Palm Beach Perspective

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.