Palm Beach Perspective

Talked with Barbara Abernathy, CEO, Pediatric Oncology Support Team (P.O.S.T.).  They have been providing support for families with children who are receiving cancer treatment for twenty-six years.  "POST provides counseling services, case management, financial crisis stabilization, support groups, hospital visits, educational planning, services for siblings and bereavement care."  The services are 100% free for families who have a child diagnosed with cancer. For more info listeners can call 561-882-6336 or go to POSTFL.org.  One of their big fundraisers is POST Gold Ribbon Heroes Luncheon on May 7th from 11:30am to 2pm at the Country Club at Mirasol.  This year's event is Mother's Day themed and will honor moms who have a child battling cancer.  There are auction items, wine raffle and a young ambassador who's been fighting Neuroblastoma stage IV for over 2 years. Tickets are $200 and can be purchased online.  You can also sponsor someone else's seat, volunteer to help, or make a donation at www.postfl.org.

Talked with Emilie Travis, Okeeheelee Nature Center (ONC) and Alissa Koch, Daggerwing Nature Center about upcoming Earth Day events and programs they offer.  Okeeheelee is having their Earth Day celebration on Saturday April 20th from 10am to 3pm.  They are starting the day off with several walks. 10am Guided Bird Walk, ONC & Audobon Everglades, 10:30am Guided Nature & Deer Walk, ONC & Florida Trail Association, 11am Pollinator Plant Walk, ONC & PBC Pack & Paddle, 11:3am Climate Change Impacts on Public Health by Dr. John Pipoly, Broward County Parks & FAU, 12:30pm Rehabilitated Animal Release, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, 1pm Live Bat Chat, Shari Blissett-Clark, Bat Belfries Inc, 2pm Live Reptile Show, SF Herpetological Society and 2:30pm Raffle drawing, Friends of Okeeheelee Nature Center.  Daggerwing is hosting their EarthDay event on Saturday April 27th from 10am to 2pm.  It's free and full of fun family freindly activites.  And when listeners arrive they can see the newly installed Peace Pole right in front of the butterfly gardens.  They can also submit their suggestions for the new baby alligator name.  Then on Saturday May 4th at 10:30am they hae Florida Animals: Purple Martin Conservation presentation.  Listeners can follow both nature centers on Social Media and get info by emailing ONC@pbc.gov or Daggerwing@pbc.gov.

Talked with Lauren Jenkins, Environmental Education Coordinator and Tessa Roberts, Senior Environmental Community Outreach Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator from Oxbow Eco Center. They are getting celebrating Earth Month and getting ready for their 20th St. Lucie Earth Day Festival.  Admission is free and they have multiple locations for parking with free shuttle service.  Music is provided by Neuvaux Honkies and there will me lots of food trucks including one run by the boys and girls club.  Listeners can come out and see over 70 vendors/exibhitors plus a silent auction. The "Be the Hamster" folks will be back with their interactive "snow cone" exhibit.  Listeners can get more info about the event at www.StLucieEarthDay.org.  To find out more about Oxbow, volunteer opportunities and programs, they can email at oxbow@stlucieco.org.

Talked with Bill Hayes, Producing Artistic Director of Palm Beach Dramaworks.  "Palm Beach Dramaworks is a professional nonprofit theatre company that engages, entertains and educates audiences with provocative and timeless productions that personally impact each individual."  Their Dramasworkshop is a lab for encouraging developing new plays and assisting playwrights to nurture their work.  They are running  Arthur Miller's Pulitzer Prize winning play, Death of a Salesman now through April 14th.  The last show for this season is Trying by Joanne McClelland Glass. Next year is their 25th season and they'll be running Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers, The Dresser, The Humans, Camping with Henry and Tom, and Dangerous Instruments.  For more information, listeners can go to www.palmbeachdramaworks.org.

Talked with Greg Quattlebaum, CEO, Quantum House.  Their mission: "Quantum House is a caring and supportive home that lessens the burden for families whose children are receiving treatment in Palm Beach County for a serious medical condition."  And for the month of March, Quantum House has teamed up with Jersey Mike's restaurants in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast for a month long fundrasing campaign.  When listeners orders in the store or online they can round up or add an extra donation that will go to Quantum House.  And on March 27th, 100% of the proceeds from the 27 participating Jersey Mike's restaurants will go to Quantum.  Listeners can also help by donating their time, making a meal, bringing in a therapy dog, or hosting their own 3rd party fundraising event.
To get more details they can go to www.quantumhouse.org.

Talked with Campbell Mobley, Curator, Flagler Museum and Elizabeth Dashiell about the Flagler Museum. The mission of the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum is to preserve and interpret Whitehall, Henry Flagler’s legacy, and America’s Gilded Age, in ways that inspire every generation to
perpetuate and emulate the traditions and values that have made America the most prosperous and generous nation in history.  "When it was completed in 1902, the New York Herald proclaimed that Whitehall, Henry Flagler's Gilded Age estate in Palm Beach, was "more wonderful than any palace in Europe, grander and more magnificent than any other private dwelling in the world." Today, Whitehall is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as the Flagler Museum, offering self-guided tours, changing exhibitions, and special programs."  Guests can enjoy various tours, check out the Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art exhibition, Blue Grass programs, Easter Egg event as well as tea in the Railcar 91.  For more information, listeners can go to www.flagermuseum.us.

Talked with Erick Gill, Director Communications Division St. Lucie County Florida. They have a wide variety programs for residents and visitors to enjoy. These are available at the Fenn Center
• Monday, March 11 @ 9 a.m. – Heart Health Walk
• Monday, March 11 @ 9 a.m. – Open Recreation - Pickleball & Basketball
• Monday, March 11 @ noon & 6 p.m. – Zumba Classes
• Tuesday, March 12 @ 9 a.m. – Heart Health Walk
• Tuesday, March 12 @ 9 a.m. – Open Recreation - Pickleball & Basketball
• Tuesday, March 12 @ noon – Yoga
• Tuesday, March 12 @ 6 p.m. – Zumba Classes
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 9 a.m. – Heart Health Walk
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 9 a.m. – Open Recreation - Pickleball & Basketball
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 6 p.m. – Yoga
• Wednesday, March 13 @ 6 p.m. – Zumba Class
Fenn Center also has basketball etc, during Spring Break which is coming up soon. Oxbow eco center has lots of fun programs and their summer camp registration is now available. Listeners can also go to SLCHikes.org and check out upcoming hikes, kayak trips. The libraries have book clubs, technology help, classes, digital services like Hoopla Digital and FreGal. There are also lots of fun activites for St. Patricks day and Earth Day. Listeners can go to www.stlucieco.gov or email to info@stlucieco.gov

Talked with Antoinette Giamalva, Library Supervisor, Adult Services, Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. Mandel is offering a wide variety of programs for the community during Women's "Herstory" month. Listeners can enjoy Women of Opera on Friday March 8th from 12:30-1:30pm, JASNA Presents Jane Austen and Being a Female Writer in Her TIme on Saturday March 16th from 2-3pm, The Power of the Prima Donna in the Nineteeth Century, Teen Movie Club on Saturday March 16th 2-4pm with the screening of Captain Marvel!, then they're hosting a Taylor Swift Party on Thursday March 21st from 2-3pm, plus more programs. For more info on all the programs for Women's Herstory month and additional library services, listeners can go to www.wpb.org and click on library.

Talked with Lowell Van Vechten, Co-Founder and Michael Broday, volunteer working at the marina for the free boat rides, Boating and Beach Bash for People with Disabilities. "It's their 15th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities – the nation’s largest, free, one-day event for people with disabilities, both seen and unseen – will again welcome back families who love the beach, boat rides and great musical entertainment. Presented by the American Disabilities Foundation (ADF), the Bash returns to Boca Raton’s Spanish River Park, which is conveniently located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway to give guests easy access to the beach and free boat rides. Always a highlight are the free boat rides, safely held by volunteer boat captains who donate their vessels for a day of fun. On the other side of the park, special MoBi mats are laid on the sand and assistants are on-hand to give everyone access to the water. The 15th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday, March 2, 2024, at 3001 North Ocean Blvd. (A1A), Boca Raton, FL 33431. Also returning to the Bash is #1 Billboard recording artist, songwriter and actress Kendra Erika."
For more info, listeners can go to www.boatingbeachbash.com.

Talked with Jen Scott and Elizabeth Dashiell about the upcoming 30th Annual Lake Worth Streeet Festival. It's put on by the City of Lake Worth for community engagement. Artists sign up ahead of time and get approved by going to https://spf.lakeworthbeachfl.gov/. This year it's on February 24th and 25th . Over 600 artists use the pavement as their canvas for art and masterpiece reproductions.
Listeners can come to downtown Lake Worth (Lake and Lucerne) to enjoy this free community event and watch as the artists create their street paintings. Parking can be challenging so they are offering free shuttle service from the Lake Worth Tri Rail station and Palm Beach State College. Note- the event is not pet friendly.

Talked with Dana Munson, Marketing Dir., Kravis Center and Elizabeth Dashiell about the upcoming 18th African American Film Festival that happening at the Rinker Playhouse from February 15-18. The whole 6 show series is $70 (a savings of $30). The theme this year is Inventing Beauty, curated by Terri Francis and all films have a panel discussion following the screening. "Dr. Francis and her special guests will take you on a cinematic journey through the social, historical and personal dynamics of how we learn and question what and who we (should) find beautiful in the context of ground-breakingand gorgeous African American films." They will be showing Losing Ground/short An Ecstatic Experience, Bright Road/Short Seventh Grade, Island in the Sun, Ruby Bridges, Daughters of the Dust/short When Angels Speak of Love and Black Barbie. For more information about the film festival and to get tickets, listeners can go to www.kravis.org.

Talked with Laura Issac Norton from Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. FAU Harbor Branch has a wide variety of programs for the community including their newest addition, a life size humpback whale that listeners can actually walk inside and check out the inner workings. On Friday and Saturday they have the "Discovery" boats tours of the Indian River Lagoon.
From February - May on the 2nd Saturday of the month they are offering free workshops to the public about Aquaculture.
"Topics include: - February 10: Florida seafood - March 9: Finfish - April 13: Shrimp, clams, and oysters - May 11: Restorations and aquariums Workshops are geared toward public audiences- we welcome seafood lovers, educators, students, and all interested community members, as well as culinary, agriculture and business professionals. Sessions are free and open to the public; advanced registration is required to attend. This one-time registration will provide you with a pass for the entire series. Workshops will be hosted at FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (5600 US 1 North, Fort Pierce, FL 34946) and recordings of the sessions will be posted online. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to attend the whole series. To register and find more information visit www.fau.edu/hboi/aquaculture-workshops or call the Ocean Discovery Visitors Center at 772-242-2293."

Talked with Scott Simmons, Public Relations Manager, Norton Museum of Art. The Norton has a wonderful variety of programs/exhibitions running now. Artists in Motion (Impressionist and Modern Masterpieces) is running now through February 18th. And Presence (the photography collection of Judy Glickman Lauder) is on view through March 10th. Coming up on Saturday Feb 10th the Norton will offer Free Admission for Lunar New Year Community Day! They'll be celebrating the Year of the Dragon. Guests can see a shadow puppet show and watch both Dragon and Lion dancers. Storytelling sessions throughout the day and fireworks to wrap things up. The Norton has Art After Dark each Friday from 5p-10pm Cost: $10, $5 for students. First Friday is jazz, third are artist tours.
For more info listeners can go to www.norton.org

Talked with Misty Stoller, Assoc. Director of Marketing & Communications, Mounts Botanical Gardens and Kevin Box, Artist for Origami in the Garden. "Mounts Botanical Garden is Palm Beach County’s oldest and largest botanical garden. With a mission to inspire and educate through nature and a history spanning more than 40 years, Mounts Botanical is hidden gem located in the heart of the Palm Beaches behind Palm Beach International Airport. The nationally-acclaimed attraction is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Visitors to this 20-acre tropical oasis will see an acclaimed collection of 25 display gardens containing more than 7,000 species of tropical and sub-tropical plants, including Florida native plants, exotic and tropical fruit trees, ornamentals, herbs, palms, roses, cactus, succulents, bromeliads, orchids, and more. In addition, numerous cultural and educations activities draw visitors to enjoy, appreciate, and learn from this sanctuary of tranquil beauty." They do wonderful exhibitions and currently have "Origami in the Garden" running through May 12th. Kevin and his team created larger than life sculptures from a page size origami they designed. The sculptures are set throughout the garden and listeners can enjoy the tour along with narration provided by Mounts. For info on all the events/exhibitions/time/tickets/volunteer opportunities, listeners can go to www.mounts.org.

