student athletes have firsthand experience to hear and engage with world-class experts and leaders in their respective professions while connecting with captains from other schools.

The one-day Leadership Workshops are developed for athletes who are interested in applying leadership techniques. Workshops allow us ACEs to partner with schools, universities, training facilities, camps and individual teams and address the specific needs of each organization, such as, sportsmanship, team chemistry, attitude and team leadership.

Hats off to FPL, Bank of America,, Florida Blue, the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, the Hanley Foundation and the many other corporate sponsors who stepped up to make the night so memorable for the students.

Congratulations to the recipients of the Champions of Character Awards 2019.

To learn more about ACE, go to: www.StudentaAcesForLeadership.com/progra…/palm-beach-program/

(Pictured: Krissy Webb, co-founder and director Student ACES and her dad and co-founder Buck Martinez) 

Also, on Thursday evening, the Junior League of Boca Raton held their “Raise the Bar” event at Rocco’s Tacos.

Celebrity Bartenders included:

• Mary Donnell/Bill Donnell
• Heather Shaw/Yvette Drucker
• Karli Vazquez-Mendez/Khris Kellerman
• Alexandra Cender/Christian Hartmann
• Lauren Lebas/Jason Hagensick
• Mark Larkin/Randy Colman
• Joe Drake/Paul Christopher
• Michele Bellisari/Alle Bellisari

Sponsors for the event were:

• Last Call
• Merrill Lynch
• Saks Fifth Avenue
• Lane & Lucheine
• SA Multimedia Design
• Sue & Ed Diener
• Avion Tequila
• Lisa & George Bariso
• Bliss Designs
• Mary and Bill Donnell
• Denise & Steve Alman
• Margi Cross
• Kelly Fleming
• Kristen & Mike Majhess

Funds raised have been earmarked for their endowment. The JLBR Endowment takes care of their Junior League home and provides training for volunteers in the community. JLBR’s Endowment allows all funding the League raises to go directly to their projects, instead of funding general operating expenses.

Commencement exercises were held Friday morning for the FAU Schmidt College of Medicine Graduating Class of 2019.

Good luck, doctors, as you move on to your residency programs. We hope you’ll come back to Boca Raton when you are ready to practice! CONGRATULATIONS!

Dr. Ira Gelb, you should be so proud!

The Florence Fuller Child Development Center’s Men with Caring Hearts is an event to recognize the many community organizations and their volunteers that help our most vulnerable people and pets.

The 18th Annual Luncheon, Chaired by Heather Shaw and Scott Van Wyndarden, held on Friday, was another great opportunity to say thank you to the men who continue to contribute their time and treasures. Neil Meany and Neil Saffer acted as Masters of Ceremonies with opening remarks from Ellyn Okrent, CEO of FFCDC.

While each nominated volunteer is recognized for his service, this year, Aubrey Struhl was declared the Outstanding Male Volunteer for 2019; John Tolbert was presented with the Biggest Heart Award while Gary Peters was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

A wonderful event brought together two dozen nonprofit organizations and their indispensable volunteers.

Sponsors included:

• Office Depot
• Schmidt Family Foundation
• Amy and Michael Kazma
• Sandra and Marvin Rubin
• Wells Fargo Private Bank
• Kathy and Paul Adkins
• Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation
• Robin and Charles Deyo
• Peggy Henry Van Dorp
• Hiromi and Robert Printz
• Carrie Rubin
• Sonia & Bernard Finkelstein
• Silvana & Barry Halperin
• Tracy and Rob Louv
• The Sam and Simone Spiegel Family FoundationAwards Sponsor
• E. M. Lynn FoundationBeverage Sponsor & Donor Reception Sponsor
• Saks Fifth AvenueHonoree Reception Sponsor
• PurePoint FinancialYouth Honoree Sponsor
• Eda & Cliff Viner Community Scholars FoundationCenterpiece Sponsor
• Plastridge Insurance Agency

Pictured are Aubrey Struhl and Gary Hildebrand/John Tolbert, Pamela Weinroth and Neil Meany/Neil Saffer, Gary Peters and Charles Bender.

Saturday morning, the Boca Raton Children’s Museum hosted an Earth Day Event. The high point of the day was a fashion show created with ♻️ recycled items. Great day to learn about how to be a steward of our world, going forward. Congratulations to Ellyn Okrent and her staff for creating an interactive venue to make learning fun.

