Category: Community

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The skies of October

The drier, cooler weather of October brings with it improving conditions for sky-watchers!

Here are some night-sky highlights this month:

  • 6 — New Moon. With the moon absent in the night sky, this is the best time to make that (safe) trip to the Everglades to view “deep-sky objects” such as nebulas, star

clusters, and galaxies!

  • 7 — Draconids Meteor Shower. Although not one of the premier meteor showers, it’s one of the few that performs well before midnight. And, with moonlight being a nonfactor, it might be worth a trip to a dark location to try to witness a “shooting star” or two.
  • 16 — Launch of the Lucy Mission on a ULA Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral. Amazingly, this spacecraft will visit eight different asteroids over the course of 12 years, seven of which orbit the sun on either side of the planet Jupiter (so-called Trojan asteroids).
  • 20 — Full Moon, aka the Hunter’s Moon.
  • 25 — Mercury at its best. You don’t get that many chances each year to catch a glimpse of this small world, but the morning of the 25th is as good as it gets. It will be found low in the Eastern sky just before sunrise, so get the coffee brewing early!
  • 29 — The brightest planet in our sky, Venus, will dazzle throughout October but will reach its highest perch on the evening of the 29th. It will be visible halfway up the Western sky (470) just after sunset. If the sky is clear, you simply won’t be able to miss it! (And you will understand immediately why so many ancient cultures made it their goddess of beauty.)
  • 31 — Launch of the SpaceX Crew-3 Mission on a Falcon 9 rocket will send four astronauts inside a Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station. So, if all goes as planned, there’ll be a dragon in the sky this Halloween! 😉

Happy viewing, friends!

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Oct 2021 School News

 

Eagle Ridge Elementary

Principal Lindsey Sierra

The Eagle Engineers came out at the top and won first place in all Broward County Elementary Schools!

Some of our students took part in summer STEM+CS challenges, which had the following focus: “Conserve and sustainably use in the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”

Fiona Jose participated in an individual county-wide challenge, where she created a brochure or infographic explaining what we know about conserving the oceans and marine life and how people can help in the efforts. She received an achievement certificate from the STEM+CS department.

Eagle engineers Erica Faucher, Arianna Huriash, and Carolyn Zheng took part in the summer Minecraft challenge about “Life Under the Ocean.” They did research on Florida sea turtles, on what challenges they have, and on what can be done to protect them. Along with their research, the students brainstormed different ideas, planned, and built a Minecraft world for this challenge.

In another online Roboduel national competition by Robotify, grade 5-12 students competed against each other in coding. Again, our Eagles have outshone in this competition. Rahee Patel, Samanyu Mahajan, Arianna Huriash, and Isla El Chantiry all placed in top 20 teams in the Regional competition and qualified for the Nationals.

These students met with their teams during the summer on a regular basis and discussed their goals and progress. We are beyond proud and thrilled with their accomplishments with Mrs. Naik. We are privileged to watch our Eagles soar! 

 

Heron Heights Elementary

Lauren Generoso , HHE PTO President 

Hawks go pink! 

Join the Heron Heights Elementary parent-teacher organization as we go pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and kick off our first service project of the year! Our Hawks will be making cards with words of comfort and encouragement for those battling breast cancer.

To raise awareness, we will be selling pink spirit shirts and scrunchies for both children and adults. For every shirt and scrunchie sold through October, we will be donating $1 to “Not My Daughter… find a cure now!” To purchase, please visit our website, www.hhepto.com.

Together, we can help the fight against breast cancer. Thank you for your support!

Riverglades Elementary

Christina Chioda and Kimberly Mann

Riverglades Elementary is excited to welcome everyone “back on track” this 2021-2022 school year! Get ready for a slightly spooky October, as we are excited to announce that we will be having our first annual “Trunk or Treat” event. Not only will there be an opportunity for treats, but there will be an opportunity for books too! Students can get treats and books as our Trunk or Treat event will coincide with our Fall Bookfair. It’s an occasion not to be missed! Start brainstorming costume ideas, as more details will be coming soon.

