Youth Puts Wellington Over The Top On 2019 Let’s Move Challenge

What does it take to log 12,849,676 minutes of physical activity across the Village of Wellington to win the Palm Health Foundation’s 2019 Let’s Move challenge? According to Paulette Edwards, Wellington’s community services director, the key was community engagement.

“We thought through all the ways our community comes together — government, community organizations, neighborhoods, schools, parks and businesses — and engaged every age group from pre-K to seniors,” she explained.

Wellington bested 409 teams across Palm Beach County to log the most minutes of exercise during the Palm Health Foundation’s “Let’s Move: Commit to Change Physical Activity Challenge” in March — the second time in two years that Wellington won. The village accounted for a whopping 40 percent of the total 32 million minutes logged.

The challenge, now in its seventh year, inspires Palm Beach County residents to complete and log 30 minutes of activity each day during the month of March. 

According to Marge Sullivan, a 17-year Wellington resident and the Palm Health Foundation’s vice president of communications, Let’s Move was inspired by former First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2010 national program to decrease childhood obesity.

“We created the challenge for adults and children to improve a variety of health issues through regular physical activity, including reducing the risk for diabetes and heart disease, improving brain health, and increasing chances for healthy longevity,” Sullivan said.

Startling statistics were also the impetus. The State of Obesity’s annual report cites that Florida’s adult obesity rate is currently 28.4 percent, up from 18.4 percent in 2000, and it has the nation’s 13th highest obesity rate for youth ages 10 to 17 at 16.9 percent.

The importance of improving residents’ overall health — both mind and body — was what attracted Jill Merrell, owner of Wellington’s Ultima Fitness, to champion the village’s Let’s Move team since it began.

“We’ve always been advocates of the community and getting people active,” Merrell said. “Ultima Fitness continually evolves to better serve our community. Let’s Move gave us the opportunity to show people how they can reach their wellness goals no matter their level of fitness. It’s so rewarding to see how people of all ages increase their energy levels and happiness through exercise.”

Merrell opened Ultima to the community for free the entire month of March and encouraged everyone to log their minutes. They also engaged their martial arts school youth, childcare group and mom’s club to all become active. Merrell believes that parents and youth leaders need to set the example. “By educating the adults, we are creating role models for children,” she said.

Mayor Anne Gerwig couldn’t agree more. That’s why she and the other four Wellington Village Council members embraced Let’s Move. “Getting kids out and active and setting a pattern of behavior gets them on the right path for their entire lives,” Gerwig said.

The mayor and council members kicked off their support by participating in a Let’s Move campaign video that was designed to get youth involved. Playing the role of rallier-in-chief, Assistant Village Manager Jim Barnes donned a sweatband, his Converse sneakers and Let’s Move t-shirt for the filming. Walking through Village Park, he and the council members pass by athletes from Wellington and Palm Beach Central high schools, showing them in action and then becoming part of a growing swarm of youth joining Barnes and the Let’s Move team. 

Edwards knew that by making the youth the spotlight of the video, they would share it on social media and invite their fellow athletes and friends to join. She also knew that engaging the high school’s activity directors and the Parks & Recreation Department and other youth community groups, like the Boys & Girls Club, Wellington could be a contender for the top spot in the challenge.

It worked. Parks & Recreation accounted for nearly half of the 12.8 million minutes logged, and the Boys & Girls Club was also a huge contributor.

Gerwig is quick to point out that the goal of Let’s Move isn’t just to log minutes. It’s to make a change in everyone’s life, particularly for youth, by instilling lifelong healthy behaviors, no matter one’s abilities. “It’s not about the level of activity, it’s the time,” she said. “And it’s not about being a super athlete. Everyone can participate at some level.”

While Wellington’s youth were the engine that put the village over the top, Edwards cites the many other creative ways that her department encouraged all ages to participate. Neighborhood Watch captains invited members of their communities to join in evening walks. Seniors taking part in the mall’s “Walkers of Wellington” logged their minutes. And nonprofit, community and faith organizations that make up the Wellington Community Roundtable also took part.