Talked with Elizabeth Dashiell, Elizabeth@dashiellcommunications.com about all the holiday/new year events around Palm Beach and the Treasure coast including: Kravis Center, upcoming shows, Mounts Botanical - origami in the garden, LakeWorth Playhouse, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Flagler Museum and their exhibitions, The Wick, Armory Art Center, Lighthouse Center for the Arts, Cox Science Center and their Titanic Exhibit, Ballet Palm Beach, M&M Theatre Productions, Smithsonian Marine Station - Aquarium After Dark, The Norton museum's upcoming photography exhibits and their fun Art After Dark Series every Friday night and Culture and Cocktails upcoming season at The Ben -www.palmbeachculture.com. We also discussed Palm Beach Shakespeare's upcoming season and how listeners can audition. PBShakespeare.org.

Talked with Meghan Buser, Community Relations & Event Planning Consultant for Lights4Hope.
"Lights 4 Hope, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created to help bring happiness and hope to families in need.Their mission is to spread joy and to help local families whose child is suffering from terminal illness or from a life changing physical change. They work with local hospitals and community partners to identify families struggling to find joy throughout the year and especially during the holiday season. The team then performs hospital and home visits to provide decorations, presents, and gift cards to these loving families during their toughest times. With the support of our sponsors and donors, Lights 4 Hope, Inc. is able to fulfill its mission and help numerous children and families each year. Their big fundraiser is the Hoilday Light Display at Okeeheelee Park going on now through 12/30/23. Listeners can get info on the dates/tickets/sign up to be a volunteer/make a donation at www.lights4hope.org

Talked with Pamela Weinthrop, Executive Director, Barbara Steller, Board Member and Linda Schaps, Board Member, Children's Founation of Palm Beach County. The Children's Foundation's mission is to identify and fund projects at charities in Palm Beach County to aid "at-risk" children and their families. They have worked with over 30 charities to help feed, clothe, provide medical/dental care, provide beds, access to summmer camps and more. One of their big fundraisers is coming up. It's their 3rd annual Walk the Walk during Palm Beach marathon weekend happening on December 9th at Post Park, 104 Datura St., West Palm Beach. Tickets are $50 general/$150 VIP, children under 12 are free. This year they've added a Shop and Sip event at the Royal Poinciana Plaza Courtyard on December 8th from 5-7pm. Portions of the sales will go to the Children's Foundation. Listeners can get program details, event info, tickets, make donations, sign up to be a volunteer or sponsor at www.childrensfoundationpbc.org. Airs 11-26 and 12/3/23

Talked with Allison Jimenez, MS, MHC, Director of Programs and Lindsey White, CFRE, Chief Advancement Officer from Hanley Foundation. Their mission is one of eliminating addiction always in their purview, with their targeted and time-tested approach incorporating four primary mission areas:
Prevention, Advocacy, Treatment and Recovery Support. Learn more about Hanley Foundation’s mission and vision. Some of their programs include Project Copy and Project Hope. The next fundraiser is the Brice Makris Brunch on December 10th from 11am-2pm at Boca West Country Club. Then in February 15, 2024 Palm Beach Dinner at the Sailfish Club of Florida and a Golf Classic on April 15th. For more details on events, services, volunteer opportunities, donations, sponsorships listeners can go to www.hanleyfoundation.org

Talked with Arlene Lazzaro, 2nd Vice President, Gem and Mineral Society of the Palm Beaches. Their mission is "to gather people of the Palm Beach Area who enjoy gathering, cutting, displaying and studying rocks, shells, artifacts and other object of interest and to promote community interest in these objects. Their 56th annual Gem and Mineral Show is on November 18-19, 2023 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center East. They will have gems, mineral, jewelry, bead and fossil shows. Guest lectures, demonstrations, cracking geodes and a mine where you can sieve for gems. Tickets are $10 for adults and children under 12 are free. Two day adult admission is $15. Listeners can get a $1 off coupon on either their Facebook page or the website. www.gmspb.org. The society also offers classes on lapidary, making cabachons, a research library, cold connection metal jewelry classes and more. Listeners can go to www.gmspb.org to sign up for classes, become volunteers, vendors or make a donation.

Talked with Gabby Barbarite McHenry, Ph.D., Director of Outreach & Engagement Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. They are one of the 71 exhibitors at this years Indian River Lagoon Science Festival. It's going to be from 10am - 3pm on November 18th at 600 N Indian River Drive, Ft. Pierce, FL. The IRL Science Festival is a free event that's designed to bring a variety of hands-on STEAM activities to the public. The goal is to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for everyone at every age. Some of the exhibitors are: Mad Science of Palm Beach (fire and ice show+ fantastic forces booth) Little Medical School of the Treasure coast (create a suture model) InWater Research Group – sea turtle exploration Smithsonian Marine Station – Baby corals + save a coral with slime Oxbow eco center Boy Scouts of America/TC District – blast into scouting FAU Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute – Explore the Marine Mammal Ambulance + Mission: Ocean Discovery West Gate K-8 – Silly Slime Morningside elementary - energy & everglades expo Florida medical entomology Lab – Mosquitos: Friend or Foe? St. Lucie County Mosquito Control – mosquito management The Manatee Center = Do Manatee have bone marrow FL Dept of Agricultural and Consumer Services DPI = Build a Beetle-Air Potato Bio Control USAG AUX – marine safety and environment Ft Pierce Police Dept St Lucie County Solid Waste – Recycling Right St. Lucie County Parks and Recreation ORCA Ocean Research & Conservation Association – What’s in the Water Importance of Biological Surveys IRSC Science – Candy DNA and Rocks from Space Samual S Gaines Academy of emerging technologies – Fun with Robots Max Planck – Control a robot with your muscles Port. St. Lucie Amateur Radio Association – Riding Carrier Waves (morse code) Stella Maris Environmental Research – Base-ick Secret messages Environmental Learning Center – Plankton Lab Ft pierce Westwood Academy/MOA – Sea Turtle Mortality Ecological Assoc. – A Day in the Life of a Sea Turtle Biologist Loggerhead Marinelife Center – Jr Sea turtle veterinarians Save the Chimps – Chimpanzee Enrichment Friends of the Everglades – Alligator Showdown FL Real Estate Navigators – Alligator Salt Art FDEP-IRL Aquatic Preserves – Critters of Oyster Reef & button making Florida Oceanographic Society – Sharks & Rays Indian River Lagoon Nat’l Estuary Program- Living Lagoon Friendly Photo Booth St. Lucie County Library St. Lucie county Master Gardener Volunteers – Wheel game University of Florida Indian River Research and Education Center – Pin the bug on the host plant St. Lucie Audubon Society – How many birds do you know? Listeners can find the complete list, sign up to volunteer, become a sponsor and more at www.irlsciencefest.org.

Talked with Greg Hazle, Executive Director, Boca Helping Hands. Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is a community based non-profit that provides food, medical, financial, educational, job training, mentoring services to help create self-sufficiency for it's patrons. They help nearly 35,000 people/year. BHH is celebrating is 25th birthday. As the holidays get closer they are doing the "Thanksgiving Box Brigade" to provide familys with thanksgiving dinner. They also do a bowling for bread, pack the pantry, cereal challenge, Monopoly fundraiser just to name a few. Listeners can find out more about the services, sign-up, become a donor, or become a volunteer by going to www.bocahelpinghands.org

Talked with Georgia Boyer, Communications and Brand Manager, American Humane. American Humane has been promoting the welfare and safety of animals since1877. They have a wide variety of programs. One that most folks see is the Humane Hollywood, "No animals were harmed in the making of this movie" or safety seals on eggs, etc at the store. They just finished the voting on the Hero Dogs and their Hero Dogs Awards Gala will be happening at the Breakers this year on November 10th. Their are five categories and a finalist for each. The overall winner will be announced at the Gala. Finalists are:
Emerging Hero and Shelter: Raina
Law Enforcement and First Responder: Poppy
Therapy: Maverick
Military: Buda
Service and Guide/Hearing: Moxie
Listeners can see the dogs and their bios on www.herodogawards.org
They can also find out more at www.americanhumane.org

Talked with Owen O'Neill, Matt Lincoln and Messiah Boisson from Clinics Can Help. Clinics Can Help is "a nonprofit agency based in Palm Beach County, Florida that collects used durable medical equipment so that it can be distributed to those who need it most. We are proud to be Florida’s largest not-for-profit organization that recycles and re-uses medical equipment." They work with local agencies and volunteers to provide greatly needed medical equipment including cribs for babies so they have safe space to sleep. They have a Cribs for Kids Luncheon, Friday November 10th at Sailfish Club Palm Beach. And they are adding another fundraising event called Clays for Kids at Quail Creek Sporting Ranch, February 23, 2024. Matt is the chair for this year's golf tournament. It's their 10th Annual Golf Tournament and one of their big fundraisers benefiting the Kinder Project. The registration is on their website www.clinicscanhelp.org. While there, listeners can make donations either financial or equipment, become a volunteer, sponsor an event and find out how to get help. Their 10th Annual Golf Classic will be on Friday, October 27 at The Wanderers Club in Wellington, FL 33409 and is sponsored by: Gil Martinez Agency ~ State Farm plus many more that are on the website. There are still sponsorship opportunities available. For more info, listeners can call 561-640-2995.

Talked with Colleen Smith, Founding Artistic and Executive Director of Ballet Palm Beach and Elizabeth Dashiell, PalmBeachPR about their 2023-2024 season. They are currently in rehearsals for their upcoming show at the Kravis Block Party on October 14th. It's free and open to everyone. They'll be performing Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet as well as Peter Pan & Tinkerbell this season at the Kravis Center. Listeners can get tickets at balletpalmbeach.org or kravis.org. Ballet Palm Beach is the only professional ballet company in Palm Beach County and offers a variety of programs including, "Ballet in the Balcony", "Ballet by the Book" as well as "Ballet Ambassadors". Listeners can find out more about the academy, programs, performances, buy tickets, make donations at. www.balletpalmbeach.org.

Talked with Michelle O'Boyle, Founder, Kid's Cancer Foundation. "Kids Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity founded in 2001, whose mission is to provide hope and support to local children and families battling childhood cancer. We accomplish this by providing compassionate, easily accessible supportive care services." September is kid's cancer awareness month. They offer a wide variety of services/programs including: Pedicatric Oncology Patient Care Navigator, Child Enrichment, Education Advocacy, Counseling & Bereavement, and Community Outreach & Events. Two of their events are coming up in October: 16th Annual Kids Cancer Foundation Golf Tournament on October 6th at Banyan Golf Club and Kids Cancer Foundation's 5k Walk/Run on October 28th at Common's Park in Royal Palm Beach. Listeners can sign up for the events, become a volunteer/sponsor by going to www.kidscancersf.org.