Want to celebrate a birthday in style and see your child’s name in lights? Why not purchase a “Happy Birthday” banner to be displayed on the marquee at the front of the school? To find out more, go to the store section of the school’s PTA website (riverglades.memberhub.com). While you’re there, don’t forget to join the PTA or purchase other amazing items such as our discount card and/or family banner.

We hope you are excited for all the fun events that Riverglades has in store for this year!

 

Park Trails Elementary

Principal Arlene Manville

We were very excited to kick off the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year at Park Trails. This is a thrilling year for us — not only are we transitioning to become a STEAM school featuring a Robotics and Engineering Lab, a Makers Space Design Lab, and a multimedia program that will engage all of our students in coding and programming, but this year also marks our 20th year serving the Parkland community.

We will be hosting a rededication ceremony in January and will be sharing more details later in the year. There are some exciting things happening at Park Trails this year! Check out all the events we have planned by visiting the school’s website and the PTA’s website.

 

Somerset Parkland Academy

Jennifer Knight, VIPP President

Giddy up — the Somerset Parkland Cowboys ride into their second year. 

In year 2, Somerset Parkland Academy continues where it left off last year by trying to give the kids a sense of normalcy and by providing the best in-person learning experience possible. The school has added more than 300 additional students as the middle school now includes seventh grade, and it will expand to eighth grade next year.

The VIPP Parent Group has continued to create projects and volunteer opportunities while growing its active membership base to 140 members. VIPP hosted a kid meetup at Urban Air Adventure Park for new students to meet existing students before school started.

For the new kindergarten students, the VIPP and Principal Castro started “Operation Kinder Loving Care,” allowing parent volunteers to come into the school to assist with arrival, dismissal, and lunchtime, so the little ones have less anxiety during this big transition. The kids and parents have loved it!

The school will have a “Hispanic Heritage – Taste of Countries” event on Oct. 19 to let students experience the food, music, and décor of countries in Central and South America. On Oct. 29, VIPP is planning the Somerset Spooktacular with costumes, candy, and Halloween scares. Finally, the school will honor its volunteers by hosting a “Parent Night Out” event followed by a kid meetup ice-skating event at the Panther Den.

If you would like to sponsor or get involved, we’d love to get you plugged in. Stay tuned for information on our signature winter event!

Westglades Middle

Principal Matthew Bianchi

Stay connected to Westglades!

 

Westglades Middle School has so many ways for parents to stay connected and in the know. Please follow us on our social media accounts and visit our website to find up-to-date information on everything going on at Westglades.

Here is our program spotlight:

Westglades Middle School has several amazing programs and opportunities for our students. This month we wanted to highlight our band program. The school boasts a comprehensive band program, offering Beginning Band, Concert Band, Symphonic Band, Honors credit, Marching Wolves, and soon a Jazz Band.

The band has been invited to perform at Disney World and Universal Studios. Both the Concert and Symphonic bands have earned All Superior ratings at Music Performance Assessments. In 2019, Westglades Bands had 26 students placed in the Broward All-County Band, more than any other school. During 2020 e-learning, Westglades Bands placed four students into the Florida All-State Band. In Spring 2021, the band produced a Virtual Concert with the Westglades Orchestra program, which is on YouTube.

 

What’s happening at MSD high school

How exciting it was to welcome our Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) Eagles back to campus! We were strategic in ensuring that our students felt confident about the transition from online learning to face-to-face instruction. As a result, we hosted “Fly Like an Eagle,” a two-day school orientation program designed to give incoming students a jump-start on a successful high school career.

Our “Back to the Fundamentals” theme for the 2021-2022 school year has proved very successful, as we made sure to get back to the basics but also remind everyone that education is fun.

As soon as we started to get settled in, we realized that Homecoming was right around the corner. Our superhero theme didn’t dare disappoint. We kept with the tradition of hosting our Friday afternoon parade and Homecoming game, followed by the Homecoming dance on Saturday.

In addition to all of the festivities, we were honored to collaborate with the city of Parkland in recognition of the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with a special presentation by our Drama Department at City Hall. Sydney Lotz and Reese Garrity conducted readings from “With Their Eyes,” a play written by high school students who witnessed the towers come down. Caroline Eaton sang the National Anthem.

