Palm Beach Perspective

Spoke with Dr. Randy Blakely, Exec Dir FAU Stiles Nicholson Brain Institute and Sir John Hardy, Ph.D., University College London.  Professor Hardy is a leading geneticist for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research.  He's one of the guest lecturers participating in FAU's free Brainy Days series. His study has identified the gene in families called the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which led to his theory, the amyloid cascade hypothesis.  “The next job that we have to do in Alzheimer’s disease is to get better at predicting the disease earlier. Identifying the people that are going to develop dementia, or detecting the diseases that cause it at their earliest stages will make a huge difference. It will help ensure that future treatments will be more effective. It’s going to be tough to do it, but that’s one of the next challenges."  FAU offers a variety of free community events and educational programs.
Brainy Days is sponsored by Palm Health Foundation. For more information about Brainy Days, visit www.fau.edu/brain/brainydays or email [email protected].

Spoke with Elizabeth Dashiell, SwedeFest Palm Beach/Palm Beach Film Society. Swede Fest Palm BeachTM is happening on Friday March 28th at the Lake Worth Playhouse.  "The key to understanding why is in the “swede.” A swede is a no-budget, laughably bad remake of a hit Hollywood film – the bigger, the better. The term comes from the 2008 comedy, “Be Kind Rewind,” and was made up to explain the sheer awfulness of their remade films by touting them as European – “swedes” because it sounded really sophisticated.  Not exactly a classic, but neither is it comedy kryptonite. Tickets on-sale at the Lake Worth Playhouse for the March 28 swede fest palm beachTM 10."  We’ll be celebrating the “Best of the Fest” past 10 years and the following films will be featured

Ghost
Aliens)
Momentos
Hunger Games
Fast & the Furious
Goodfellas
Jurassic Park
Basic Instinct
…and more TBANew swedes coming your way
12 Monkeys
Jay & Silent Bob
Rocky
Listeners can get more information about swedes at https://swedefestpalmbeach.org/
More info on Palm Beach Film Commission at www.pbfilm.com  
and they can buy Swede Fest and LDub Film Festival tickets at www.https://lakeworthplayhouse.org/

Talked with Marjorie Waldo, CEO and President, Arts Garage in Delray Beach.  They have a lot of awesome programs happening this year.  Coming up is PLACES!, a Summer theatre camp for kids and teens from July 7th to August 1st (financial aid is available). Week 1 features Technical theatre and Playwriting, week 2 is Improvisation, week 3 will be Musical Theatre and week 4 is Acting.  Students can pick the weeks that interest them.  There's a discount for purchasing all 4 classes.  They have a great Artist in Residence program.  Currently showing in their art gallery is "Icons, Idols and Adoration".  And they will have more programming coming with their Out of the Black Box theatre residency and family porgrams.  For more information, to become a sponsor or volunteer, listeners can go to www.artsgarage.org

Talked with Andy McAusland, CEO and Zelda Porter, MHAPB Clubhouse Member from Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches (MHAPB).  "Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches is a proud Palm Beach County affiliate of Mental Health America, the nation’s leading national nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health, well-being, and illness prevention. Our mission is to create a supportive community where all people can flourish. Where people with a history of serious mental illness are defined by their talents and skills, not their diagnoses. And where members build resilience for long-term recovery, including:

• Clubhouses in West Palm Beach and Belle Glade, where members work side by side with staff, discovering their talents and abilities and building long-term relationships that support them in increasing social and vocational skills and obtaining employment, education, and housing.
• Peer Place in northern West Palm Beach where members can drop in any time, take part in mindfulness, art, or music activities, join a group support session, or just have a coffee and talk one-on-one with one of MHAPB’s trained peer support mentors.

• Peer Career Readiness Training and Support: The Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (CRPS) credential is for people who use their lived experience and skills learned in our Peer Career Readiness training to help others achieve and maintain recovery and wellness from mental health and/or substance use conditions. 

MHAPB celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2024."  To help support their programs, they are having a 5k Run and 1k walk in Dreher Par on Saturday March 22nd with a 7:30am start.  Listeners can sign up for the race, to become a volunteer, make a donation or find out more about the services MHAPB offers by going to www.mhapalmbeaches.org

Talked with Owen O'Neil, CEO, Clinics Can Help.  Clinics Can Help is a non-profit that provides, "a caring community connection to medical equipment and supplies, empowering people with mobility, independence and dignity in all stages of life and health. Our Vision is that people everywhere are equipped to thrive, supported by a community circle of giving that meets their essential medical equipment needs."  They provide Durable Medical Equipment (DME) regardless of patient's ability to pay. The have a wide variety of medical equipment including walkers, canes, braces, wheelchairs ,electric wheelchairs, hospital beds, c-pap, bi-pap, nebulizers, etc.  Listeners can request equipment online at clinicscanhelp.org. They are getting ready to host their 2nd annual Clays 4 Kids fundraiser.  It's Friday March 7th at Palm Beach County Shooting Sports Center.  Tickets are $300 each and folks can register as an individual or a team of 4.  There are 15 stations on the course.  They'll have a silent auction/raffle and lunch as well.  CCH welcomes volunteers, sponsors, and equipment donations.  Listeners can sign up at www.clinicscanhelp.org

