Episode 80 spotlights the therapeutic use of horses in addressing the mental health issues of many of our children. Horses Healing Hearts was founded in 2009 by Lizabeth Olszewski. As a child of alcoholic parents, Liz was eventually taken in and raised by a loving aunt who changed her life forever. Her unique story of a horse, mentorship and healthy emotional support became the inspiration for the programs she provides today. From the beginning, Horses Healing Hearts has helped at-risk youth in South Florida through the magnificence of the human and horse relationship. Kids facing adversity gain the confidence and coping skills needed to overcome their trauma. During each equine therapy session, children learn life skills such as decision making, safe people, communication and healthy ways to express feelings. In her Executive Director role, she oversees the daily operation of this "homegrown" charity. I hope you'll find Liz's story compelling. 

Episode 79 is my opportunity to have my friend and fellow podcast personality, Paige Kornblue, join me. Our love for our community is quite evident from our activities throughout Palm Beach County. Paige, a Boca Raton native,  is an award-winning journalist who enjoys telling the stories and showcasing the brands that make a difference. After nearly two decades anchoring and reporting for top-rated television stations across America, she founded Paige Kornblue Media and the Paige Kornblue Show to feature everything from interesting people to premium products and fascinating places that make our community special. Summer in South Florida was once very quiet (as snow-birds flew north). That has changed and so much is happening each summer that we couldn't scratch the surface of the events occuring over the next few months. Many of these events are part of Boca Chamber Festival Days. Grab a pencil (or your iPhone) to add a few of these upcoming events to your calendar.

Episode 78 addresses how our community is ensuring our veterans receive the respect and, where necessary, services they need. Too often, our veterans only receive our attention on Veterans' Day, Memorial Day or another day set aside to recognize their service to our country. However, the issues confronted by many of our returning veterans require more than a few days of recognition. One of my priorities as a County Commissioner was to ensure veterans received the services they required on an ongoing basis especially as it came to housing. My guests today Ryan Onda and Jonathon Musgrave discuss the services provided by Semper-Fi Service Dogs, Inc. This is another "home-grown" nonprofit agency created in Palm Beach County to provide service dogs to veterans confronting PTSD as a result of their military service. It is also a story of providing a second chance to dogs who might otherwise be euthanized. As Ryan noted, he has changed the lives of every dog and person he has touched through his tireless efforts - training and placing over 40 rescue dogs with veterans in need. He creates a bond between the veterans and their dogs that, through their lifetime, continues to strengthen and grow - giving them the confidence and freedom to a life they deserve. I hope you find our conversation worth a listen.

Episode 77 highlights the hamburger! Our first guest, Chef George Patti, began his love affair with food at the age of 14 when he prepared and smoked meats at his father's New Rochelle NY deli. He went on to attend Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Institute in Rhode Island. His path to become a successful chef and business owner eventually led him to the Florida Keys, where he established MEAT Eatery & Tap room (in a sea of seafood restaurants). He eventually added a second location in Boca Raton where guests are invited to sample the great creations (including the world famous Juicy Lucy!). Our second guest, Russell Spadaccini, has been producing culinary events for over ten years. One of those events, the Boca Burger Battle, will celebrate its 10th Anniversary when it is held on July 15th at Sanborn Square. The hand-picked Burger Battle 2023 team of Top Chefs will compete for the title of Best Battle Burger. As a "celebrity judge" for the past few years, I can vouch for the fun and flavor this even brings to South Florida. I hope you find our conversation worth a listen and, perhaps, you will join us at this great event!

Episode 76 begins with an overview of the services offered by the 211 Helpline. Our guest, Candi Spitz, is Director of Development and Community Relations at the 211 Helpline for Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast. They also double as the Suicide Hotline for residents in crisis who can reach out to caring professionals by dialing 211 or the new National Suicide Hotline by dialing 988. In addition to her advocacy for the services offered by the 211 Helpline, Candi is committed to helping families navigate the terrain when someone they know is autistic. Candi is the mother of identical/mirror image twins - both have Autism. As a single mom, she has learned how this disease impacts the lives of those afflicted and those responsible for their safety and development. As Candi describes it, her boys are her whole world and Autism makes them very special. She is an Autism trainer for law enforcement and first responders in Palm Beach County and serves as a Special Needs Advocate for the Palm Beach County Courts. This is a very special lady. As always, I hope you find our conversation worth a listen!