When asked how her efforts helped toward the win, Edwards stressed that she just helped bring the community together. “Wellington had all of the ingredients for success,” she said. “I put myself in the role of the chef to put them all together to bake the cake for the win!”

Let’s Move sponsors included Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center, the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County and Wisehaupt, Bray Asset Management.

Learn more about Let’s Move at www.letsmovepbc.org. To view the Wellington Let’s Move video, visit www.youtube.com/user/MyWellingtonFl.

Wellington Landings Teacher Karen Epstein Wins Top County Award For Educators

Wellington has established itself as the home of the best and most talented, not only in the areas of equestrian sports, but also in the area of education, where the community is home to some of the best public schools and the most outstanding teachers. Among them is Wellington Landings Middle School fine arts teacher Karen Epstein.

In May, Epstein was named the winner of a William T. Dwyer Award for Excellence in Education, an annual award given to six educators in Palm Beach County. She was honored as the county’s top teacher in the Career Education category for 2019.

The William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education is an annual program of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County Foundation, which recognizes outstanding educators from the area’s public and private schools.

The Dwyer Awards program seeks to increase awareness of the exemplary teaching in Palm Beach County, while supporting educators and schools with financial awards and encouraging residents to promote high standards of excellence in education.

“Teachers in Palm Beach County refer to the Dwyer Awards as the ‘Academy Awards’ of Palm Beach County,” Dwyer Award Coordinator Natalie Carron said.

Teachers were honored this year in six categories: Elementary School Education, Middle School Education, High School Education, Career Education, STEM Education, and Special Programs Education. Next year, there will be a seventh category added, a Dwyer Award for Palm Beach County’s best pre-kindergarten teacher.

Epstein — who teaches courses in audio visual arts, television production and theater at Wellington Landings — just finished her 22nd year working for the Palm Beach County School District, including 15 years in the classroom, of which nine years have been at Wellington Landings.

First, a list of finalists is announced, before a gala awards ceremony. On May 15, Epstein and the five other winners were honored at the 35th annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education ceremony held at the Kravis Center for Performing Arts. Epstein and the other winning educators each received $3,500 and a crystal flame award for their efforts.

While Epstein was thrilled to win the prestigious award, she was equally impressed by the accomplishments of other nominees and finalists.

“There are some amazing teachers in Palm Beach County,” Epstein said. “I was awestruck to hear the credentials of the other teachers.”

It’s a distinct honor to win a Dwyer Award, as nearly 350 Palm Beach County teachers were nominated for the award this year. From there, usually five or six educators per category are named as finalists. The winner of each award is selected by a committee of nearly 80 local business leaders.

According to Wellington Landings Middle School Principal Blake Bennett, Epstein is a worthy Dwyer Award winner.

“Karen Epstein is so dedicated to her students, improving our community and spreading kindness. She works so hard to make sure she meets the needs of all of her students while teaching so much more than curriculum, but how to be productive citizens, while promoting a love of life-long learning,” said Bennett, who just finished her eighth year as the school’s principal. “There is nothing she can’t or won’t do. She had 86 students perform in our play this year, Willy Wonka Jr. Not many people can coordinate 86 middle school students for months to put on an absolutely phenomenal musical that is a great experience for all involved.”

Bennett appreciates Epstein’s work both in and out of the classroom.

“She also makes sure that the culture of our school is always addressed, from her production of our video announcements to her participation in our Gold Level Model Positive Behavior Support Team, and working with our Kindness Ambassadors all over our school and community,” Bennett said of Epstein. “I could never sum up everything she does in a nutshell. She never stops working for her students and our school.”

Epstein, who graduated from Forest Hill High School, attributes her success to a willingness to listen to her students and show some compassion for them. 

“I’m really more of a facilitator than a teacher,” said Epstein, herself a mother of three. “I let them find their own path. I have a mix of taught routines and class expectations. It’s important to have a sense of humor, a kind spirit, and be willing to listen to the students when they need someone to talk to about their issues and concerns.”

Epstein realized that she was a little different after being diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager, which negatively impacted her interest in reading, but not her interest in learning.

“My interest in science fiction led me to science, which helped me with math and reading,” she explained.