Talked with Vanessa Moss, Dir of Communications, Palm Health Foundation. Palm Health Foundation's vision is to provide all Palm Beach County residents the opportuites to reach their full health potential by inspiring and funding solutions for better health in the county via community collaboration. They are working on a brain health initiative to advance brain health in PBC. Towards that goal they designate October as "Train the Brain Month" and this year have 3 free events promoting the Neuroarts. They are: The Art of Learning A Cross-Curricular Art Show and Symposium Thursday, October 19th 5:30p-7:30pm at A.D. Henderson University School 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton; The Power of Public Art: A Lunch and Learn on Tuesday October 24th 11a-1pm at Boynton Beach Arts and Cultural Center 125 E Ocean Ave Boynton Beach; The Science of Singing Thursday October 26th 5:30p-7:30p at Cox Science Center and Aquarium 4801 Dreher Trail N. West Palm Beach. Listeners can register online at www.palmhealthfoundation.org and get more info about volunteers opportunities as well.

Talked with Phala, Oscar and Charlotte from the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. They have a great 2023-2024 season lined up. Kravis on Broadway includes Chicago, Mean Girls, Beetlejuice, To Kill a Mockingbird, Six, and Hamilton is returning for a two week run. They also have the fun crowd pleaser, Mamma Mia in the Summer of 2024. There will be celebrity shows such as Candace Bushnell author of Sex and the City, Mandy Patinkin, and Chazz Palminteri with his one man show, A Bronx Tale. For the dance lovers, they have Ballet Hispanico, Hideaway Circus: Beyond Babel, MOMIX/Alice, Step Africa, Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance, and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Lots of comedy this season including Fortune Feimster on New Years Eve. They've updated the classical series into evenings and matinees and are featuring the debut of Vienna Philharmonic and patrons can enjoy the return of Itzhak Perlan with "In The Fiddler's House" Klezmer band. Music from The Commodores kicks off the season. The Kravis a great family fare line up including sensory friendly shows. Listeners can get more info/tix at www.kravis.org

Talked with Gabby Barbarite McHenry, Ph.D., Director of Outreach & Engagement, Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. "FAU Harbor Branch prioritizes solution-oriented research that addresses critical issues affecting coastal zone, oceans, and human well-being." As part of their outreach, they've created a boat tour on a floating lab, Discovery. On this educational tour listeners can learn about the Indian River Lagoon and it's importance in the ecosystem. The lagoon reaches 156 miles along Florida's east coast and has more that 4,000 plant and animals species (50 are threatended or endangered). It's offered 10:30am on Fridays and Saturdays and again at 1pm on Saturday. To book a boat tour, listeners can go to www.fau.edu/hboi/bookatour or by calling 772-242-2293. They also have a campus tour, volunteer opportunities, upcoming events at IRL Science Festival in November, Ocean Science lecture series, Marine Science Friday lecture series, speakers bureau, ocean science art contest, citizen science projects - one includes dolphin spotting. For more info, listeners can go to fau.edu.

Talked with Megan Harris, Interpretation & Stewardship Coordinator, Oxbow Eco Center. Oxbow Eco center is "both a nature preserve and an environmental learning center in Port St. Lucie, Florida, situated on 225-acres along the North Fork of the St Lucie River. It is the Environmental Education and Community Outreach Division of St. Lucie County’s Environmental Resources Department. Their mission is to cultivates knowledge, nurtures a sense of wonder and inspires stewardship for the natural world through education, artistic expression, collaboration, volunteerism & celebration." They have a lot of cool programs to engage all ages. The Little Acorns Toddler program is starting in September. It's designed to foster developmental skills, contribute to cognitive, emotional and physical development and enhance critical thinking and creativity. Listeners can pre-register by call 772-785-5833 or email oxbow@stluciecolorg. Oxbow has added a new backpack program that contains items a family can use to check out one of the trails/preserves, such as binoculars, birding guide. They can pick it up at the center in the morning and need to return it by 4pm. They can also find lists of other programs, sign up to be a volunteer, or make a donation by going to www.oxbowecocenter.com.

Talked with Charlie Birnbaum, Film Director, Stonzek Theatre Manager, LDub Film Festival and Elizabeth Dashiell, Swede Fest Palm Beach. Swede Fest Palm Beach is premiering opening night of this year's LDub Film Festival on September 22nd at the Lake Worth Playhouse. Then the LDub Film Festival continues September 23rdn and 24th at the Stonzek Theatre. Listeners can create their own Swede. A "swede" is a 3 minute "no-budget, laughably bad remake of a hit Hollywood film." A term that comes from the 2008 comedy, "Be Kind Rewind". It's the 9th annual Swede Fest Palm Beach and listeners can reach out to info@swedefestpalmbeach.com to find out if the movie they want to spoof is available. So far, CLUE, TITANIC, SCREAM, LITTLE MERMAID, STEP BROTHERS, MONTY PYTHON DEAD PARROT, AND GHOSTBUSTERS HAVE BEEN CLAIMED. Anyone with any type of camera may submit a swede for free. All films must be under three minutes and PG-13, even if the “source material” is not. This means finding creative ways to get around any violence, objectionable language, and nudity. Open call begins now; the deadline is Sept.1. All films must be submitted to info@swedefestpalmbeach.com via Dropbox or similar digital transfer platforms. For those interested in sweding a film, email info@swedepalmbeach.com and call dibs on the film title first. Examples can be found at vimeo.com/swedefestpalmbeach. The ninth annual swede fest palm beach takes place at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22 at the Lake Worth Playhouse, at 713 Lake Ave., Lake Worth Beach. Info: swedefestpalmbeach.com. It's the 11th annual LDub Film Festival and they air a wide variety of films. "The LDUB Festival seeks exciting new features and shorts, narratives and documentaries, music videos, animations and experimental works to delight our audiences. While the festival has no geographic restrictions we encourage works from S. Florida filmmakers and invite accepted filmmakers to attend the festival and meet other artists and the audiences. Submissions will be judged by a panel of critics and filmmakers as well as our audiences." Listeners can find out more at Lakeworthplayhouse.org/ldubfilmfestival and submit films at filmfreeway.com/ldubfilmfestival.

Talked with Benji Studt, Public Outreach Program Supervisor, Dept of Environmental Resources Managemnt (ERM) Palm Beach County. "Benji Studt is a scientist, conservation photographer, nature communicator, and explorer. For the last 7 years, Benji has led ERM’s public outreach team with the goal of inspiring real connections between the residents and visitors of the Palm Beaches, and the incredible public lands system that makes this area so special." PBC has 34 Natural Areas, 28 with public use facilities-listeners can find them at pbcnaturalareas.com. There are mutli-use trails, 4 main trails connect over 160,000 acres of public land and can be found at jeagawildways.com. PBC ERM on a 7th and 10th grade science curriculum in partnership with Discover the Palm Beaches - listeners can check it out at www.hiddenwildfilm.com. With this Summer being so hot, early morning and evening outings are the best times to enjoy paddling at some of the natural areas... Loxahatchee Slough, Pine Glades, Winding Waters, Snook Islands, South Cove, Peanut Island, Munyon Island, MacArthur Beach, Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse, Sawfish, Fullteron Island, and Wild & Scenic Loxahatchee River (lots of these have kayak/canoe rental facilities). Activities that may be good for folks with mobility issues: Frenchman's Forest and Delray Oaks. For families with young children two natural areas are great, Pondhawk (which includes "Storywalk") and N Jupiter Flatwoods (certified Autism friendly). The next event is August 19th - Night for the Natural Areas at Twisted Trunk Brewing in Palm Beach Gardens. $25/person venmo/cash. Listeners can sign up to participate in programs, become volunteers and get info at www.pbcerm.com.

Talked with Shawn Berry and Holly Stewart from Young Singers of the Palm Beaches. Their mission is to "transform the lives of young singers in our community by:
breaking down social barriers, developing life skills, providing an outlet for creativity, and fostering good citizenship." Young Singers of the Palm Beaches (YSPB) is "Palm Beach County's award-winning community-based children's choir. They teach life skills through music by giving children an atmosphere of artistic excellence in which they develop teamwork and leadership skills, form supportive friendships, and serve as ambassadors in their community." The singers range from 2nd grade to Seniors in Highschool. The performance choirs rehearse and perform at the Kravis Center. They also have a Choir in the Glades elementary and middle school choirs and yspb produces after-school choirs at Title 1 elementary schools with funding from Prime Time Palm Beach County, Inc., which receives funding from Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County. YSPB offers summer camp, south county choir and music lessons (a PrimeTime resource). YSPB does two big performances at the Kravis Center, Winter Tapestry and Spring Concert. Students will be working with opera and older students taking a trip to perform in Carnegie Hall in 2024. They are always looking for volunteers and donations. Students who are interested need to audition and can sign up at www.yspb.org

Talked with Dr. Flora Bentsi-Enchill, Dentist and Laurel Dalton, Exec. Dir., T. Lerory Jefferson Medical Society. "Named after the first African-American physician in Palm Beach County, T. Leroy Jefferson Medical Society (TLJMS) is a professional organization that focuses on helping underserved populations in our community. TLJMS provides health education programs, youth mentoring programs, speakers on health issues, as well as health fair medical screenings to school children and adults. We also provide scholarships for deserving students, and other healthcare, education, and youth development services." They are hosting their 22nd Annual Community Health Fair on Saturday August 5th from 9am-2pm and the Max M. Fisher Boys & Girls Club of Riviera Beach located at 221 W. 13th Street, Riviera Beach, FL 33404. They will be offering back-to-school physicals, medical/dental screenings, health education and resources plus free school supplies. They also have community service volunteer opportunites for students. Listeners who'd like more info can reach out to them at tljmedicalsociety.org or call 561-318-0814.

Talked with Rob Russell and Gary Schweikhart from Arts Garage. Arts Garage is having a very special benefit concert: LOVING AVERY: A Musical Salute to Avery Sommers on July 23rd. It will be headlined by singers Rob Russell and Anthony Nunziata, along with special guests Copeland Davis, Patty Chamberlain, Tony Siders and Meri Ziev, Music Director Phil Hinton (piano), Frank Derrick on drums and Vla Shaffer on bass will be performing 7pm on July 23rd. Tickets are $75 with 100% of proceeds going to Avery and available by calling Arts Garage at 561-450-6357 or going to www.artsgarage.org. Arts garage as poetry nights, open mic nights, author speaks series, etc and listners can get all that info at the website www.artsgarage.org (aired 7/16 and 7/23)

Talked with Pat Rash, Park Supervisor and Alissa Koch, Naturalist & Volunteer Coordinator, Riverbend Park. Riverbend is located at 9060 Indiantown Road, Jupiter. They offer a wide variety of programs to the community. There are free Naturalist Walks every Friday at 9am. They have horse back riding trails. The farmstead, sawmill and battefield are also located at the park. Listeners can sign up for Archery classes (age 8+) or Night Hikes (age 8+) or Orienteering (age 8+). Coming up Thursday July 13th 9:30am is Birding Basics or South Florida Animals :Mammals on Satrurday July 22 9:30am (age 5+ $5/each). Then Fishing Fun on July 29th at 9:30am (age 8+ $10/each). To make reservations call 561-741-1359. Riverbend also has lots of hiking/biking trails and folks can rent kayaks/bikes at Jupiter Outdoor vendor at the park. To get info/make reservations, listeners can go to www.pbcparks.com and for info on Riverbend, www.pbcnature.com