With testing season approaching, we have partnered with the city of Parkland to offer SAT and ACT preparation on select Saturdays for all MSD students and Parkland residents, free of charge. We’ve already seen an amazing turnout. We are thrilled to be back and look forward to an amazing 2021-2022 school year. Stay tuned for more information on the outstanding things going on at MSD!

 

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Coral Springs artist takes to the streets (with permission)

Coral Springs collage artist Janet Gold emerged as a street artist (with permission) during last spring’s COVID-19 quarantine.

Busy working in her Tamarac studio and applying for grants and other opportunities, her trajectory changed when she was selected for her first Collage as Street Art residency through Kolaj magazine.

The premise of the residency is to bring collage to street art in the manner of Banksy, Keith Haring, Basquiat, and Shepard Fairey.

Not an underground artist, Gold has been a board member of Fort Lauderdale’s Art in Public Places, the Coral Springs Museum of Art, and the National Association of Women Artists/Florida Chapter.

The prolific artist, who twice won the South Florida Cultural Consortium Fellowship (1999 and 2008) and who has had her work on exhibit at both the Coral Springs and the Boca Raton museums of art, was thrilled to be accepted as one of 15 collage artists from around the world.

“I’m not your typical street artist,” says Gold, the former first lady of Coral Springs (her husband, Roy Gold, was mayor of that city from 2010 to 2012).

“I had to pick an issue to bring to the streets,” Gold says.  “This is a different audience and different venue than my museum-quality collages.”

“In this project-driven collage residency, artists delve into the history, methods, and major artists of the ‘street art’ movement with an emphasis on collage,” says Christopher Kurts of Kolaj Magazine.

“Participants put these methods into practice, taking their collage art out into the streets while documenting the entire process, which will be published in a Kolaj Street Krewe book later this year.”

Not comfortable tagging her city at night, in the dark, dressed in black, Gold sought and got permission from five venues in and around Broward County to display the results of her residency, a project she calls “EVERYBODY’S EVERYTHING.”

The title refers to the theme of gender fluidity, and Gold’s large figurative collages depict mixed-and-matched body parts showcasing her take on the social movement.

Using images she cuts from vintage fashion magazines, she reimagines the stories they tell.

In August 2020, Gold installed her works under the moniker “Criminal Collage with Permission,” at the Coral Springs Museum of Art, the Art Gallery 21 in Wilton Manors, the Cook and the Cork restaurant in Coral Springs, and the Girls’ Club and FATVillage, both in Fort Lauderdale.

“Janet’s work is very interesting, especially considering that it is collaged work created to be a mural on a building’s exterior,” says FATVillage’s founder, Doug McCraw. “By employing different anatomical photos to compose multiple aspects of gender and identity, Janet’s created a contemporary commentary on her subject matter.

“She has a very experienced composition aesthetic and a wonderful way of expressing herself through her art.”

At the Cook and the Cork restaurant, Gold’s collage depicts a female model’s head with long dark hair abruptly juxtaposed with a second woman’s torso and exposed breasts, partially covered by that model’s long blonde hair. A large feminine hand holding a lit cigarette dominates the foreground, while a pair of androgenous legs in mid-stride, clad in jeans and black-and-white Converse completes the image.

The high-fashion images are at once edgy and provocative and highlight the artist’s perspective that we all exist in each other.

Constance Ruppender of Art Gallery 21, who exhibited Gold’s past works in a one-woman show at her gallery, says, “I admire Janet as an artist, and as a doer. She doesn’t just make art. She puts her creations out to the universe with an open heart and inspires others.”

For Gold, who has been in museums and galleries and the recipient of a number of grants, winning the Kolaj residency is the icing on the cake. And while she will be retiring her tag name, we’re sure we’ll see a lot more work by Janet Gold in the future.

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Modern love – this does not have a happy ending

Most are aware that the internet has been used to steal credit card numbers, to fraudulently order from Amazon, to try to sell your house. Perhaps the worst scams happen on dating sites.