While Epstein has had great success as a teacher, becoming a teacher was not her initial focus.

“While in college, I majored in everything at least once — journalism, astronomy, criminal justice, theater, to name a few,” Epstein explained.

In the end, she settled on a business degree, based on advice from one of her grandfathers.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach and her master’s degree in business administration from Walden University. Her teaching certification is in special education (K-12), business education (K-12) and middle grades integrated curriculum.

Wellington Landings Middle School has a track record of producing Dwyer Award-winning teachers, including Sandra Coster in 2008 and Ron Wilber in 2013.

Besides Epstein, two other Wellington teachers were finalists for this year’s Dwyer Awards: Kathy Zangen from Binks Forest Elementary School in the Elementary School Education category and Tracy Sheppard from Elbridge Gale Elementary School in the STEM Education category. They each received $500 and a certificate.

What did Epstein do with her award money? “Well, I had to pay my bills, and then I had my car professionally cleaned and detailed,” Epstein said.

Patients Benefit From Award-Winning Wound Therapy Program In Wellington

C It was a simple MRI to determine the cause of pain in Cindy Johnson’s left shoulder. No big deal; this was not Johnson’s first experience with an MRI or healthcare services. As a two-time breast cancer survivor and an amputee of her right hand, she has become a bit of an expert when it comes to healthcare. Zip in, zip out — find the source of the pain and quickly start treatment.

As part of the preparation for her eventual hand prosthetic, Johnson was wearing a mesh compression sleeve on her right arm. She was required to wear it for the majority of the day, and she was looking forward to receiving the prosthetic and regaining some use of a right hand. However, it was not long after the MRI started at a local radiology center that she noticed something was not quite right.

“A few minutes into the MRI, I felt pain in my right arm and thought, ‘I should not be having pain’ but decided to endure it since it was only going to be for a few minutes,” Johnson said. “But when the MRI was completed, it was obvious something was not right.”

Her right arm was blistered and had second- and third-degree burns above her right elbow. It turns out that the compression sleeve had silver threads woven into the fabric, and those reacted with the MRI, resulting in the burns to her arm. The burns were significant enough that she would need wound care therapy to heal.

However, this is the point where she considers herself a bit “lucky” to be a breast cancer survivor. She had met Dr. Kathleen Minnick, who served as the medical advisor for her breast cancer support group and is the co-medical director of the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center. Little did Johnson know at the time that meeting Minnick at the support group would eventually be very important to her own health because, in May 2018, Johnson was found unconscious and facedown at her home.

It is not known how long, but Johnson was on the floor an estimated three or four days before she was found. The resulting wounds included five significant pressure ulcers on her face, right thigh, left knee, right ankle and her right chest. In addition, her right hand was under her body during the entire time, and the damage was too significant to be repaired. The hand had to be amputated.

Because of her previous relationship with Minnick from the support group, Johnson chose to have wound therapy treatment for the hand amputation and the pressure ulcers at Wellington Regional Medical Center.

So, when facing wound care again after the MRI burn, she returned to the wound treatment center that always treated her like an old friend and had such great success.

“I chose to come back to the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center because of the success of my first wound care experience,” Johnson said. “It is such a friendly place. Everybody there knows me and treats me like family. I am very appreciative of what they have done for me.”

Having completed her treatments for the MRI burn, the wound care center recently held a “graduation ceremony” for Johnson, which included a graduation hat and tassel.

In contrast to Johnson’s treatments to heal wounds from a traumatic injury, John Shore was being treated at the wound center in an attempt to prevent the amputation of his right toe. Shore, a Type 2 diabetic, originally cut his toe on rocks after swimming in the ocean. He was not too worried. After all, it was not much more than a scratch. But, as a diabetic, the risk of complications from wounds on the foot are significantly higher — and his scratch eventually turned into a dangerous wound that not only risked his toe, but his entire foot.

“After seeing my doctor, I was immediately admitted to Wellington Regional Medical Center because the wound on my toe was so significant,” Shore recalled. “I was given the option to amputate the toe or try wound care in an attempt to save it. After meeting the team at the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center, I choose wound care to try and save my toe.”

