More room at the table for “We Dine Together” clubs at Boca high schools

Five years after the start-up, “We Dine Together” club’s still helping new students adjust at Boca Raton Community High School. Now its success has earned community support to expand.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation’s generous $12,000 donation will allow the nonprofit Boca Raton’s Promise to help this inclusion initiative grow new clubs in Boca Raton and Delray Beach public and non-public schools.

“We Dine Together” club members help new students assimilate by ensuring they don’t eat lunch alone. Conversations follow, and invitations are extended to join established club activities and find needed resources.

Started in 2017 by a then Boca High student, the school named AP English teacher Jordan Hernandez as club advisor. Hernandez expanded the reach to Spanish River High School, where his wife teaches. “We’ll do a leadership summit for planning. These dollars will allow us to eventually roll out to the rest of the county,” Hernandez said.

The initiative has the full support of The School District of Palm Beach County through Chief of Equality and Wellness Keith Oswald and district coordinator for student-based initiatives Kim Mazauskas.

“We Dine Together” club president Mateo Morales is a senior, and plans to bring the club concept to the college where he’s accepted. “It’s a mission,” he said.

“Students had the foresight to see the need and do something about it,” said Boca High principal Dr. Susie King.

With this gift, Foundation president Mark Larkin and Patricia Thomas, Boca Raton’s Promise founding board member and Boca Raton Regional Hospital Foundation board member attended the recent check presentation.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital continues mental health work started by Boca Raton’s Promise in 1999 as the nation’s first Hospital of Promise with help from the late Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell.

“This donation continues our work with the hospital foundation to lead the way to bring youth into leadership in Boca Raton,” Thomas said. “I hope ‘We Dine Together’ clubs will help fulfill the dream of the late Dr. Merrilee Middleton to offer youth leaders a chance to identify and solve today’s problems.”