Someone tried to buy World Cup tickets on my son’s card. Another used my Social Security number at CarMax (the salesman said he didn’t look like a Giorgina). Had these transactions succeeded, we’d have blamed “those crooks.” But dating scams are especially heinous because the victims believe they deserve it.

Jill noticed her neighbor Helen outside weeping: “I’m a fool. Can’t believe what I did. But I’m going on TV, telling my story. Maybe I’ll save another woman.”

Helen lives in Parkland. She did go on TV and tell her story. She’s 70, average-looking, overweight.

Helen showed Jill a photo of a handsome man, the man she met online who fell immediately in love with her. He didn’t care that she was older, or plain. He “saw her heart” and wrote beautiful messages: He’d been waiting to find a woman like her. He was picturing their wonderful future together.

She bought it. He said he had a business in Africa but was looking forward to coming home. He would fly in for Christmas. Helen told her family. More than one family member warned her to be careful.

Just before Christmas, he sent her an email: “Sorry. Had an auto accident. Car was totaled. In hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” He posted photos of the demolished car. How could she be angry?

The next email: He was embarrassed but must ask, “Could you send money?” Business was excellent, but he couldn’t be there and the invoices were coming in. So she sent $10,000.

After three weeks he was “out of the hospital” and coming home. He proposed marriage but wanted a fresh start, meaning not living in “her” home. An agent in Orlando found the perfect house. He sent pictures; it was $480,000. He would send half immediately.

It was a great deal! Could she send the rest? He’d be back in six weeks; the house would be ready for them. Helen sold her home and sent the money.

That was the last she ever heard from him. No home. No agent. No handsome man. She’d never even met him.

I met Sheila in Tamarac. She met “her guy” online, incarcerated but innocent, awaiting a new trial. She flew to New Jersey. Edward called her “my angel” and wove stories of what they’d do when he got out. If he only had the money for a good lawyer. “I had a public defender who didn’t remember if I were Edward R. or Eddie from Panama,” he told her.

Sheila’s profile noted that she’d won $50,000 on a game show. She financed a new trial, but she has no idea if he won. Once the check cleared, he never spoke to her again.

Both these women share not just the loss of money, but a terrible sense of shame. Sheila never reported what happened. Helen tried to trace the man but couldn’t. Everything he’d told her was fictitious.

I don’t belong to a dating site, but I posted a profile and get occasional notices. I received a “smile” from David of Cheyenne, Wyoming. I’d been to Cheyenne; every guy looks like an ad for “The Roundup,” with boots, Stetsons, and big-buckled belts. I wrote back: “New Yorker, not looking for Dick Cheney (from Cheyenne).”

David responded, “Where do I begin, nothing special about me, grew up everywhere, father served in the army. Lived overseas and in four different states. Moved to Cheyenne when my mother became ill. I’m new at this dating thing. Professionally, I have a goldmine. It’s flourished.”

He continued, “My wife died of lung cancer. I have a daughter born deaf. She’s the apple of my eye. My phone number is ______. Please call.” 

I knew that area code. It’s not Wyoming. So I did something I’d never done — I Googled the phone number. I saw this:

“Terry” responded on a dating site. He’d lived all over the world, because of his father. Wife died of lung cancer. Daughter, born deaf. Owned a gold mining business in Dubai. Then he hit the “jackpot” gold, worth $2 million. They mined diamonds and found 6 million dollars worth. He had to stay in Dubai to get the gold melted, before it would be shipped to USA. But, suddenly he didn’t have money to pay the Dubai government a fee to ship the products out of Dubai. That’s when “Terry” asked for $10,700. I didn’t have it. Then, he said he’d sold some things, but still needed $5,900. He’d pay me back. He loved me and would be with me, forever. I sent the money, in Amazon cards. He’d said all the right things. I believed him. Texted daily until the money was sent. I’ve never done such a stupid thing. I want this guy punished and get my money back.

I blocked “Terry”/“David” — I couldn’t believe he used the same phone number.