Shore’s wound was so significant, he had to start emergency treatment that same day. Unlike Johnson, Shore was a candidate for the center’s hyperbaric chamber. With hyperbaric treatments, a patient is placed in a chamber that is pressurized to the equivalent of going about 49 feet under the surface of the ocean. Inside the chamber, Shore breathes 100 percent pure oxygen, which is carried by his blood to the wound to help promote the body’s natural wound-healing functions. A patient usually receives about 40 treatments, Monday through Friday, each lasting between 90 and 120 minutes.

Shore is 14 treatments into his program and has already seen significant results and said his doctor is amazed at the results so far.

“The care here has been absolutely phenomenal,” Shore said. “I can’t picture going any other place. It is more than just medical care here. The staff is wonderful, and they treat me like family. Five minutes into meeting them for the first time, we were laughing like we had known each other our entire lives.”

The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center recently received the distinguished Center of the Year award. More than 600 centers had the opportunity to qualify for the award, but only six centers received the recognition. In order to qualify, stringent quality measures must be met, such as high levels of healing outcomes, low days to heal and excellent patient satisfaction rates. The recognition is a reflection of the program achieving quality patient care and clinical outcomes.

In addition, the center was also awarded the prestigious President’s Circle award in recognition for outstanding performance in the areas of patient satisfaction and wound care. To earn the distinction, Wellington Regional Medical Center’s wound care center achieved patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent and a healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 30 median days to heal, for a minimum of two consecutive years.

“The Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center continues to provide advanced treatment therapies for our patients,” Minnick said. “It is an honor for our team to be nationally recognized by Healogics for our quality, and patients who choose our program for their care can be confident that they have access to the most current treatment protocols and therapies.”

Dr. Arthur Hansen, co-medical director at the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine, agreed. “We have known for some time that Wellington Regional’s elite wound care program ranks among the best in the nation,” he said. “This designation is an indication of the medical team’s commitment to providing the best possible wound care services in the country.”

To learn more about the Center for Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center,  call (561) 753-2680 or visit www.wellingtonregional.com/services/wound-care.

Support Group For Families Navigating Mental Illness Now Meeting in Wellington

Four decades ago, two mothers gathered together in Wisconsin, thirsting for mutual understanding and in desperate need of empathy and support. Each woman had a child suffering from schizophrenia, and from small beginnings around a kitchen table, the National Alliance on Mental Illness — or NAMI — was created.

The purpose of the organization is to support families of those with mental illnesses by providing education, advocacy and support, striving to see families and their loved ones sail smoothly through stormy seas.

Now, a NAMI family support group has arrived in Wellington.

Since its conception in 1979, NAMI has grown to an organization consisting of 1,000 affiliates nationwide, with the Wellington group falling under the umbrella of NAMI Palm Beach County.

While the national nonprofit is currently based in Virginia, it is constantly establishing and equipping affiliate branches around the country. These individual branches then continue to organize family support groups within their respective areas, the newest in Palm Beach County being the Wellington group.

The members began their monthly meetings in March of this year, meeting at Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Station 30 at 9610 Stribling Way. They continue to meet at the same location, beginning at 3 p.m. on the third Sunday of every month. Each meeting is different, but they all center around the encouragement and support of family members of individuals with mental illnesses.

This isn’t the first NAMI group that has attempted to set sail in Wellington. According to Katherine Murphy, the director of programs for NAMI Palm Beach County, there was a Wellington group that tried to start up a few years ago, but it never earned its sea legs. That’s when Tracy Bem stepped forward.

While Bem had frequented the previous Wellington group, she started getting more involved with NAMI. “I started hooking up with the NAMI group and taking all the classes again, and I realized the need for a support group out in the western communities,” Bem said. “That’s when I talked to them, and I took the training so that I could do it, because it definitely meets needs.”

There is a significant stigma surrounding people struggling with mental health issues. Both Bem and Murphy emphasized the importance of experienced and empathetic help when dealing with the issues of loving somebody with a mental illness.

“When you have somebody with a mental illness, you need a resource,” Bem said. “You need people with the same situation.”