Talked with Willie Puz, Manager of Legislature and Public Affairs, Solid Waste Authority (SWA). The SWA is a governmental entity that is charged with providing economical and environmentally conscious integrated solid waste management system for Palm Beach County. They were ranked number two in the state in 2021 by Department of Environmental Protection. Their recycling component recycles about 100,000 tons of curbside recyclables each year keeping it out of the landfill. This has allowed them to extend the longevity of the current landfill until 2054 instead of closing it in 2011 and allowing time to site another location for future needs. SWA has a campaign to alert customers about the danger of Lithium Ion batteries. They are highly flammable and cannot go in the regular trash. Customers need to drop them off at one of the 7 HCRC (Home Chemical adn Recycling Centers) in the county. They also take motor oil, cooking oil, regular batteries, paint, electronics, and listeners can find a complete list on the website: www.swa.org. They can also request new yellow/blue recycling bins and see a list of what items can be put in those curbside bins. They also have educational programs for middle schoolers and teachers. In addition, SWA is working with community events for their "recycle right" program. Listeners can sign up online at www.swa.org

Talked with Trent Stephens, Artistic Director and Elizabeth Dashiell from Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival. They are performing Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" play this year. It's the 33rd year for Shakespeare by the Sea at Carlin Park in Jupiter and year 3 for Shakespeare by the Palms in at Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach. The play will run Thursday-Sunday July 6-July 16 at Carlin Park in Jupiter and then July 20-23 at Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach. The performances are free (donations are gladly accepted) and start at 8pm parks gates open at 6:30pm. Listeners can bring their own food/chairs/blankets or buy something at the food truck. For more details, www.pbshakespeare.org

Talked with Bert Moreschi, Herb Price, Tom Giblin and John Wright from the Jupter Tequesta Repeater Group (JTRG). They are an ARRL (American Radio Relay League) affiliated special service club. They promote Amateur Radio (Ham radio) and provide community assistance. They recently met with Emergency Operations Center about offering assistance during emergencies such as hurricanes/tornadoes and did a "Hurricane Alice simulation" to make sure everything is set up for this upcoming hurrican season. Listeners can find out more about the club by attending their upcoming "Field Day" event June 24th/25th at the Carlin Park Civic Center in Jupiter. They'll have a variety of setups avalable to check out and listeners can try and "Make Contact" themselves. Bert teaches classes and the schedule is available on their website along with their community services projects (like Adopt a Highway) and info on Field Day event, www.jtrg.org.

Talked with Yvette Acevedo Flores, CEO, and Damian Perez from Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties. The charity has been around for over hundred years and their mission is to "create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth".
Listeners can sign up to become a "Big" or enroll their children to become "Littles" by going to www.mentorbig.org. BBBS will then match them based on their mutual interests. The program is free and one of the ways they support it is by doing events. Damian is working on their upcoming Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Palm Beach & Martin Counties Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser. It's going to be at Greenacres bowl on June 3rd. Listeners can create teams to fundraise by collecting donations. They have lots of funs games/prizes planned for the day. Then in October on Tuesday 10/10/23, listeners can enjoy a "Foodie" fundraiser, Big Taste of Martin County. That takes place at Atlantic Aviation. For details on the events, to volunteer, sign up, join the board or make a donation, listeners can go to www.mentorbig.org or follow them on FB/Instagram.

Talked with Jeston Brown, Farm Manager, Westgate Community Farm and Anuella Alexandre, Founder, A Green Community FL. Westgate Community Farm is an urban education and production farm, that offers fresh produce, education programs and a lush green space. It's at 1130 Wabasso Drive West Palm Beach, FL 33409. They are wrapping up their season but have 2 more workshops available, Sarturday 5/20 - Vegetable Dye and then 5/27 Seed Saving. Listeners can go to www.westgatecommunityfarm.com to get more info on classes, volunteering, becoming a donor. A Green Community FL works on creating green spaces within schools, community centers and homes. They encourage students to participate in garden science lessons. Their mission is to educate and empower members of the community with knowledge and life skills to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. Anuella had two programs coming up: Saturday 5/27 and 6/17. Listeners can get more info by going to www.agreencommunityfl.org.

Talked with Hilary Greene, Media Relations, Quincy Bruckerhoff, Adult Programs Manager, Jodi Sypher, Dir. of Adult Learning & Engagment and Zoe Spanbrock, Asst. Media Relations from the Norton Musuem of Art. The Norton has a wide variety of programs planned for Summer 2023. As part of Mental Health awareness month, listeners can benefit from experiencing Art. Listeners can enjoy Art After Dark every Friday night. They have two community days planned including one for Juneteenth on Saturday, June 17th (Free admission that day). And starting Saturday 5/27 Admission is Free for Palm Beach County Residents every Saturday. They have permanent exhibits as well hasspecial exhibitions. Current Special Exhibtions include: From Man Ray to O'Keefe: American Mondernism at the Norton, At the Dawn of a New Age: Early Twentieth-Century American Modernism, Akin: Capturing Human Intimacy and Tenderness (curator of this exhibition will do a presentation at an upcoming Art After Dark), New Your Vanguard: Promised Gifts from Stephen and Madeline Anbinder, Special Guest: Beaching the Boat A Masterpiece by Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida,
Special Guest: A Quiet Abiding: Jacobus Vrel's Interior with a Sick Woman by a Frieplace in The Leiden Collection, Symbolic Messages in Chinese Animal Paintings, and Project Room: Amercian Collection New York Mural by Stuart Davis. They also, have free classes for Tai Chi starting on June 1st on the lawn 8am-10am. Saturday they also have Family Studio. For more details or to sign up to become volunteers, get student hours, or become a donor, Listeners can go to www.norton.org

Talked with Jackie Lambert, Emilie Travis, Daniella Robbins, PBC Parks & Rec Dept, and Shelly Rosenberg, Audubon Everglades/Purple Martin. May is Mental Health Awareness and Trauma Informed Care Month and Purple Martin month in PBC. The role of PBC Parks in Mental Health is, " : Parks and recreation agencies are an underutilized health care resource. They create healthy communities and play a fundamental role in enhancing the physical environments in which we live. Through facilities, outdoor settings and services provided, they support good health for people of all abilities, ages, socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities. Parks provide a connection to nature, which studies demonstrate relieves stress levels, tightens interpersonal relationships and improves mental health. In addition, they foster overall wellness and healthful habits, such as engaging in enrichment opportunities that add balance to life. " Some of the upcoming programs are: Night Hike, Walk with Ease, Sunset Stroll, Pickleball and Archery. Listeners can also enjoy the benefits of mental wellness while participating in a Purple Martin hike/tour. Shelly is hosting programs at Okeeheelee Nature Center and Riverbend Park to help create awareness of the purple martin. They are swallow like birds that rely on humans 100% for their habitat. They live in gourd like houses and are an indicator species. Listeners can come register online at http://pbcparks.com or go to www.auduboneverglades.org. Listeners can also sign up to be volunteers, including an "Okee Teen" volunteer, register for a class, find a complete list of parks/events or to sponsor the park for a day. Also, PBC is doing Get Your Green On, pbcbirthto22.com and folks can show support by wearing green on May 18th.

Talked with Antoinette Giamalva, Programming Librariran and Luckas Arias-Torfs, Librarian - Technology Department from Mandel Public Library. They have "May the Fandom Be With You, (a month-long celelbration of all thing geek)" starting Saturday, April 29th. It includes a wide variety of programs such as Celebrate 60 years of Dr. Who, Learn about sel-publishing with Janelle Gabay,
Meeple Meetup, screenwriting 101 workshops, May the Fandoms be with you: Pop Culture Club, Lights Camera Dragons, Hero's Journey with All Things Narrative, Design 3D-Print Dungeons & Dragons Miniature, Kowai Yo! Demons & Monsters, Getting to Know Japan's Mascots, How to make a comic, Author expo, Disney News with DisNickie, Artist expo, etc. For more information on May the Fandom events or the other services provding by Mandel Library, listeners can go to www.wpbcitylibrary.org

Talked with Jon U. Bell, Hallstrom Planetarium Director, Associate Professor of Astronomy, Indian River State College (IRSC). "The state-of-the-art Hallstrom Planetarium offers lectures and shows about planets, constellations and stars. Planetarium shows are live multimedia presentations that use special-effect projectors to tell stories about the planets and stars. Seventy-one reclining seats with headrests allow visitors to view the heavens from the comfort of armchairs." Jon and the IRSC Hallstrom will be presenting a new show, "Forward to the Moon" that will highlight NASA's efforts to return to the moon and then onto Mars over the next few years via the Artemis space program. The shows will run April 21 and 22, May 12, 13, 26, and 27. The Friday shows are at 8:30pm and Saturday has shows at 1pm and then again at 2:30pm. The Treasure Coast Astronomical Society will be at the planetarium (weather permitting) on the corresponding dates with viewing stations set up at 6pm on Fridays and 1pm on Saturdays. Hallstrom planetarium also has a "Kid Space" show that airs on select Saturdays which is ideal for ages 4 to 12 years old. (all adults must be accompanied by at least one child for these shows) Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online at https://irsc.edu.community/planetarium.html or by calling the box office at 772-462-4750 or 1-800-220-9915. Jon also hosts the 60 second "Skywatch" report on WQCS about . Listeners can find the transcript at wqcs.org for past updates. For more details, listeners can go to https://irsc.edu/community/planetarium.html.

Talked with Marti LaTour, 2023 Honorary Chair of Women in Leadership Award Luncheon (WILA) and Katie Klause-Newitt, President, Executive Women of the Palm Beachs Foundation (EWPBF).
Their mission is empowering women to succeed and lead. And their vision is, "To be the voice that inspires integrity, equality and leadership in the workplace and our community." They are celebrating the 40th anniversary and will be holding their annual Cynthia Allen Gracey Women in Leardership Awards (WILA) Luncheon April 19th at the Kravis Center. Tickets are availabe at www.ewpb.org.
"EWPBF strives to further the interests of and opportunities for executive and professional women to excel by providing opportunities for networking and collaboration, educational programs that address timely issues, mentorship, and the development of leadership and advocacy skills. In addition, membership offers professional and volunteer expertise to numerous nonprofit organizations in our area." To become a member, you must live and/or work in Palm Beach County, own a business or hold an executive level position and demonstrate philanthropic work. For more details on how to join or get tickets to this year's WILA, listeners can go to www.ewpb.org.

Talked with Sean Mallee, Manager, Daggerwing Nature Center. Daggerwing Nature Center is located in Burt Aaronson Park 11435 Park Access Road Boca Raton, FL 33498. The park is open every day and the nature center is open Wed-Fri 1-4:30pm and Saturday 10a-4:30pm. Daggerwing has a butterfly garden in the front, the nature center and then a great boardwalk behind the nature center. The board walk has an observation tower that listeners can check out as well. Palm Beach County has 3 nature centers: Daggerwing, Okeeheelee and Green Cay. Their mission is " to improve the quality of life of our diverse population and visitors by providing an opportunity to learn about and appreciate our natural environment through environmental education, outdoor recreation and demonstration​. " They all offer programs for the community. Daggerwing and Okeeheelee are doing gopher toroise day on April 8th with their ambassador tortoises, Fritz in Daggerwing and Sparky at Okee. Daggerwing has Animal Keeper for a day on April 7th, the visit the libary with an ambassador animal on Tuesday April 11th, then Tuesday April 18 it's Mother Nature and Me: Clean and Green event. Both Daggerwing and Okeeheelee have free events scheduled for Saturday April 22 on Earth Day. *There's a City Nature Challenger 2023:South Florida #CNSOFLO happening from April 28-May1st. It's a way for residents to help show off South Florida's biodiversity by photographing wildlife, plants, etc. And they will have more details at the Earth Day Celebrations about this iNaturalist/City Nature Challenge. For more details, info on volunteering, programs, etc., listeners can go to www.pbcgov.org/parks.