Recently, I received this email from “Ted”:

I so happy to read from you and to know we both looking for same thing. Where do I start? it disturbing to see people appreciate love, but we have to go extra mile to get my heart seeks a beautiful angel. Ted from Virginia but in Nigeria. I own my construction company. oil platforms. I am in states in 2 weeks. I can add to your beauty (lol). I’m hanging the hat this year. I got success but am nothing without a partner. She’d stand by me no matter. A witch who protects like lioness her cub (lol) who tells honey, you can do it. I worked hard to get this height. Here to pick my woman to make happy, my co-pilot, (lol). saw your face, made my heart pause, love at first sight? (lol). as if forces guiding you to someone make you happy beyond wildest dreams. I hope direct communication via email.

Lucky me. Another billionaire had found me. A business owner, with a business in Africa, and he loves me! He just took one look at my face and fell in love.

I answered, “‘So happy to read from you.’ You are not a native English speaker. I will not send ONE DOLLAR. Do not waste your time.”

Ted responded, “Thank you.”

And then later I got this message: “Bill W. is perpetrating frauds on this site. We wanted to give you a heads up.”

Two of my friends are happily married to men they met online. It’s possible to meet a nice guy online, but some common sense is needed. Be very wary of anyone who is not writing cohesive sentences. Be wary of anyone doing business in Africa, especially in oil, gold, or diamonds.

The biggest red flag: They instantly love you. You’re “the one.” They haven’t met you, but they want to build a life with you.

I once left a restaurant when a man told me that he couldn’t wait for us to start our life together. I hadn’t met him online, but this was our first date.

As in any other endeavor: Be cautious. And never send money.

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Helping to break the stigma during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Unfortunately, for too many people, there is still a stigma associated with mental illness. It’s a shame and it must change. No one chooses to have anxiety or depression or to have a child diagnosed as bipolar. Of course, no one chooses to have cancer either.

Instead of exploring why there is a stigma, I have started an organization, the Mental Wellness Networking Alliance (MWNA), that is committed to “Break the Stigma” for as far as we can reach.

I began the organization with other community leaders shortly after we lost our second teenager in a week, only one year and one month after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Both of our local teenagers experienced unspeakable trauma that day. When I heard about Calvin Desir losing his life, I committed to do something different in my capacity as a concerned dad, as a local leader, and as the son of Marcia Brook, in order to save lives.

You see, I tragically lost my mom, Marcia, to suicide when I was only 23 and she was 58. My family was devastated. We had no idea my mother was ill. She visited me in May 1987 in New Orleans when I graduated from Tulane with an MBA. She seemed a little sad at times, but I thought her emotions were more involved with her pride and love than with any mental illness. However, this article is not about me or my loss. Rather, this is about us. Too many groups of people suffer with mental health challenges in silence. Suicide disproportionally affects numerous populations, including veterans, teenagers, young Black males, and others.

What can you do to help prevent suicide during the month of September, Suicide Prevention Awareness Month? You can reach out to a loved one whom you sense has been going through some difficult times and be present for that person. You can share 2-1-1 as a great resource to help those in crisis, as well as the Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 227-TALK.

You also can join me and others, including several mental health professionals, at our next MWNA meeting on Sept. 14 at Keller Williams, 3301 N. University Drive, for dialogue, connection, and education. On Sept. 23, MWNA is joining forces with the Veterans Networking Alliance to raise money to help with education, advocacy, and treatment. The event will be at the Coral Springs Museum of Art, and you can email me for tickets at scott@scottjbrookpa.com or find us on Facebook.

If you or someone you know needs help, please seek it. At MWNA, our vision is that we live in a world where mental wellness is equally as vital as physical wellness. An injury above the shoulders should not be treated as any less of an injury worthy of care than an injury below the shoulders. We all want mental wellness. Discussing mental illness and seeking care should not be taboo.

#BREAKTHESTIGMA

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A ‘Stitch’ in time: Making vital connections

On March 11, 2020, we were sent home. A coworker developed COVID. Suddenly, I was alone and homebound. I’d raised a family, but was now an empty nester; blessed with many friends, but I couldn’t visit them. A social “butterfly” usually out five nights a week, now isolated. No writers group, political group, or women’s group. No brunch on Seasons 52’s patio … depressing.

