HANLEY CENTER’S 19th ANNUAL FAMILY PICNIC EVENT TAKES BLUE RIBBON FOR WORLD-CLASS FUN
Child-friendly benefit raised funds for substance abuse prevention efforts in local schools
(West Palm Beach, Fla.) Recently, Hanley Center Foundation’s 19th Annual Family Picnic raised critical funds for Hanley Center’s prevention and education programs. Held under a ringside tent at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington on a perfect spring day, the benefit offered the opportunity for families to come together for a day of activities for all ages – a key way to prevent future substance abuse, according to Family Picnic co-chairman, Val Perez.
“We know that spending time with your children today helps you stay connected tomorrow.” Seventy-two percent of kids in families who don’t eat dinner together are more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs. We hope the families who attended the Picnic saw it as the perfect opportunity to spend a really fun day together and reinforce that family time is time well spent, all while benefiting a really important cause.”
The day’s line up of events also included VIP seats for world-class equestrian show jumping, animal encounters, crafts, a kid-themed silent auction and a family-focused luncheon — marking the Hanley Center Foundation’s 19th year of raising funds for substance abuse prevention efforts in local schools.
The Family Picnic committee was led by chairmen Lisa and Dan Thomas, with child chairmen, Jack and Whitney; co-chairmen Denise Groo and Val Perez; honorary chairmen Dorothy and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, with child honorary chairmen and grandsons, Landon Branch and Noah LoFaso; and honorary media chairwomen Roxanne Stein, WPTV NewsChannel 5 and Deena Lang, WRMF 97.9. The Family Picnic event committee included: Noberto Azqueta and Robin Wheeler Azqueta, Jack Barrett, Krista Basore, Sally D. Chester, R.N.; Bill and Dena Foman, Mike Gelin, Charles and Lisa Gerardi, Karen Holloway, Suzanne and Michael Holmes, Lauren and Daniel Lieberman, Kelly LoFaso, Jennifer Marcone, Michelle and John McGovern, Denise Meers, Elizabeth Parker, Michele Poole, John Riordan, Nicky Skolnick, Tom and Chris Streit, Jim and Cassidy Sullivan, Karen Vaughn and Lauren Walker.
Event sponsors included: Neil Hirsch, Suffolk Construction, Sunny & Abe Rosenberg Foundation, Peggy Brown, Florida Power and Light Company, The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation, Hanley Family Foundation, Lisa and Dan Thomas, Akerman LLP, the MESTAL Foundation, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, The Quick Family Charitable Trust, Denise Groo and Val Perez, Hedrick Brothers Construction, Suzanne and Michael Holmes, John and Julie Kime/Allstate Insurance Co., McLaughlin & Stern LLP, Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau and Palm Beach County Farm Bureau, Slatkow & Husak Public Relations, Diana Wister, LILA PHOTO, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, Lesser Lesser Landy & Smith, PLLC, The First Tee the Palm Beaches, Denise Meers, Northwestern Mutual, Tom and Chris Streit, Barbara Suflas Noble, Dari and Billy Bowman, Sarah Cortvriend, Esq.; The Law Office of Elizabeth Parker and Young & Stein, Attorneys at Law. Media sponsors include: Wellington the Magazine, WPTV NewsChannel 5 and 97.9 WRMF. Special thanks to Auction Ladies, Stephen Basore, Bee Understanding, Chick-Fil-A, Mac Papers-Tom Secore, Miranda Boodheshwar, Bravo KB Inc., Downtown at the Gardens, Ann & Tom Holt, Palm Beach Grill, South Florida Fair and Amanda & Keith Wedgworth.
Hanley Center is a nonprofit residential substance abuse treatment center established by the Hanley family as a community resource nearly 30 years ago. Mary Jane and Jack Hanley started with the goal of bringing quality substance abuse treatment to the southeast. The community rallied behind them to initially build Hanley Center, and it has become a vital community pillar and national trailblazer for the recovery industry in the years since. Hanley Center has led the treatment industry as a pioneer– with older adult and boomer programs setting a hallmark for effective treatment and the industry standard for treating those populations today.
Now part of the Caron Treatment Centers network, Caron and Hanley comprise one of the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit addiction treatment providers in the country, focused on a 12-Step recovery program with a powerful clinical component. In South Florida, Caron and Hanley Treatment Centers operate lifesaving addiction treatment centers at Hanley Center, Caron Ocean Drive and Caron Renaissance in Palm Beach County; and Gate Lodge in Vero Beach. For more information on Caron and Hanley Treatment Centers, or future local events, please call (561) 841-1048 or visit www.hanleycenter.org.