Talked with Chip McKenney, Founder, Gay Polo League. Their mission is, "To inspire and empower those individuals who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender via the promotion of and participation in the sport of polo. GPL Polo Club promotes the sport of polo as a means to provide equality, pride, diversity, inclusion and confidence for those individuals who face discrimination simply due to identifying themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, gay or other non-traditional sexual or gender identities. GPL works to create an atmosphere that affirms and supports the understanding and acceptance of all individuals regardless of race, sex, gender/sexual identity or sexual orientation and works to promotes goodwill and camaraderie in the community." This year they are supporting One Pulse charity in Orlando. This year's Lexus International Gay Polo Tournament presented by Douglas Elliman Real Estate will be from April 6-8 at the National Polo Center in Wellington. Polo is family and dog friendly. Other events are 18 years and up. To get tickets/event info, sponsor info, volunteer info, make donations, listeners can go to www.gaypolo.com, email Chip@mckenneymedia.com or call 1-323-712-3514.

Talked with Beth Garcia, Arati Hamman and Jackie Rhea from the Boys and Girls Club of Martin County. Their goal is to provide "Opportunities for new, hands-on, academically enriching learning experiences to meet the state academic standards. A broad array of additional servies, programs, and activities, focusing on subjects like STEM, physical fitness and wellness, drug and violence prevention, nutrition and health education, service learning, youth development, and arts and music. Activities that tie into in-demand industry sectors or occupations that are designed to reinforce and complement the academic program of participating students, including but not limited to, financial and environmental literacy, career readiness, internships, and apprenticeships." The have a Food truck, Fork in the Road as part of their culinary program. There are new programs being added including drone piloting. This year they are holding their First Annual Songwriters in the Round fundraising dinner/dancing event. To get all the details about program, the event, volunteer/sponsorship opportunities, listeners can go to www.BGCMartin.org

Talked with Mike Durkee, Executive Director, Wounded Veteran Relief Fund. They are one of the 3 charities participating in Jupiter Irish Fest this weekend as well as Southeast Florida Honor Flight and Firefighters on a Mission. Jupiter Irish Fest is taking place at Abacoa in Jupiter Saturday 11a-10p and Sunday 11a-8p. Entertainment includes music from The Black Thorne Pipe Band, Char Mar Dance, Tracy Sands, Gaelic Brew, Tir Na Greine School of Irish Dance, Rogue Theory&Blessed, Tony Cunningham, Niamh Agus Daithi, hurling, and costume contest for kids. On Sunday they will be honoring Veterans/First responders from 1:30-2p on stage. Listeners can get more info/tickets on Jupiter Irish Fest website, www.jupiteririshfest.com. For more info on Wounded Veteran's relief fund porgrams, sponsorship, volunteer opportunities, listeners can go to www.wvrf.org.

I talked with Michael and Lety from Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center. "Compass' mission is to engage, empower and enrich the lives of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS." The center is located in Lake Worth and serves as a meeting placed for the community and provides a safe place for LGBTQ people and their allies. They offer HIV testing, mental health services, youth services, social groups, Pride Business Alliance, networking opportunities, and lots of events. As part of their outreach Compass hosts several events:
Palm Beach Pride, Stonewall Ball, World AIDS Day Observances. "Palm Beach Pride is THE largest cultural event in Palm Beach County. It is a two day, family & pet friendly festival and a parade that features vendors, music, food and drinks.March 25 & 26, 2023 | 12pm - 6pm | Bryant Park in Downtown Lake Worth Beach Pride Parade: March 26th at 11am on Lake Ave in Downtown Lake Worth BeachBryant Park Address: 30 S Golfview Road, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460" Palm Beach Pride is pet and family friendly event with music, food venders, health vendors and more. Entertainers are Velvet Lenore, Synergy Twins, and Gypsy Lane Band. Listeners who are interested in becoming volunteers, sponsors, members of the business alliance or would like more information can go to www.compassglcc.com.

Talked with Lowell Van Vechten and Casey Kolp from the American Disabilities Foundation. They are getting ready for their 14th Annual Boating and Beach Bash for people with disabilities. This year it will be held Saturday, March 4th from 10am to 3pm at Spanish River Park, 3001 North Ocean Blvd (A1A) in Boca Raton, Florida 33431. "Designed as a Spring Break vacation for all people with disabilities (seen and unseen), their family members, supportive caregivers, and wounded veterans, the Bash has welcomed guests from around the world. It is the only event of its kind, offering complimentary, scheduled boat rides, special access to the beach and ocean with Mobi Mats, a Kids Fun Zone, therapy workshops led by trained specialists, wheelchair yoga, music, costumed dance parties, therapy ponies and dogs, a BBQ lunch, and more. Everything is free and geared toward the guests’ special needs. “We are thrilled to welcome back Kechi; she was a tremendous crowd-pleaser, and she will definitely get the audience dancing again,” said ADF Co-Founder and Honorary Bash Co-Chair Lowell Van Vechten. The 14th Annual Bash will also welcome back singer Kellye Cash, who will perform and serve as Honorary Mistress of Ceremonies. “The Bash committee will welcome its guests to help us pay tribute to our founder and fearless leader, Jay Van Vechten, whom we lost in 2020,” said Christopher Noe, ADF board president and Bash executive director. “There will also be an honorary memorial presented to Casey Kolp, in memory of her daughter Deanna Pardo, who was a beloved Bash committee member and ambassador. This will be a special event for many reasons, so we hope to see new and returning Bash lovers on March 4.” New sponsors include CYGNA and theFirestone Family “Pay it Forward”Fund. The committee is currently accepting applications for volunteers, sponsors and vendors at www.BoatingBeachBash.com. "

Talked with Pastor Rick Aspden, CEO, Faith Farm Ministries. "Faith Farm is a unique opportunity for people who are struggling with drug and alcohol addition,” says Pastor and CEO
Rick Aspden. “It’s so much more than just a drug and alcohol program. It’s really allowing lost and broken people to completely transform their lives from the inside out in a real, meaningful, and personal way while learning new career and life skills.” Students participate in a 10 month program where they learn micro industries (wood working/furniture building, animal husbandry, sales, etc) while developing new habits to help them maintain their sober lifestyle once they move back into the community. The program is free and completely supported by donations. Listeners can donate used items that they will pick up and resell in their thrift stores or on-line at Amazon, Etsy, Posh, etc. or they can make a cash donation. For more info about the programs, campuses, to arrange a tour, folks can go to www.faithfarm.org

Talked with Edward Stinson, Museum Educator, Spady Cultural Heritage Museum and Anthony Bacchus, President/CEO of Cape Universal. The Spady's mission is to expand, preserve and present the culturally diverse history of the black communities of Palm Beach County. The Spady Museum hours are: Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 4pm. The current exhibit is, "From a Dream to Reality" by the local women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Xi Pi Omega Chapter. The museum offers historical tours and youth cultural leadership academy. Coming up on Friday, February 17th is the Black Youth Art Awareness Festival that Anthony's company Cape Universal is presenting at the Spady Musuem. CAPE Universal is A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization who's mission is to empower all youth mindset through principles, cultural arts, mentorship, and a positive and proactive mindset. Kids can participate in the festival by submitting art on an 8x11 sheet of paper and the submissions will be displayed at the Spady from 4-9pm. It's a free event with music, food trucks and more. Student volunteer hours are available. Listeners can get more information at www.capeuniversal.org. For more information about the Spady, to set up a tour or make donations, listeners can call: (561) 279-8883 or go to www.spadymuseum.com.

Talked with Cindy Surman, Director of BBT4PD at Boca Ballet Theatre and Jason and Nicole Newsted, Lighthouse Arts Center. Jason and Nicole have a exhibition going on now through March 1st at Lighthouse Arts Center. Listeners can get more info at www.Lighthousearts.org. Boca Ballet Theatre offers classes, performances and outreach programs. Dance classes are for 3-90+ years old and offer a great form of creative exercise. Boca Ballet works in conjunction with Boys and Girls club to offer dance classes (one of their outreach programs). Another outreach program, BBT4PD (Boca Ballet Theatre for Parkinson's Disease is gaining a lot of popularity. It's a free program available in person or via Zoom. Some of the benefits of the BBT4PD program include "increased mobility, better balance and posture, improved mood and reduced sense of isolation associated with the disease."
To find out about the classes, performances, outreach programs, volunteer or donate, listeners can go to www.bocaballet.org or call, 561-995-0709 ext 226.

Talked with Anne Messer, Executive Director, Friends of Manatee Lagoon. They are the charitable arm of the Manatee Lagoon located at 6000 N Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach Florida. The Friends help educate the community about the challenges manatees face in Florida. They help with fund raising, offer volunteer oportunities and marine life conservation. They have the annual Manantee Fest coming up on Saturday Febuary 4th. Admission and parking are free. They have a guided tour daily at 2pm. They are working on a sea grass program to educate the public and eventually reforest some of the declining sea grass beds. Listeners can find out more about Manatee Lagoon at. visitmanateelagoon.com and to get info on become a freind, donating or volunteering they can reach out to Anne at friendsofmanateelagoon.org.

Talked with Barbara Abertnathy, PhD, LHMC, President and CEO Pediatric Oncology Support Team (POST) and Elizabeth Dashiell, PRPalmBeach. POST is a non profit created to help local children and the families cope with their cancer by providing emotional and financial support. They are celebrating their 25th year of service. They offer services from 0-21 years of age. Programs include counseling for patients and their families. They also do a "save my seat" program where they go to the schools and train them to help the patient's transition back to the classroom go well. They have added a courage cam to the website that offers tips from families to help others who are dealing with the same issues. Listeners can help by volunteering, donating, participating in their 5K in October or attending their fundraising luncheon at Frenchman's Reserve in May. Details are at www.postfl.org.

Talked with Ellen Wedner, Festival Director, The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Film Festival. The inagural film festival is presented by Morse Life and will air from January 26th to February 16th at multiple movie theatres throughout Palm Beach county including: CMX at the Gardens, CMX Wellington, Movies of Lake Worth, Paragon Delray Marketplace and Regal Royal Palm Beach. The festival is inclusive with 37 international movies, 16 Films directed by Women, 8 thought provoking documentaries, 7 movies for LGBTQ+ fans, 7 films with a Jewish focus, and has family friendly fare. Listeners can go to the website and check out previews for all the films, find out which theatre they are playing at, any special deals that may be offered for that showing and if they can meet some of the cast/directors at the theatre. January 26 is Opening Night screening of the French comedy "TWO TICKETS TO GREECE" at the Kravis Center Cohen Pavilion. Some festival highlights include dinner and a movie experiences at IPIC in Boca and Delray on January 30th, Febuary 6th and 13th. Closing night film, "PEACE BY CHOCOLATE" will play at CMX Downtown in Palm Beach Gardens. To purchase tickets, sign up to volunteer or find out more information about the movies, listeners can go to www.dmepbff.org

Talked with Fatima NaJame, Palm Beach Photographic Centre. The photograph center offers a wide variety of classes for ages "9 to 90". "The Palm Beach Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach, Florida offers a world-class museum and workshops with master photographers. Our museum hosts national, international and local exhibits year round. The Centre’s school provides instruction for every level of photographer from beginner to the seasoned photographer. The ProShop for Photographers provides access and expertise in the latest camera equipment and gear for all of South Florida." They've been providing services to PBC for 38 years. Listeners can find the complete list of events/classes/programs at www.workshop.org. They also do "FotoFusion" and this is their 28th annual. It runs from Jan24-28th in multiple locations. They are offering 24 free community classes plus 36 paid lectures/classes. Listeners can find out more about the offerings, voluteer opportunites, student scholarships, and tickets at www.FotoFusion.org.