Then I got the email: A network, Stitch (stitch.net), had formed in Australia, but it was available to members in England, Canada, and the U.S. I was intrigued.

As a member of Stitch, for a modest cost, you can join, via Zoom, live dance classes, photography workshops, philosophy discussions, guitar jamming, and more. There are fun activities — word games, happy hours, and chats — all live and in real-time.

I realized they lacked a women’s group. I’ve run women’s groups. Andrew Dowling, who runs Stitch, told me, “Go for it.” I now have 192 women across the globe.

Facilitators aren’t salaried, so dues are inexpensive.

Stitch is open to anyone over 50. I love the diversity: white, black, Asian, Latino. Divorced, married, straight, gay. I’ve made friends with people from California and from London.

Stitch offset the isolation felt during the pandemic. Even as we return to living as we did before COVID, I encourage membership in Stitch.

Dowling, Stitch’s founder, has a background in socialization. “I founded Stitch after researching the importance of social connections,” he says. “If you are lonely, you have 45% higher chance of dying in the next 12 months than someone with good social connections and 64% higher chance of developing dementia.” The Surgeon General ranks loneliness as negative a health impact as smoking.

As we age, we face a challenge to sustain social connections.

Stitch enables its members to interact live with others in varied activities. I did a virtual train ride across America, played word games with people in Sydney, and joined a book club in Coventry, U.K. There are many options — from dance, to fishing, to knitting, to vintage radio. Within the sessions are opportunities to form new friendships.

Stitch has members in 85 countries, and it offers more and more live meetings locally as well as virtually. South Florida members had a luncheon recently in Broward.

Stitch offers a wonderful opportunity to make new friends, expand knowledge, and share laughter. I encourage anyone over 50 to join. During the pandemic it was a gift. It still is.

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Grand Opening Event at Arthur Murray Dance

✨Invite to our Grand Opening Event✨
Celebrate with us!

Friday October 1st, 2021
The Doors open at 7:30 PM

Dance the night away!

Ribbon cutting ceremony,
Champagne & Hors D’oeuvres,
General dancing,
Spotlight performances,
Professional show dances
& Tournament of Champions Announcements!

Dress Code: Cocktail attire.
Color code:  Royal blue, Soft Blue or White.

For more information please call (754) 307-0947
Address: 7631 N State Road 7 Parkland, Florida

We are looking forward to having you!🤩

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Grab life by the reins: Experience the value of an equine adventure

There’s something inherently satisfying about embarking on an adventure. Whether it’s the thrill of trying something new or pushing past your comfort zone, adventures offer us the opportunity not only to challenge ourselves but to know ourselves better. They also make for great stories.

Equine adventures are particularly rewarding because they come with a 1,000-pound comrade with its own mind and personality. Whether you’re a green or an experienced rider, at times, horses will test your patience, confidence, and perseverance. And when you manage to develop trust and understanding with your horse, you are rewarded on a whole different level.

My most recent equine adventure was a cattle drive in Colorado. It was 8 a.m. on a Friday when I arrived at the 8,000-acre working cattle ranch just outside Steamboat Springs. As I pulled into the dirt parking lot, I was greeted by a line of horses saddled and waiting. My mount for the day was Moca, a beautiful dun mare.

There were six riders including myself — my partner in his recently acquired cowboy hat, a retired couple who sold all of their property and were traveling the country in an RV, and a mother-daughter duo on a mission to visit all 50 states before the girl’s 18th birthday.

Continue reading “Grab life by the reins: Experience the value of an equine adventure”

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Warning signs of a brain aneurysm

September is Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. According to the Cleveland Clinic, 6% of people in the United States have an aneurysm in their brain that is not bleeding — an unruptured aneurysm. It is more likely to affect women ages 40 to 60 years old. If you have relatives who have had an aneurysm, you should discuss it with your primary care provider.

The most common symptoms of an unruptured aneurysm, per the Cleveland Clinic, are headaches. Other signs may include the following:

  • Vision changes
  • Enlarged (dilated) pupil, the black part of the eye
  • Seizures
  • Numbness or tingling on the head or face
  • Pain above and behind the eye
  • Neck pain
  • Nausea and vomiting.

