HANLEY CENTER’S 19th ANNUAL FAMILY PICNIC EVENT A BREED APART
March 9 child-friendly benefit raises funds for substance abuse prevention efforts in local schools
(West Palm Beach, Fla.) With a blue-ribbon line up including VIP seats for world-class equestrian show jumping, animal encounters, crafts, a kid-themed silent auction and a family-focused luncheon, the Hanley Center’s Annual Family Picnic will gallop into its 19th year of raising funds for substance abuse prevention efforts in local schools on Sunday, March 9, 2014.
Held under a ringside tent at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, the benefit offers the perfect opportunity for families to come together for a day of fun – a key activity for preventing future substance abuse, according to Hanley Center Foundation CEO, Dr. Rachel Docekal.
“We know that spending time with your children today helps you stay connected tomorrow,” said Dr. Docekal. “Seventy-two percent of kids in families who don’t eat dinner together are more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs. We are so grateful to this event’s great leadership of all ages, and we hope families will see the Picnic event as the perfect opportunity to spend a really fun day together and reinforce that family time is time well spent, all while benefiting an important cause.”
The Family Picnic committee is 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 honorary child chairmen and grandsons, Landon Branch and Noah LoFaso; and honorary media chairwomen Roxanne Stein, WPTV NewsChannel 5 and Deena Lang, 97.9 WRMF. The Family Picnic event committee includes: 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, Theresa Kewley, Lauren and Daniel Lieberman, Kelly LoFaso, Jennifer Marcone, Michelle and John McGovern, Denise Meers, Elizabeth Parker, Michele Poole, John Riordan, Nicky Skolnick, Kellen Smith, Tom and Chris Streit, Jim and Cassidy Sullivan, Jennifer Swanson, Karen Vaughn and Lauren Walker.
Event sponsors include: Suffolk Construction, Sunny & Abe Rosenberg Foundation, Florida Power and Light Company, Hanley Family Foundation, Lisa and Dan Thomas, Akerman LLP, the MESTAL Foundation, Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County, 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, Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue, 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 Bee Understanding, Miranda Boodheshwar, Bravo KB Inc. and Downtown at the Gardens.
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.