Talked with Gary Schweikhart and Debbie Calabria from Cultural Council for Palm Beach County. Their mission is "Champion, Engage, Grow by fulfilling the need for arts and cultural experiences in Palm Beach County". The Council offers a wide variety of services, including artist services, artist advocacy, grant programs council concierge and arts education. Their most popular outreach program is Culture and Cocktails and it takes place at The Ben. They have three left this season: January 9th Culture & Cocktails: Palm Beach Style, Today & Tomorrow with Bonnie Roseman, Steven Stolman, Annette Tapert and the conversation will by moderated by Pamela Fiori. February 6th Culture & Cocktails: History's Mysteries featuring Sue Gillis, Jeremy W. Johnson, CAE, Charlene Farrington and moderated by Rick Rose. The March Culture & Cocktails will be on the 6th and is a conversation on Acting, Adventures and Art with Regan Rohde and moderated by Joel Straus. Listeners can get tickets, sign up to become a volunteer, join the council, list events, apply for grants on the website, www.palmbeachculture.com

Talked with Blake Scarborough, Naturalist, Green Cay Nature Center. Green Cay is a 100 acre wetland preserve in Boynton Beach, Florida. They have a great 1 1/2 mile boardwalk that's open from sunrise to sunset. Listeners can see a wide variety of birds including, anhingas, egrets, cormorants, cranes, and ibis. Blake coordinates education/community outreach programs including a bird walk and talk, science for seniors, educational classes for students. The nature center is open 9a-3p Wednesday through Saturday. The next science for seniors will be featuring native animals including some from Okeeheelee Park. Listeners can also head over to Okeeheelee and check out the holiday lights display from www.Lights4hope.org. To become a volunteer at Green Cay or find out more info listeners can to www.pbcparks.com or follow Green Cay Nature Center on Facebook.

Talked with Erick Gill, Director, Communications Division, St. Lucie County. They have a wide variety of services and programs for the community. One of the more popular programs is the free guided hikes at SLCHikes.org. The voters purchased 11,000 acres of land to create preserves and eco tourism areas. Some of the hikes are morning birding style hikes while others are evening Moonlight strolls. The December 11th is an afternoon Kayak Trip at Richard E. Becker Preserve. Monday the 12th is a 9am walk in the serene woods and lake trails at George LeStrange Preserve. Sunday the 18th 8a-9a at D.J. Wilcox Preserve is florida's wading birds. They also have a digital pass program to check out various locations and a new ales and trails app as well. For this and more info, listeners can go to www.stlucieco.org.

Talked with Misty Stoller, Assoc. Dir, Marketing & Communications, Mounts Botanical Garden and Patrick Dougherty, Artist, Stickwork Sculptor/Creator. Mounts Botanical is a 20 acre garden with 25 public display gardens located near the airport on Military Trail in West Palm Beach, Florida. They have a wide variety of programs in the gardens including Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Yoga, Watercolor Painting, and Orchid/plant sales. Patrick is currently building his last Stickwork Sculpture at Mounts Botanical and it will officially be open to the public on December 3rd. Folks are encouraged to come to Mounts and watch the build and interact with the artist. Mounts holiday lights is different this year as they focused on Tropical Trees decorated with various plants such as orchids and bromeliads. Tropical Holiday Trees is open for the public to come visit. For more info on mounts, listeners can go to www.mounts.org for more info on Patrick Dougherty's art, they can go to his website at www.stickwork.net.

Talked with Colleen Smith, Founding Artistic and Executive Director of Ballet Palm Beach and Elizabeth Dashiell, PalmBeachPR about their 2022-2023 season. They are currently in rehearsals for their upcoming show, The Nutcracker. They'll be performing at the Kravis Center Saturday December 3rd and Sunday December 4th (two show each day). The next shows will be Queen Esther February 11-12, 2023 and A Midsummer Night's Dream March 31st-April2nd, 2023. Ballet Palm Beach is the only professional ballet company in Palm Beach County and offer a variety of programs including, "Ballet in the Balcony", "Ballet by the Book" as well as "Ballet Ambassadors". Listeners can find out more about the academy, programs, performances, buy tickets, make donations at. www.balletpalmbeach.org.

Talked with Arlene Lazzaro, President, Gem and Mineral Society of the Palm Beaches. Their mission is "to gather people of the Palm Beach Area who enjoy gathering, cutting, displaying and studying rocks, shells, artifacts and other object of interest and to promote community interest in these objects. Their 55th annual Gem and Mineral Show is on November 19-20, 2022 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center East. They will have gems, mineral, jewelry, bead and fossil shows. Guest lectures, demonstrations, cracking geodes and a mine where you can sieve for gems. Tickets are $9 for adults and children under 12 are free. Two day adult admission is $14. Listeners can get a $1 off coupon on either their Facebook page or the website. www.gmspb.org. The society also offers classes on lapidary, making cabachons, a research library, cold connection metal jewelry classes and more. Listeners can go to www.gmspb.org to sign up for classes, become volunteers, vendors or make a donation.

Talked with Lisa Pugliese-LaCroix, Founder & CEO, Speech-Language Pathologist M.S., CCC-SLP, SPTA/PTR Tennis Professional at Love Serving Autism. Love serving autism is a 501c3 created by Lisa who's mission is "to make a difference in the lives of children and adults with autism through the sport of tennis". They have multiple locations in Florida and have expanded to other states too. This year on November 11th LSA is hosting it's inaugural Match Point Gala which will be it's largest fundraiser. They are working toward building a center in Palm Beach County to offer classes. Donations can be made on their website. Classes are around $10/each but scholarship funds are available. Families are invited to reach out and talk with Lisa about helping their kids try the program. LSA is also looking for volunteers. For more information, listeners can go to www.loveservingautism.org or call 561-331-1903.

Talked with Phala and Oscar from The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. They are celebrating their 30th season. This years line up include a wide variety of artists, comedians, broadway plays, classical music, Nat'l Geographic, Adults at Leisure, Julie Gilbert's writing workshops as well as lots of PEAK performances in the Rinker playhouse. The Broadway series includes: Aladdin, On Your Feet, Wicked, Pretty Woman, Hadestown, Ain't Too Proud, and Tootsie. Listeners can sign up for the Kravis newsletter, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, or twitter. Listeners can also go to www.Kravis.org and get tickets, sign up to be a member, donate, sign up to be a volunteer and also check out their digital brochure of this seasons shows.

Talked with Wendy Sartory Link, Supervisor of Elections Palm Beach County. The next general election is coming up on November 8th. We talked about the three ways to vote: By Mail, Early Voting Location or at your Precinct on Election Day 11/8. Listeners can sign up for voting by mail at the website: www.votepalmbeach.gov. The deadline to sign up for voting by mail option is October 29th. Then listeners would need to sign up again for by mail voting 11/9 as the new law says it's good for one general election. They would be good for 2 years until the Presidential election. If you vote by mail, you must sign your name on the envelope before you mail it back. As for early voting, this year they have added a new option to the Early Voting, you can make an appointment so you can get a designated 15 minute slot to vote. Listeners can vote at any early voting location but must vote at their designated precinct if they wait until Election day to vote. To get more information/sign up to be a poll worker/candidate/get ballot info and more, listeners can go to www.votepalmbeach.org or call 561-656-6200.

Talked with Gabby Barbarite, Ph.D., Director of Outreach & Engagement Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and Dave Wood, U.S. Horticultural Laboratory, from the Indian River Lagoon Science Festival. This is the 7th annual IRL Science Fest and is happening Saturday, October 22nd from 10a-3p and 600 N. Indian River Drive, FT. PIERCE, FL. It's a Free event good for all ages that is put on by local scientists/educators to help educate the public and give them the opportunity to talk face to face with the scientists about their work. There are over 50 exhibitors including: Harbor Branch, UF/IFAS, USDA, Treasure Coast Beekeepers, U.S.C.G, St. Lucie County Dive Team, Audubon Society, Smithsonian Marine Station, Ox-bow Eco Center, Max Planck and Indian River State college just to name a few. They will also have food trucks and multiple stage shows throughout the day. The stage shows include Jurassic Parts Spectacular Science Show, St. Lucie Dance Theatre, Treasure Coast Wildlife Center, Ft. Pierce k-9 Demo. Listeners can get more info, sign up to be a volunteer, exhibitor by going to www.IRLSciencefest.org

Talked with Elizabeth Dashiell, Swedefest Palm Beach. According to the website...
"Forever honoring bad remakes of Hollywood hits, SPPB8 takes place at The Kelsey Theater in Lake Park, with an entertainment-packed after party next door at the Brewhouse Gallery. The wildly popular, sell-out event showcases laughably bad, 3-minute remakes of Hollywood hits made by amateur filmmakers throughout Palm Beach County. This year’s showcase of ‘bad films made by good people’ is presented by the Palm Beach Film Society on October 23, 2022 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM at 700 Park Avenue, Lake Park. For the utterly uninitiated, a “swede” is a no-budget, hilarious remake of a Hollywood film — the basis for the movie “Be Kind, Rewind,” which spawned an underground sweding craze and resulted in the first swede fest™ in Fresno, Calif. Next came swede fest™ tampa bay, then swede fest™ palm beach in 2012. Picture “Twister” filmed using balled up paper towels; “The Fast and the Furious” reenacted using children’s Big Wheels – these are only a few examples of the hundreds of films submitted the past six years. Perfect “short attention span theater,” each film is maxed out at 3 minutes, meaning that as “so-bad-it’s-good” as the film may be, another one is soon to appear. The audience votes on the best/worst film made, which could win bragging rights for the future (or not) filmmaker, and a special grand prize. Additional award prizes will also be given for overall epic-ness. It is completely free to enter a swede, and selected films will receive a complimentary ticket for the director. Even if you don’t have a film submitted, seeing the filmmakers dressed in their versions of “Hollywood bizarre” is worth the admission price, which is a mere $12 per person."

Folks can go to the website www.swedefestpalmbeach.com for info or reach out to Elizabeth during working hours at 561-543-8276 to make donations or become a sponsor.

Talked with Owen O'Neill and Matt Lincoln from Clinics Can Help. Clinics Can Help is "a nonprofit agency based in Palm Beach County, Florida that collects used durable medical equipment so that it can be distributed to those who need it most. We are proud to be Florida’s largest not-for-profit organization that recycles and re-uses medical equipment." They work with local agencies and volunteers to provide greatly needed medical equipment including cribs for babies so they have safe space to sleep. They've already provided over 500 cribs this year alone. Matt is the chair for this year's golf tournament. It's one of their big fundraisers benefiting the Kinder Project. Owen said they have a full field but there are still some individuals slots open for listeners to sign up. The registration is on their website www.clinicscanhelp.org. While there, listeners can make donations either financial or equipment, become a volunteer, sponsor an event and find out how to get help. Their 9th Annual Golf Classic will be on Thursday, October 20 at Banyan Cay Resort & Golf, 1900 Banyan Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33409 and is sponsored by: Ace Sponsor- Nash Luxury Illustrated Properties plus many more that are on the website. There are still sponsorship opportunities available. For more info, listeners can call 561-640-2995.

Talked with Vanessa Moss and Carrie Browne from Palm Health Foundation. Palm Health is getting ready to launch their October "Train the Brain 2022" Initiative. Train the Brain is a community health campaign designed "to help Palm Beach County residents understand that taking care of the brain is just as important as taking care of the body." This year they are focusing on Celebrating Human Flourishing through the NeuroArts. "Scientific studies have shown that artistic experiences whether visual/auditory or hands-on, change the brain, body and behavior, leading to improved physical and mental health, disease prevention, enhanced brain development." There are lots of events throughout October including a NeuroArts Learning Panel & Lunch on Tuesday, October 18th from 11am-1pm at Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. Seating is limited so reservations are required. If unable to attend, there will be a video on Palm Health's you tube channel later. For more information, to donate, find out about scholarship match, listeners can go to www.PalmHeathFoundation.org.