Episode 75 is an opportunity to see how nonprofit agencies can learn to work together, ignoring the initial fear of seeing their donor base supplanted by "competing" missions. My guest, today, is Lindy Harvey, executive Director of the Spirit of Giving Network. Regular listeners of my podcast know we have highlighted the exceptional work done by many of the non profit agencies operating in South Florida. Many of these are "home grown" by residents who saw a need and have made it their mission to attack that need. Spirit of Giving Network has created opportunities for collaboration through its training, Holiday Gift Drive and Back to School Bash. Eliminating silos and redundant efforts makes everyone more efficient. With over 100 non profit member agencies, the overarching aim of Spirit of Giving is to streamline the delivery of services to the community. As always, I hope you find our conversation worth a listen!

Episode 74 is my opportunity to discuss "Jewish memorabilia'' with Neil Keller. Long before Neil made his home here in South Florida, he became an avid collector of trading cards, autographs and other memorabilia of famous Jewish people. Over the past 37 years he has collected over 22,000 items which he claims makes it among the largest in the world. He has been a featured speaker at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY and has spoken at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. The Washington Post, Jerusalem Post and Sun Sentinel have written about his hobby and he boasts countless articles in various publications. He was even the subject of a movie produced in 2000, "Obsessed with Jews'" by Jeff Krulik. We are also pleased to bring back Pamela Weinroth, Executive Director of the Boca West Children's Foundation. She updates us on their activities supporting over 30 nonprofit agencies in South Florida (committed to assisting our most vulnerable children). As always, I hope you find our conversations worth a listen!

Episode 73 is a bit of a departure from many of our conversations over the past two years. Chuck Forbes is our guest. He is Director of Brand Strategy at More Visibility. Back in 2000, my wife, Pamela, and I opened a durable medical supply company. Our primary market was mail order. We quickly realized there was a whole other world of online commerce available to us. We built a website and waited, and waited, and waited. The old adage, if you build it they will come (misquoted line spoken by Ray Kinsella, in the film Field of Dreams) didn't seem to be working out. Enter More Visibility. We learned about "optimizing the website design," we heard about SEO (Search Engine Optimization), designed to improve the appearance and positioning of web pages in organic search results. Because organic search is the most prominent way for people to discover and access online content, a good SEO strategy is essential for improving the quality and quantity of traffic to a website. It was a whole new world for us but we quickly realized our tiny company could compete with the much bigger and better capitalized companies in our space of commerce. Chuck is a home grown talent, having graduated from the College of Arts & Letters at FAU. If you have ever contemplated creating an online presence, this conversation is worth a listen!

Episode 72 is your opportunity to hear about the services offered to our South Florida community by JAFCO. As we learn from Janet Epstein, Philanthropy Director at JAFCO, the original mission of this organization, established 31 years ago, was to act as a family preservation agency - offering hope and services to children in need of foster care and adoption services. From there an emergency shelter was established in 2002 to service the residential needs of children from birth to 23. The JAFCO mission expanded again in 2014 when they opened the Children's Ability Center - providing intensive support services and respite care to families raising children with developmental disabilities. In the wake of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS, a refuge for those in need of counseling and mental health services was created at Eagles' Haven. As always, I hope you find our conversation informative.

Episode 71 is an opportunity to focus on an issue of great importance to me - literacy! "Learning to Read" occurs during the early years of a child's education – typically kindergarten through 3rd grade – and consists primarily of decoding and memorizing basic words. The focus is phonemic awareness and phonics. Children learn letters make sounds, and how to mesh those sounds together so d-o-g becomes "dog". They continue progressing through this stage until they achieve "fluency", at which point they're ready to tackle increasingly difficult texts and begin "Reading to Learn." Unfortunately, in Palm Beach County, less than 60 percent are reading at grade level as they enter 4th grade! Ted Hoskinson has been working to increase literacy in our students, focusing on Title 1 schools in Palm Beach County with his "homegrown" nonprofit agency, "Roots & Wings." His mission is simple - prepare our children for their future place in our world economy. As always, I hope you will enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed our conversation.