Talked with Teresa Zabik and Jeanette Mitchell from the Friends of Okeeheelee Nature Center (ONC).  The Friends of ONC is a non-profit that provides support to Okeeheelee Nature Center, it's staff, volunteers and animal ambassadors.  They put on fundraisers to enhance exhibits, trails, facilities as well as educational programs that provide an enriching experience for nature center visitors.  Teresa and Jeanette are volunteers who are working on the upcoming fundraiser, 2nd Annual Gopher Tortoise Gallop 5k Run/Walk.  It's happening on Saturday March 22 with a 7:30am start.  The park will open at 6:15am that day and packet pick up with be at the Micanopy Pavillion. They've added a pre-walk warm up and they have lots of fun events, and animal encounters after the race.  Listeners can sign up their teams at www.Victorysportsmgt.com/gophertortoisegallop5k/  For info about becoming a member of the Freinds of ONC, Volunteer, becoming a sponsor they can call 561-233-1400.

Talked with Oscar Quesada and Julie Gilbert, Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Julie Gilbert is a Pulitzer Prize - nominated biographer, novelist, playwright and the teacher for the Kravis Center's Writer's Academy.  She's doing a book launch on February 19th for her novel "Giant Love".  Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her best selling novel of Texas and the making of a classic American film.  She'll be having a conversation with Hap Erstein about the book and her writing program which is celebrating it's 20th Anniversary.  Then on Februrary 20th, the next 6 session class for Writer's Launch starts at 1:30pm.  The public is invited to sign up for the writing class at www.kravis.org. The Kravis has a wide variety of shows this season.  Wrapping up this weekend is Peter Pan The Musical (family fare and Kravis on Broadway) and 19th African American Film Festival. Coming up is The Book of Mormon, Moulin Rouge, CLUE, Les Miserables, 54 Belowat the Rinker: Mauricia Martinez, Ain't Too Proud - The Life and Times of the Temptations, An Evening with Isaac Mizrahi, Trailblazing Women of Country lunch and learn series, The Beach Boys, Peter Bence, Old Crow Medicine Show, Acoustic Evening with Rick Springfield & Richard Marx, Blippi: Join the Band Tour, Gospel Gala: Kierra Sheard-Kelly rescheduled to 2/28/25.  They are adding additional shows this season.  Listeners can sign up for the Kravis Newsletter at Kravis.org and find out about the announcements they'll be releasing on Tuesday.  They can also call 561-262-SHOW.

Talked with Sabeena Beg, Executive Director and Autumn Kioti, Education and Outreach Director, Audubon Everglades.  Their mission is to educate and inspire people to conserve wildlife, especially birds, and the environment that supports them. "We offer a variety trips, events, and activities in which everyone may participate: Birding Field trips are especially popular. Monthly meetings, on the first Tuesday of each month, include informative programs. An active conservation group keeps constant vigil. Education is an integral part of Audubon Everglades. We also co-sponsor the annual Everglades Day festival at the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, a free event that highlights the importance of this outstanding and unique ecosystem.In 1979, the chapter established a world class Ornithological  Library, housed at the main library on Summit Blvd in West Palm Beach.  Grants, bequests and donations fund this ongoing project.  The Audubon Everglades Audubon Collection has become the largest publicly accessible ornithological collection in the Southeast." Listeners can come meet them at the Natural Areas Festival on the 15th at Winding Waters.  They can also, get more info, donate, sign up to be a volunteer at www.audoboneverglades.org

Talked with Scott Simmons and Quincy Brukerhoff from the Norton Museum of Art.  They have a great line up events for season.  There are two big exibhitiions running: Strike Fast Dance Lightly Artists on Boxing now-March 9th and Sorolla and The Sea, now-April 13th.  They have a great line up of Art After Dark seriers that happens every Friday night.  Coming up they are kicking off their Lunar New Year Celebration with Art After Dark on Feburary 7th and then continuing the festivities on their Free Conmuunity Day,Saturday February 8th. The Norton has a Chinese collection, spanning 5,000 years. Visitors can take docent led tours, enjoy story telling, puppet shows, dragon dance, crafts,food and more.  Then on February 14th, they'll have Jazz perfomances (normally the 1st Art After Dark) for Valentine's day.  Listeners can find out more info by going to www.norton.org.

Talked with Darrel Willis, Actor and Elizabeth Dashiell, Managing Producer from Palm Beach Shakespeare Festival.  This year they are splitting the shows, holding one in the "winter" and one in the summer.  As You Like It will run from Janurary 30th to February 2nd at Commons Park in Royal Palm Beach as Shakespeare by the Palms V and then The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare by the Sea XXXV will run from July 10th -20th (Thursday-Sunday). This year after the run for As You Like It, they will be doing 1 hour performances of the play in local classrooms.  They are on Facebook and Instagram and listeners can get more info, donate, become a volunteer, sign up for the newsletter, and shop at www.pbshakespeare.org