How many times have we heard people say there is not enough good or positive news in the paper? I can count numerous times and I am going on the record to say it depends on the publication that one is reading.
By and large, there are far more good things happening in our neighborhoods than we realize.
I can attest that there have been more “good stories” than negative news in almost every edition of the Boca Raton Tribune in the past 14 months. That is not because our reporters and photographers go out searching for happy news. We are professionals and as such, we report the news -good with the bad – as we see it. As your community newspaper, we take pride in holding the mirror to the city for you to see.
Just recently, Florence Fuller Child Care Development Center, one of our premier child care providers in the city, recognized 28 men and three students who went above and beyond to make life better for those in their communities. As you read each nominee’s bio, it will warm your heart to know there are so many caring people and positive things happening around us. This was the 16th year that the organization has held the annual Men With Caring Hearts recognition program.
Florence Fuller has honored a tremendous group of people this year. The board and staff know quite well the value of a strong benevolent base, but, more importantly, they know the value of a strong community.
There also are those unsung heroes in our community such as Boca Raton’s Promise founder Rita Thrasher, who for several decades, first as an educator and in her retirement serving as an advocate for children’s causes. These days she devotes her time to bringing awareness to mental health issues.
Although she has been here less than a year, Ilene Glickman, head of the Children’s Department at Delray Beach Public Library, is carving her way into many families’ hearts.
Glickman, who took the helm after longtime librarian Dr. Lynda Hunter retired, comes with a wealth of innovative ideas to get kids develop a love for reading. She launched the digital media project where more than 30 elementary students spent six weeks making a public service announcement about the issue of bullying.
She is organizing cooking classes for kids and a Touch a Truck Day, where kids will get an opportunity to get a close up to one of those huge monsters.
Another rising community servant is Jervonte Edmonds, a young man from Lake Worth who founded Suits for Seniors in 2015. The nonprofit organization rewards participants for successfully completing its eight-week life skills-training program that teaches financial literacy, career exploration, college transition and leadership. To date more than 300 young men and one young lady are sporting suits, thanks to this group.
When you look at the people I mentioned about, these are ordinary people like you and me. What differentiates them is they find the time to give, they find the time to help and these men and women find the time to be wherever they are needed. Let us face I, many of us feel like we have less time. These people however, find more time.
We salute them all and wish them continued success in the future.