Among the first such museums to be created in Florida, The Children’s Museum of Boca Raton is today the oldest in existence in the state, having remained true to its original intent and function. It is housed in the historic “Singing Pines,” circa 1913. The building was moved to its present location in Memorial Park in 1976 and dedicated to the community’s children when it opened as “Singing Pines Museum” in 1979.

The Museum’s mission is to broaden children’s awareness of the world around them and teach them how to problem solve through creative and scientific exploration.

To support the Boca Raton Children’s Museum, please consider making a donation at:  www.CMBoca.org/how-you-can-help/   (Pictured: Robert Weinroth, Scott Singer, Andy Thomson and Ellyn Okrent)

Best Foot Forward empowers foster care youth to maximize their educational outcomes by providing essential academic guidance & support. Their vision is for foster care youth to be afforded the same educational opportunities as all other children.

With Lisa and Jim Wheeler, Event Chairs and Lisa and Todd Orlando as Rising Chairs Best Foot Forward’s signature event, Dare to Dream, was held at the Polo Club of Boca Raton on Saturday evening.

Barbara C. Gutin served as Honorary Chair and Dr. John Kelly, President of Florida Atlantic University, was recognized as the Champion of Children.

Presenting sponsor was Laura and Shaw McCutcheon.

Additional sponsors included:

• Trend Capital Management
• Ascent Medial Group
• Burns Family Foundation
• Mainstreet Capital Partners
• Nelson Mullins Broad and Cassel
• Marilyn and Jay Weinberg
• Zimmerman Advertising
• Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation
• JM Family Enterprises
• Office Depot
• Paradise Bank

Community Sponsor:  Bloomingdale’s

Cocktail Reception Sponsor: Diane and Larry Feldman/Subway of South Florida

Valet Sponsor: Robin Trompeter and Andrew Scott

Jewelry Sponsor:  Cristino Fine Jewelry

Video Sponsor: Plum Productions

Entertainment Sponsor: Mike Sipe Entertainment

Journal Sponsor: Red Rock Printing

Floral Sponsor: J Adan Event Decorators

Design Sponsor: Dawn of Designs

Guests enjoyed a wonderful cocktail hour with an exciting silent auction, a fabulous dinner and live auction followed by dessert and dancing. (Pictured BFF Co-founders Donna Biase and Debbie Ellman with Robert Weinroth)

Coming Up Next Week

Celebrating its 26th-year, the Chiera Family Foundation will be chipping, dipping and margarita sipping at The Polo Club of Boca Raton, on May 5th. The organization is holding a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta fundraiser to help kids fighting cancer attend summer camp and college. The event’s signature golf tournament will take place the following day at The Old Course at Broken Sound Club. 

Guests attending on May 5 will enjoy a real Fiesta starting at 4:30PM followed by a sit-down dinner with entertainment provided by a live Mariachi Band. Silent and live auction items will also be available for bid.

The Chiera Family Foundation began as a tribute to the family’s patriarch Nick Chiera who passed away from cancer. The organization’s annual event has since evolved into one of the area’s largest fundraisers for children who battle cancer. The proceeds from the evening will directly support the foundation’s three programs: N.I.C.K.’s (Nothing is Impossible for Cancer Kids) Camp, N.I.C.K.’s Scholarships and N.I.C.K.’s Golf. Each summer, the foundation sends 150 kids to experience N.I.C.K.’s Camp at Camp Boggy Creek in Eustis, Florida while N.I.C.K.’s Scholarships offers young adults a chance to attend the college of their choice. The foundation also offers a program to teach kids who are undergoing chemotherapy how to golf through The First Tee of Broward. In March of this year through a generous grant from The Florida Panthers Foundation, a new program was also started called N.I.C.K.’s Ice Skating. Taking place at the Panther’s Ice Den, kids fighting cancer and their siblings are learning to ice skate.

“Seeing all of these children have fun like other kids and eventually beat cancer has been so rewarding,” said Louis Chiera, foundation board member and trustee. “As a result of the legacy of N.I.C.K.’s programs, we are now seeing our original campers and scholarship recipients graduating as doctors and social workers. Those same children we helped are now helping kids who are battling the same cancer they once had – it blows you away to see how this has come full circle.”