Talked with Michael Riordan, Director of Communications, Compass Community Center. The Compass' mission is "to engage, empower and enrich the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and those impacted by HIV and AIDS." The community center offers various services including rapid HIV testing, treatments, HIV/AIDS counseling, HIV prevention education along with medical services. Compass has mental health, health services along with social groups and supports groups. They have youth services for LGBTQ teens and allies including the drop in center, youth group, transgender youth group, mentor program, all tea, no shade therapy group, authentically youth, and Q chat. The mental health department offers individual/relationship counseling, youth mental health, support groups, therapy groups, LGBTQ+ Mental Health collaborative, profession development, suicide prevention and internships. Compass is very active in the community with outreach, education and events. They host one of the largest Pride events in March. For more info on services, volunteering, scheduling an outreach class, making a donation, listeners can go to www. compassglcc.com

Talked with LaShaundra Highsmith, Mgr, Marketing & Events and Liz Cabral, Sr. Mgr, Hunger Relief from Palm Beach County Food Bank. PBC Food Bank is raising awareness of food insecurity issues in our county. September is Hunger Action Month and they have a lot of events/programs planned. Their key fundraiser is Empty Bowls in the Gardens on Saturday, September 17 from 11am-2pm. Tickets are $30 and VIP are $50. Listeners can get tickets and www.pbcfoodbank.org/ebgardens. The theme is to "Eat Simply so others can Simply Eat". Guests will be served soup and artisan roll with a dessert and bottled water. The gift bag will include a souvenir hand painted bowl. The community can come out prior to the event and help paint the bowls for free at Craft Haus in Palm Beach Gardens. They are open 10a-8p Mon-Sun. Listeners can also help by volunteering either at the food bank or their events or by making a monetary donation. For more info, listeners can go to www.pbcfoodbank.org or call 561-670-2518.

Talked with Meredith Gregory, Director of School and Teacher programs at the Norton Museum of Art. They offer a wide variety of programs for students/teachers. (free admission for teachers) K-12 grades can explore art at the Norton that connects with Florida State Standards. There are guided tours, virtual tours, home school tours, self-guided school tours. Some of the themes tours are, "learning to look", stories in art, steam tour along with two new exhibitions, A Personal View on High Fashion & Street Style: Photographs from the Nicola Erni Collection, 1930s to Now and Joseph Stella: Visionary Nature. To get info teachers can email schools@norton.org. The Norton also has tours of the sculpture garden, Art After Dark, Drum Circle, Yappy Saturday (guest can bring their dog outside) as well as lots of exhibitions in addition to the main Norton collection. They are also doing a promo with Brightline (you can use your ticket stub for free admission - limited time offer). For more info on programs, membership, donations, volunteering, hours, etc. listeners can to go www.norton.org

Talked with Antoine Miller, Founder/Band Director, Sounds of Success Marching Band and Willie Spence, former contestant on American Idol season 19. Sounds of Success's mission is: "to create a musical community that is rich with cultural, social and intellectual diversity while preparing each student with a solid foundation in music and expansive education in the liberal arts." SOS is open to anyone ages 10-23. Students sign up and have practice M-Th after school. They pick them up, they do homework first and then band practice. Sounds of Success Marching Band has been invited to come perform in London in June 2023. Willie Spence will be performing with them in London. In order to go they need to raise approximately $3k/band member. They currently have 62 members. Listeners who would like to help can do to their website at www.soswarriors.com. They can donate, sign up to become volunteers. Students who are interested in joining can click on the enrollment tab and fill out the form. Students can also get community service hours throughout the school year. Businesses/Individuals who would like to be a major sponsor can contact Hey Sandy PR at www.HeySandypr.com or call 561-386-5262. Donations are tax deductible.

Talked with Kathryn Rudloff, Executive Director, WeVenture WBC. WeVenture is an SBA and offers programs and services from business education workshops, online entrepreneurial modules, and seminars that assist entrepreneurs and business owners to launch and grow their businesses. They have Ignite 360, and Athena Leadership just to name a few. To find out/sign up, folks can go to www.https://weventure.fit.edu/. They are participating in the upcoming 6th Annual Minority Business Expo on August 20th at the Fenn Center from 9am-3pm. Admission is free. There will be free Life & Business coaching. Lots of speakers on topics from financials, motivational, marketing. Attendees can network/shop in the vendor hall. Listeners who are interested in becoming a vendor or want more info can reach out to Angela Brazell at minorityexpofp@gmail.com.

Talked with Tom Pearson, CEO, Armory Art Center. They provide art classes for all ages. Coming up there are three deadlines with "call to artists" to apply for upcoming juried events. For the 6th Annual West Palm Beach Arts Festival with runs December 3-4, the deadline to apply is August 31st. Catagories include: 2-D (drawing, painting, photography. printmaking, mixed media) or 3-D (ceramics, scultpure, fiber, jewelry, glass, furniture). The next event is Regional Printmaking, September 30-October 20th and the deadline is September 15th. Categories include: collage, mixed media, Textiles, silkscreen, intaglio, printmaking, relief printmaking, lithography, etching, engraving and more. The 3rd event is Verdant Bodies: A Contemporary Art Jewelry Exhibition running October 27th-November 18th. The deadline for artist is September 16th. There's an artist showcase on August 12th at 5:30pm and donations will go to Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. Listeners can go to www.armoryart.org to find out more info, sign up for classes, to be a volunteer, sponsor or artist. Or call 561-832-1776.

Talked to Tara Moreno, Multicultural Liaison Librarian, Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. We talked about the upcoming school year. They've been part of the summer food program and will continue with a weekend food via Lois' Food4kids. Pickup is in kidspace and is for kids ages 5-12. They are doing a Back to School event on August 15th at 4pm where kids can come meet some of the Homework Center Teachers who are available to help with their homework throughout the school year. And in their Community Resources section, families can get free one-on-one case management, therapeutic support and advocacy with a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. For an appointment call 561-868-7750. Tara is coordinating the ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) program. They are offering ESOL board game mornings on Tuesday at 10am in the Iris room. They'll resume Spanish/English conversation sessions in the fall. To find out about these and other programs, to become a volunteer, make a donation, listeners can go to www.wpbcitylibrary.org.

Talked with Mike Durkee, Executive Director, Wounded Veterans Relief Fund (WVRF). They are a 501c3 that provides emergency financial support to qualified disabled veterans living in Florida. 85% of funds donated goes directly toward veteran assistance. They help with shelter, utilities, transportation and just recently started another branch to help with dental care for veterans. Veterans who want to know if they qualify can reach out to their case worker at the VA hospital. Once WVRF receives the paperwork they usually have a 24-72 hour turnaround. Wounded Veterans pay the service providers directly. To help raise funds they are putting on their 10th Annual Treasure Coast Bonita Blast Fishing Tournament sponsored by RP Funding. It's being held at Pirate's Cove Resort and Marina 4307 SE Bayview St., Stuart FL 34996. To sign up, vets, boat owners can reach out to www.wvrf.org. They can also sign up there for a monthly $6 donation as part of the wounded veteran's "Got your Six" program or to become a volunteer or sponsor.

Talked with Laurel Dalton, Executive Director and Health Chair, Dr. Kitonga Kiminyo from the
T Leroy Jefferson Medical Society. They are celebrating their 75th anniversary of providing medical care to the community. TLJ has multiple classes, mentoring programs, professional educational programs and every summer they hold their Annual Back-to-School Community Health Fair. The Health Fair is being held at the Max Fisher Boys and Girls Club, Riviera Beach from 9am-2pm on Saturday 7/30. They offer Free back to school physicals, medical screenings, dental screenings, health and education resource. Plus there'll be free school supplies including backpacks. They will also have Covid vaccines/be available to answers questions, have a private discussion area for men and another area for mental health questions all staffed with professionals to help provide info, services and access. Pre-registration is requested. Listeners can go to the website to get info on all the programs, get info on the webinars/podcasts, become a sponsor, become a volunteer or to pre-register. www.tljmedicalsociety.org or call 561-318-0814

Talked with Ann M. Berner, CEO Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network. They are a managing entity that coordinates mental health services for 5 Florida counties including Palm Beach and Treasure Coast. They work in conjunction with multiple agencies including 211 to help connect people with the services that meet their individual needs. They are working with 988 it's a suicide prevention hotline. Listeners can go to the website, https://sefbhn.org and see all the different services that are available. They also offer training for folks with "lived" experience who want to work with others to help them navigate the system since they've been successfully through the process. Listeners interested in that, can find the training info on the website. We talked about the gun violence, the overturning of roe vs. wade and the anger it's creating. Also, "See something, say something". If you see a friend/family member struggling ask if they are okay. Have them call 211/988 or call with them. For listeners who are feeling upset, angry, fearful, or extreme frustration over their current situation, she encourages them to call 211 or 988 and they can great free help regardless of their insurance status.

Talked with Trent Stephens and Elizabeth Dashiell from PB Shakespeare by the Sea. This is their 32nd annual event at the Seabreeze Amphitheater in Carlin Park in Jupiter, Florida. They've also added a second venue in Royal Palm Beach, Florida at their Commons Park.
This year they are performing, Richard II. It's considered one of Shakespeare's historical plays and covers a failed attempt on Elizabeth the first. Shows run Thursday - Sunday, gates open at 6:30pm and the performance starts at 8p. Listeners can bring their own chairs, blankets, coolers or purchase refreshments there. Admission is free but there is a suggested donation of $5/person to help. Elizabeth posts weather updates on the day of the show via facebook. If anyone would like more information, to audition to be an actor, volunteer, be a sponsor or make a donation, they can go to www.pbshakespeare.org. To reach Trent, they can email Trent.Stephens.Actor@gmail.com. To reach Elizabeth, it's Elizabeth@pbshakespeare.org

Talked with Bert Moreschi, President, Jupiter Tequesta Repeater Group (JTRG). "JTRG is an ARRL affiliated, Special Service Club and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that’s committed to the promotion of Amateur Radio and providing community assistance and goodwill." They are sometimes referred to as "Ham" radio operators. They are doing a field day Sat/Sun June 25/26 at Carlin park and listeners are invited to come out, check out the different techniques they are going to try and use to power the radios and make contacts. Listeners can try to make a contact using a special station supervised by a trained operator. JTRG has weekly chats, helps with weather alerts, offers instruction for new ham operators to get licensed. The next class is coming up October 1s/2nd. For more information listeners can go to www.jtrg.org

Talked with Patrice Schroeder, M.A. Human Behavior, Community Relations Specialist, 211.
"211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast’s mission is to save lives through crisis intervention and by connecting people to health, mental health, and wellness services 24 hours a day every day." They connect folks with the services that can help them. 211 recently created a service for age 18+ who are caregivers for adults to help deal with stress and isolation from Covid. They are working on creating a service geared for first responders which would be peer to peer counseling. Some of their services include: helpline, suicide prevention, senior services, veterans, youth, hurricane/disaster, physical health, and seasonal info. They are getting a lot of calls regarding lack of affordable housing and mental health issues.
Listeners can reach out to 211 by calling 211 or 561-383-1112, texting zip code to 898211 or going to the website www.211PalmBeach.org or www.211TreasureCoast.org

Talked with Kaley Grau, Marketing Manager, Cox Science Center and Aquarium. They recently changed their name from South Florida Science to Cox and are in the middle of an expansion project. As part of the change, mini golf is now included in the admission price. They have a new exhibition run now through September 4th called Mindbender Mansion and Max Planck's Images of Science. Several events are coming up: Celebracion del Mar June 8th, Hometown Heroes June 18th and Nights at the Museum June 24th. They also offer 1/2 price admission for heroes the last Saturday of the month. This summer Cox Science center is participating in a Summer Saving Pass along with Lion Country Safari and Zoo Miami (admission to all 3 for 1 price). They have summer camps, long distance learning, planetarium shows, gems clubs, etc. Listeners can find out about events, volunteer, opportunities and make donations at www.coxsciencecenter.org