If your aneurysm ruptures, as Cypress resident Mrs. Alonna Miller found out, it is an emergency. The most common symptom is a severe headache that comes on suddenly and lasts hours or days. Other symptoms can be the following:

  • Stiff neck
  • Drowsiness or even coma
  • Mental confusion
  • Dizziness or problems with your balance
  • Difficulty speaking
  • Weakness or no feeling in an arm or leg
  • Heart attack.

For Miller, she had to spend weeks in the intensive-care unit, and she experienced “unimaginable pain.” It took many weeks to recover, and two unruptured aneurysms were also discovered and removed in August 2020.

 

If you have concerns or have a family member who has had an aneurysm, please discuss it with your primary care doctor.

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Bridging the Gap: From Education to Employment in the Arts

Moderated by Neki Mohan, an adjunct professor at Barry University who served as a broadcast journalist at WPLG for 16 years, this special event will explore the gap between education and employment opportunities in the arts and creative industries and offer insights into how we can begin to close that gap for communities of color in South Florida.

A dynamic panel of four experts with diverse experiences in the arts will examine the issue and take comments from the audience in the theater and watching online via Zoom.

Panelist Portia Dunkley is co-founder and executive director of the New Canon Chamber Collective, a non-profit chamber music ensemble offering performance opportunities for Black and Latinx musicians. FLO’etry Entertainment & QUICK2Love Foundation CEO Jerris “QUICKthePoet” Evans will also discuss the issue from his viewpoint as a performer and producer.

The panel also includes artists and academics Gregory Reed, photographer, multimedia producer and a former adjunct professor at American Intercontinental University, and Director of Miami Jazz Co-op Nicole Yarling, a vocalist and violinist who has taught at Florida Memorial University and University of Miami.

The yearlong Arts For Action: Black Voices initiative explores how the arts and artists can be a force for change in addressing critical issues of social justice and racial inequality.

Seating is limited and must be reserved at www.browardcenter.org/tickets/rsvp-arts-for-action. Those wishing to attend via zoom must register in advance at https://bit.ly/3ysrdzt

Audience participation is welcome and encouraged, in person or online. Questions may be submitted in advance to ArtsForAction@BrowardCenter.org or night of event at EventSupport@BrowardCenter.org.

The Broward Center’s Arts for Action: Black Voices initiative is funded through the Community Foundation of Broward’s Art of Community grant program, which aims to use the arts as a tool or catalyst to heighten awareness, deepen knowledge, and mobilize action on social justice issues. Support has been provided by the following Funds at the Community Foundation of Broward: Mary N. Porter Community Impact Fund, Community Concerts Association of Fort Lauderdale Performing Arts Fund, A Fund for the Performing Arts and the Linda and Michael Carter Fund.

Additional supporters of the initiative include BBX Capital Foundation and JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

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Parkland gives back, providing 1,119 backpacks for students in need

This year, Parkland’s annual Backpack Project provided 1,119 backpacks complete with back-to-school supplies for students in need, aiding a number of nonprofit organizations, including Kids in Distress, Hope South Florida, God’s Little Lambs Preschool, and SOS Children’s Villages Florida.

 

What started as a small family and friends operation eight years ago has become a community favorite. “I think the first year we ended up with 300 backpacks,” recalls Heather Khalil, founder and driving force behind the annual drive. “We helped one agency with a backpack project.”

 

Over the years, as the Backpack Project grew in popularity, Khalil ran out of room in her house to store the donated backpacks and asked volunteers to become team leaders in their neighborhoods. “More friends and neighbors asked to participate as I added projects, so I reached out to other agencies.” She now has team leaders not only in Parkland, but also in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Coral Springs, Weston, Plantation, and a growing number of other communities. “Everything grew beyond what I thought was possible.”

 

One of the unique aspects of the Backpack Project, and perhaps the reason it resonates with so many, is its personal touch, an idea that originated with Khalil and one that she brought to fruition. “I think I was the first to bring the idea to do it for specific kids so people could actually shop for an assigned child and write a note to them.”

