Boys & Girls Club Dinner Dance Celebrates
30 Years Helping Kids
The Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club of Wellington will celebrate 30 years of impacting area youth in a safe environment during non-school hours at the annual Wellington Dinner Dance next month. The International Polo Club Palm Beach will serve as the backdrop for the anniversary event on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
The much-anticipated affair is the club’s largest annual fundraiser and one of the highlights of Wellington’s social season, attracting high-profile equestrians and philanthropists each year for an evening of cocktails, silent and live auctions, dinner and dancing.
A committee of dedicated men and women from the Wellington community has come together to plan the milestone gala to continue the club’s legacy for decades to come.
Co-chairs include Georgina Bloomberg, Nicolette Goldfarb, Eric and Jennifer Goldman, and Marley Goodman-Overman. Honorary chairs are Dr. Edward and Maria Becker, Dr. Colette Brown-Graham, Julie Kime and Dr. Daxa Patel.
For Palms West Hospital CEO Eric Goldman and his wife Jennifer, the dinner dance has become a family affair.
“Raising two beautiful children of my own, I understand the importance of being able to teach children how to socialize with others and put themselves on the right pathways toward success,” Jennifer said. “The Boys & Girls Club is not only a place for children to go after school, but they work carefully with the children to instill these same ideals. When an organization has similar values to your own, it is a natural fit to get involved.”
Jennifer was fortunate to grow up in a household with a parent who was home when she arrived after school. Eric, on the other hand, has fond memories of engaging in sports and other fun activities at the YMCA and Jewish Community Center in his hometown of Canton, Ohio. “So much of who I am today, and how far I’ve come in life, is attributed to socializing at those wonderful places after school and in the summer,” Eric said.
The Children’s Hospital at Palms West also caters to the children in the community, so it was logical for the Goldmans to partner with the Boys & Girls Club. Many area medical professionals are involved with the club, and its board meetings are usually held in a conference room at the hospital.
One of this year’s honorary chairs and longtime board member Maria Becker said her family’s involvement with the Boys & Girls Club of Wellington began 30 years ago.
“It was the first formal event that I can remember attending in Wellington,” she recalled. “We had moved here the year before, and I didn’t think we had enough of a need to sustain the club. I remember asking my husband, Dr. Edward Becker, why they were building a club out here when we were such a small community? We found out why soon enough.”
From the moment it opened, Maria said the club provided a haven for the children of her community who needed a place to go after school. Before they knew it, the club was at capacity.
Since then, the Beckers have attended the Wellington Dinner Dance almost every year. Palm Beach Urology Associates, her husband’s practice, has been an annual sponsor. The couple has co-chaired the event twice. “Right after the 25th anniversary, we were able to open the new club, which is three times the size of the original club and is an amazing facility,” she said.
The 22,500-square-foot facility features incredible amenities, such as a full gym, computer room, dance and music studios, and multiple game rooms. Children enjoy educational, vocational, social, recreational, health, leadership and character building skills in a safe and positive environment.
The Boys & Girls Club model has received the highest effectiveness rating from the National Dropout Prevention Center. Club members graduate at a higher rate than the general population. Regular attendees also perform better in school and make healthier choices than their peers.
“What attracts me to the Boys & Girls Club is that, unlike other organizations that are geared toward solving a singular issue, the club gives youth the building blocks for a successful future as productive members of society,” Eric said.
Funding from the dinner dance helps to enhance programs such as sports and recreation, education, computer technology, youth leadership development and health/life skills. More than 450 youth benefit from such programs at the Wellington club.
Although nationally recognized, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County is locally run, responsible for raising its own funds, allowing every site to be responsive to the needs of its neighborhood. While Wellington is a community of means with an average household income of nearly $90,000, the areas served by the club are comprised of families who are in dire need of services. Many of the children served by the club live in households with an annual income of less than $12,000, and more than 50 percent live in households with annual incomes of less than $40,000.
“More important than the facility are the unbelievable staff and volunteers that make the club run so smoothly. They serve as role models to the children, and their dedication is second to none,” Jennifer said. “Last but not least, I am impressed time and time again with the children. They are incredibly happy, polite and genuinely grateful for the services that are provided to them. Seeing all the smiles on their faces each time I enter the club makes the time involved with putting on the dinner dance worth every minute of the work.”
Becker said she is honored to serve on the dynamic, active and energetic board of directors that is always ready to do anything that needs to be done to enhance the club.
“No project is too big or too small to tackle, and the enthusiasm is contagious,” she said. “It’s hard to believe that 30 years have gone by, but it is so rewarding to see what has been created through the dedication and support of our community. So much has been accomplished, but the real excitement is all of the possibilities for the future.”
Wellington Dinner Dance committee members include Jennifer Martinez, Joann Dee, Susan Ferraro, Heidi Harland, Shelley B. Goodman, Tawny Wolf, Julie Khanna, Kimberly Leland, Gordon Marrin, Juanita Shenkman, Lindsay Strafuss, Kathryn Walton and Melinda Varvarigos.
Tickets and sponsorships are still available. To reserve your tickets, table or other sponsorship opportunities, contact Christine Martin at (561) 683-3287, ext. 1103, or cmartin@bgcpbc.org.