This year’s sponsor list includes longtime presenting sponsor KSM Electronics as well as other foundations and companies including Summit Brokerage, The Bomar Foundation, The Rubin Family Foundation, Carousel Development Corporation, USI Insurance, Nancy Schroeder, Winner’s Award Group, Institute of Career Development, The Florida Panther’s Foundation, and Bacardi USA.

Individual tickets are priced at $250 with tables starting at $2,250. For more information or to purchase tickets to N.I.C.K.’s Fiesta, please visit: https://www.chierafamilyfoundation.org/events/.

THE CUTTING-EDGE, INNOVATIVE SIDE OF ISRAEL!
Don’t miss Imagination Israel, featuring exciting and informative presentations of high-tech innovations developed in Israel by leading scientists and entrepreneurs in the fields of medicine, material and computer sciences, and engineering. It will be held on Wednesday, Mary 8^that 7PM at B’nai Torah Congregation (6261 SW 18^thSt Boca Raton FL).  Admission is free but online registration is required.

Imagination Israel is generously sponsored by:

• Hotwire Communications
• Polen Capital | The Silverman Group of Raymond James

Exclusive Magazine Sponsor: Boca Magazine

Newspaper Sponsor: The Florida Jewish Home

Presenting Partner: American Friends of the Hebrew University

For more information, go to: https://jewishboca.org/departments/advocacy/jcrc/rsvp_imagination_israel_050819/

Start Planning

The Teacher of the Year event began in 1987 as just a dream of Sunrise Rotarian and current Palm Beach County School Board member Frank Barbieri, starting with just four teachers from Spanish River High School, Loggers Run Middle School and Coral Sunset and Whispering Pines Elementary schools. Since that time over 500 teachers have been awarded this prestigious honor within the greater Boca Raton community.

Each year the Rotary Club of Boca Raton Sunrise has recognized outstanding teachers from the current twenty-two public schools in the greater Boca Raton area. The annual Gala attracts over two hundred guests who are treated to an exciting evening of cocktails, live music, honor guards, and a gourmet dinner. Chairing this year’s Awards Night, on May 16^th, are Dan Spandau and Peter Gary.Each of the twenty-two teachers being honored are presented with awards, a video recap of their accomplishments and a keynote speaker to close out the evening.  This year the event will be hosted at the Office Depot Corporate Headquarters.

Order your tickets at: www.eventbrite.com/e/33rd-annual-boca-raton-teacher-of-the-year-awards-event-tickets-tickets-57949751266

The Boca Chamber’s Business Awards Luncheon will celebrate entrepreneurs and business people who not only generate economic prosperity in our community, but also have a strong philanthropic involvement on Friday, May 24^th.

This Year’s Recipients Are:

Small Business Leaders of the Year
Roxana Scaffidi, Florida Accounting & Advisers

Business Leader of the Year
Sal Saldaña, Town Center at Boca Raton

Business of the Century
Plastridge Insurance Agency ~ Celebrating 100 Years in Business!

Please join us in honoring these remarkable businesses and leaders!

https://web.bocaratonchamber.com/events/Business-Awards-Luncheon-5154/register

The 8^th Annual Run for the Ribbons 5K/1 Mile will be held on Sunday June 2^nd at 7AM. 

Accuchip timing, Awards for Top 3 overall and 5 year age groups 10 & under, 11-14, 15-19… to 70+ and top 3 staff members/MD’s Male/Female. The scenic 5K course, beginning at Lynn Cancer Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital, takes the runners through the Old Floresta neighborhood. Produced by Runner’s Edge Foundation. Call Darci McNally DMcNally@brrh.com or 561-955-4501 for more information or www.brrh.com. All proceeds go to LCI League of Ribbons.

Gym competition: Largest team and fastest teams (consists of minimum 2 men and 2 women). Select your gym at registration and enter your code at checkout GYM2019

Price increase $5 after 5/29. Family registrations must be done in person at Runner’s Edge or by mail. Up to 5 immediate family members for $65.

Packet pickup at Runner’s Edge (3195 N. Federal Hwy, Boca Raton) May 26th-June 2nd noon or race morning 6am-7am at race site.

For many more events, visit my website www.BocaCal.com