Talked with Amy Kight, Executive Director, Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. Busch Wildlife Sanctuary has a dual mission of wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education. They rescue sick, injured, or orphaned native Florida wildlife. They rely on the public to bring injured wildlife to our wildlife hospital. Over the years, we have treated deer, foxes, screech owls, hawks, bald eagles, squirrels, birds, and many others. There's a volunteer rescue team that is sent out to rescue animals that the public can't, such as raccoons, great blue herons, bobcats, foxes, etc... They release animals after they've been rehabilitated. Busch Wildlife offers a wide variety of programs to help educate the public about animals. Some of them are Wildlife encounters, hunters of the sky, mini and junior naturalists programs. They are in the process of moving/expanding to their new home, a 20 acre area, on Rocky Pines Road and Indiantown Road. They are open Monday through Saturday with free admission, donations are welcome. If listeners want to volunteer, donate, book a tour, report an injured animal, get more info, they can go to www.buschwildlife.org or call 561-575-3399 or email Amy at Director@buschwildlife.org

Talked with Evelyn Linares, Public Affairs Specialist, Social Security Administration. They are seeing an increase in the number of scam telephone calls to social security recipients. She said social security will not call you. If you call them to set up an appointment, they may call to confirm but that's it. Listeners should not give out their social security number, personal info, financial info to someone calling on the phone claiming to be from the government. They can go to www.ssa.gov and create a my social security account. She said everyone who's working should do it no matter what age. It will show their benefits amount (good way to catch any mistakes in income reporting). Social Security has multiple reports that listeners can run to help them determine the best age for retirement. They can request a replacement card for free if they need one. Listeners can also go to their local field office in person. They are offering more hours to serve the community. If they have questions they can call 1-800-772-1213 or go to www.ssa.gov.

Talked with Bill Millard, Colonel, United States Army (Retired) and Milena Millard, VWF Post #9610. They in conjunction with American Legion are sponsoring Songfest for Vets III - Ukraine Relief. It's a free classic rock tribute band concert at the Mizner Ampitheater in Boca Raton on Saturday May 21st from 2-10pm. They have Ukrainian artists/crafts dancers and singers. The motorcycle clubs coming for a Trident Thunder around the arena at 5pm and then the bands will start. They include: KISS Alive, Erasmith, Shoot to Thrill and Shovelhead. West Boca High School Performing Arts Academy will perform as well. Listeners can donate for Ukraine Relief via PayPal/Zelle. For info on donations they can reach out to Jack McDermot
Buffvfw9610@aol.com or Bill Millard 561-289-8505 or email Bill Billmillard@bellsouth.net. There will also be a second fundraising concert on 5/22 at Terra Fermata in Stuart featuring the same bands and Ukrainian artists from Noon to 10pm. Listeners can donate and get more info on their Facebook Page: Songfest for Vets.

Talked with Ellyn Okrent from The Fuller Center in Boca Raton, FL. They were formerly known as the Florence Fuller Child Development Center. Their mission is to embrace, educate, and empower hardworking, under-resourced families and children to achieve their full potential. They offer a wide variety of services/programs. For children 6weeks to 5years old they have holistic early education programs. For school-age, they have opened a private CHOICE elementary school serving kindergarten to 3rd grade. They have a teen program, school-age-out-of-school-time, summer camp, and family support. The fuller center also has apprenticeship, mentorship and volunteer opportunities. To find out more, listeners can go to www.fullercenterfl.org or call 954-298-8534.

Talked with Stephanie Surrena, Outreach and Public Information Coordinator, Office of Public Engagement Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and Emilie Travis, Nature Center Manager II, Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. PBC Parks are celebrating 50 year anniversary. Okeeheelee Park nature center that Emilie manages is celebrating their 30th anniversary so they are doing their Earth Day celebration on 4/30 sponsored by Navy League of the United States. It's from 10a-3p at the nature center and is free to the public. It includes an Okee Teen presentation on the history of the park, all things manatee, Live Reptile and Live Bird of Prey presentations. There will be food vendors. No pets allowed at the nature center due to the wild animals. For info on classes as Okeeheelee or the other parks, to sign up to be a volunteer, or reserve space for events, listeners can go to pbcparks.com or call 561-233-1400.

Talked with Dr. Tom Pearson, CEO, Armory Art Center. The Armory Art Center is a comprehensive visual art school that offers a wide range of visual arts from sculpture, welding, stone carving, textiles, drawing, painting, jewelry, photography, digital media, and printmaking. The Armory Art Center is currently running Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition through April 24th. Up next will be the Art of the Phoenix Exhibition from May 21-June 9. Coming up they have a number of art classes, summer camps May 31-July 29. They have community outreach programs including one for Veterans, BraveHeARTS and another for Teens who've suffered trauma called Art of the Phoenix. Listeners can go to the website to get tickets for the Sistine Chapel exhibit, sign up for classes, for camp, to become volunteers, get high school community service hours and make donations. www.armoryart.org or call 561-832-1776.

Talked with Wendy Lo, Curator of Education, Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. They were created from land donated by George Morikami, one of the original members of the Yamato Farming Colony. The mission at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens is to engage the community by presenting Japanese cultural experiences that educate and inspire. They offer a wide variety of classes and exhibitions. Today they are presenting the To Florida with Love collaboration with the Miami City Ballet. There are two show times 1pm and 2pm. Later in the month they have tea ceremony demonstration. In May they are celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month with the new Beyond the Wall exhibition. It opens on 5/6 to members and public on 5/7. It features the work of five artists of Japanese and Asian American descent who explore their cultural heritage along with their individual identities via the medium of the mural. Folks can come and experience this unique version of a mural and meet the artists on 5/6. Listeners can go to the website to get times, directions, volunteer info, class schedules and list of upcoming events, make a donation or become a member at www.morikami.org or call 561-233-1314.

Talked with Keri Morrison, Founder/Executive Director, Live Like Jake Foundation and Elizabeth Dashiell, PR Palm Beach. Keri's son Jake passed away from drowning in 2013 and she decided her baby daughter and other kids would have preventative water safety training, ISR Infant Self Rescue, to help prevent this tragedy happening to another family. So, the Live Like Jake Foundation was created to raise awareness for drowning prevention and provide swim lesson scholarships to those who can't afford them. They also provide financial and emotional support to families who have lost a loved one or have a child with critical care needs. They opened an indoor swim facility in November 2020 at 10311 Ironwood Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 and work with other ISR certified instructors/pools to help children get certified throughout the county and country. Scholarships are available, form is on the website, www.livelikejake.org. Listeners can volunteer, get information on ISR, sign up for the scholarships, donate, become a corporate sponsor like Premier Pediatrics of Palm Beach or donate to help fund future scholarships like Hope Lives Foundation. They can also find out about events and sign up for their 8th annual 5k sponsored by Guardian Angel Inspections. It's on May 14th at Riverbend Park and listeners can do in-person, virtual or "sleep in" options. Number of in-person runners is limited so it's recommended that listeners sign up their teams early, www.LiveLikeJake.org or call 561-316-4924.

Talked with Chip McKenney, Founder/President GPL Polo Club. He created the Gay Polo League, GPL, to inspire and empower individuals who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender via the promotion of and participation in the sport of polo.
GPL utilizes polo as a way to provide equality, pride, inclusion and confidence for those individuals who face discrimination simply due to identifying themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, gay or other non-traditional sexual or gender identities. GPL works to create an atmosphere that affirms and supports the understanding and acceptance of all individuals regardless of race, sex or sexual identity and works to promote goodwill and camaraderie in the community. They are a charity and support other LGBTQ+ charities. The charity this year is OnePulse Foundation in Orlando, FL. They have events this year in Wellington, FL, St. Tropez and Argentina. Tickets are on sale now for the April 9th polo event at International Polo Club Palm Beach, Wellington, FL. Listeners who would like to volunteer, become a member, donate, buy tickets, and/or be a sponsor can go to www.gaypolo.com or call 323-712-3514 or email chip@gaypolo.com

Talked with Edward Stinson, Museum Educator for the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach, Florida. Their mission is to expand, preserve and present the culturally diverse history of the black communities of Palm Beach County. The Spady Museum hours are: Tuesday - Saturday 11am - 4pm. The current exhibit is, Strong Communities Emerging. They offer historical tours and youth cultural leadership academy. Coming up on Monday April 4th is the rescheduled MLK Breakfast from 8:00-10:30 a.m. at Indian Spring Country Club 11501 El Clair Road Boynton Beach, FL 33437. Cost per person: $40 Cost per table: $500 and listeners can get tickets online at www.spadymuseum.com. For more information, to set up a tour or make donations, listeners can call: (561) 279-8883.

Talked with Owen O'Neil from Clinics Can Help and Danielle Ford from Leeds Endowment. Clinics Can Help collects used durable medical equipment and redistributes it to patients who need it. This equipment typically includes wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, patient lifts, crutches, canes, and nebulizers. The Leeds Endowment, is a non-profit organization, dedicated to improving the lives of the disabled in Palm Beach County, FL. They are a grassroots organization with a goal of assisting disabled adults, children and their families with the support they need so they can be independent and successful. One of the ways they do that is by supporting charities such as Clinics Can Help. Leeds raises money with their annual event, Party with the Pack. Party with the Pack is happening this year on November 18, 2022. They can use volunteers, silent auction items, and corporate sponsors for the event. Listeners can to to www.leedsendowment.org. Clinics can help is planning their 9th annual Golf Tournament in October at Banyan Cay Resort. Listeners can get tickets, get volunteer info, find out how to request or donate equipment, or make a donation on their website at www.clinicscanhelp.org

Talked with Tae Edmonds from Suits for Seniors. It's a non-profit that serves high school seniors at Title 1 schools. They have an 8 week mentorship program that covers leadership skills, financial literacy, career guidance, college education, interpersonal skills and more. Upon completion the senior receives a tailored suit. Suits for Seniors has served over 1500 students with a 100% success rate and 95% college entrance rate. They have a big fundraiser coming up March 9th 6-9pm and Drive Shack in West Palm Beach. Tickets are $100/person and include dinner, drinks and golf plus a silent auction. For listeners who'd like to participate in the program, they can reach out to their guidance counselor. For those who'd like to be a volunteer, become a mentor, buy tickets or make a donation they can go to www.suitsforseniors.org or call 321-604-7590.

Talked with Fatima and Art Najame from the Palm Beach Photographic Center. They are located in downtown West Palm Beach across from the Mandel Public Library. Their 27th annual FOTOfusion event will be virtual and spotlight aquatic photojournalist and film producer Brian Skerry from March 1st-5th. They offer some free lectures as well as paid sessions $25/class or $105 for all 30 sessions or $175 for all sessions and a review of your photographic portfolio. There will be a 1pm keynote session daily including: Accessing Creativity & Hope in Difficult Time Panel; Around the World in 50 years with David Burnett; Lights, Camera, Fashion with Dixie Dixon; and Luminous Seas by Brian Skerry. Listeners can find out more about FOTOfusion, becoming a member, signing up for photography classes by going to www.fotofusion.org; www.workshop.org or calling at 561-253-2600.

Talked with Wil Romelus, Digital Vibez and Abigail Goodwin, Palm Health Foundation about Let's Move PBC. The Let’s Move: Commit to Change Physical Activity Challenge is a county-wide initiative that focuses on physical activity, nutrition and healthy behaviors. Digital Vibez, Inc. and Palm Health Foundation are presenting the annual challenge from March 1-31. It was originally introduced on a national level, by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2010, with the goal of decreasing childhood obesity throughout the United States. There will be events all throughout March where folks can come participate for free. Listeners can join teams or create their own teams in order to log their activity by going to www.letsmovepbc.org.