Each year, the participating agencies provide Khalil with a list of children in need. Volunteers are then given their particular student’s name, age, size, and gender so that they can purchase appropriate backpacks, first day of school outfits, socks, underwear, toiletries, school supplies, and a book, and they can also include a note of encouragement addressed to their child.

“Many people in the community tell me the whole family shops together for ‘their’ child,” enthuses Khalil. “Volunteers often provide more than what is asked for because they really want to make a difference. I get to witness a lot of kindness and love firsthand, which is truly amazing and a blessing!”

Next up for Khalil is the Halloween Project, which provides Halloween costumes for children in the foster-care and homeless system. “Children in the foster system and homeless system do not get new costumes for Halloween. If they get anything at all, it’s usually someone’s old costume. This project offers those children the chance to choose their own brand-new costume,” explains Khalil.

Again making the experience personal for both child and volunteer, Khalil asks participating agencies to provide a list that includes each child’s name, age, gender, size, and top two costume choices. Volunteers are then assigned a specific child and are responsible for providing one of the costumes requested, a durable trick-or-treat bag, and a full-size bag of candy.

For more information or to get involved, head to Facebook. Khalil has a local group called

“Heather’s volunteer opportunities” that regularly posts new events and calls for volunteers.

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Beautiful Japanese gardens right in our backyard

 

After I moved to South Florida last summer, I heard about the numerous wetlands walks, nature preserves, and wildlife parks in the area. I was planning to explore many of them, especially if they were all outdoors, as it was still the middle of the COVID pandemic. 

One place that was recommended to me often was Morikami Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach. So I decided to go there with relatives when they came to visit. And I liked it so much, I went back again a couple months later with other visiting family members.

The first time I went, I was floored by the beauty and tranquility of the park. I’ve been to many botanical gardens and similar lushly landscaped parks, but I hadn’t been to one like Morikami before. They call it “Roji-en: Garden of the Drops of Dew,” and it was designed by Hoichi Kurisu. The park comprises six distinct gardens that are inspired by significant gardens in Japan. 

After arriving, you go through a large building that houses the museum, gift shop, and café, and once outside, you descend down a wide staircase to a utopian setting below. There is a gorgeous pond in the center, with walkways that lead to the left and right of it, which make a large circle meandering through the different gardens around the pond. 

In addition to the abundant trees, topiaries, plants, flowers, stone structures, and bubbling brooks, we enjoyed peeking over bridges and seeing fish, turtles, and even an alligator sunning itself in the pond. In the various quiet oases we found, one highlight was the traditional bonsai garden. And we discovered other peaceful green corners where we could immerse ourselves in the serenity and zen of the place.

Being from out of state, I was surprised to learn about the century-old connection between Japan and South Florida, where “a group of young Japanese farmers created a community intended to revolutionize agriculture in Florida,” according to Morikami literature. My mom and I were fascinated to hear about the rest of its history:

“In 1904, Jo Sakai, a recent graduate of New York University, returned to his homeland of Miyazu, Japan, to organize a group of pioneering farmers and lead them to what is now northern Boca Raton. With the help of the Model Land Company, a subsidiary of Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad, they formed a farming colony, Yamato, an ancient name for Japan.

“Ultimately, the results of their crop experimentation were disappointing and the Yamato Colony fell far short of its goals. By the 1920s the community, which had never grown beyond 30 to 35 individuals, finally surrendered its dream. One by one, the families left for other parts of the United States or returned to Japan.

“In the mid-1970s, one of the last remaining settlers, George Sukeji Morikami, then in his 80s, donated his land to Palm Beach County with the wish for it to become a park to preserve the memory of the Yamato Colony.” Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens debuted in 1977, as a living monument and a bridge of cultural understanding between George Morikami’s two homelands.

After we learned about the history of the place and strolled through all its verdant gardens, my family and I walked over to the open-air terrace café and had delicious Bento Boxes for lunch. 

It was quite a day enjoying what are the most authentic Japanese-style gardens outside of Japan and then topping it off with an equally authentic Japanese lunch.

To visit, go to https://morikami.org.

Jennifer Merrill is a recent transplant to South Florida from northern states. 

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