Murphy noted that people without an accepting and understanding community may have a lower chance of caring for their loved one as effectively as individuals who do have this type of support system. “If families are isolated, alone, they don’t have resources, they don’t have support,” Murphy said. “They might not have that endurance to continue to support their loved ones.”

According to Murphy, the hope is that these NAMI family support groups can reinforce the family members and provide them with helpful tools and resources to press on.

Bem added that people who don’t have a loved one with a mental illness don’t understand the frequent difficulties of the situation. Bem compared the seriousness of mental health conditions to that of a disease like cancer. Unless people see mental illness as an actual — often deadly — disease, she said, they tend to think the family member is merely going about things the wrong way.

“They blame it on you, but when it’s a mental illness, you need somebody who totally understands it to share with,” Bem said. “So that is a huge need. I mean, there should be a support group every day of the week.”

NAMI, according to Murphy, works to educate the family members on the best ways to communicate with a mentally ill family member.

“Sometimes, if we don’t have training in communication or different techniques, different ways to work around things, we might not have the whole toolkit,” Murphy said. “One of the things about NAMI, the family support group, and everything we try to do, is to empower families and to give them the tools and resources. There’s the emotional support, but then there’s also the very concrete tips and tricks.”

Each family support group facilitator goes through a two-day training of the NAMI model and guidelines, and they are all volunteers who are loved ones of a person with mental illness.

“What we offer at NAMI is the ‘lived experience,’ so our groups aren’t led by clinicians, they’re led by family members,” Murphy said. “It’s family members speaking to other family members — people who understand what it’s like to sit in the waiting room, people who understand what it’s like to have to call 911 when times get tough, and people who know what it’s like to go on that journey.”

For this reason, NAMI considers itself a complement to clinical care and not a replacement for it.

Along with the family support groups, NAMI provides services such as NAMI Connection, a group for people with mental health conditions, as well as mentoring programs, mingling activities and more.

Everything NAMI offers is free-of-charge, Murphy noted.

“NAMI’s goal is to help the family to be there for the long term,” Murphy said. “We want to provide them with the tools, support and resources to continue to support their loved one for the rest of their life.”

If you have a loved one struggling with a mental illness, or if you would like to learn more about NAMI Palm Beach County programs, call (561) 588-3477 or visit www.namipbc.org.

Exercise Is Medicine Fighting Physical Inactivity Is Crucial In Modern America

“Sitting is the new smoking” and “exercise is medicine.” Those were two of the big-picture thoughts which I shared with the Rotary Club of Wellington on Thursday, June 13. On that day, I discussed the national issue of physical inactivity during this gathering of Wellington community leaders.

In addition to writing for Wellington The Magazine, I also serve as the director of communications for PHIT America, a national nonprofit group working to reverse the current “inactivity pandemic” in the United States. I have also spent more than 30 years working in the communications sector of the sporting goods and fitness industry.

Right now, this “inactivity pandemic” impacts the lives of 81.7 million Americans. The issue of physical inactivity negatively impacts healthcare costs, academic achievement and military readiness.

During my recent presentation, I shared a number of facts about the magnitude of the physical inactivity problem in America. I could tell by the expressions on the faces of the Rotarians that they were surprised by the depth of physical inactivity in the U.S.

How bad is the state of physical inactivity in the U.S.? According to the Physical Activity Council, nearly 82 million Americans are physically inactive. This is largely driven by America’s sedentary lifestyles, which has prompted many medical doctors in the U.S. to declare that “sitting is the new smoking,” and the medicinal benefits of exercise are so strong that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) uses the mantra “exercise is medicine.”

Sadly, 40 percent of adults in the U.S. are obese. Parents and other adults must get physically active during their free time. You can’t sweat on the Internet, so start by putting down cell phones and turning off laptops. Then, they will be free to lead family fitness sessions in their neighborhoods, after dinner on weekdays and during the weekends.

Adults must get physically active for their own benefit, and they must serve as role models for their children, as physical inactivity is affecting the vast majority of young people in the U.S. In fact, less than 10 percent of children ages 6 to 17 are physically active to healthy standards, according to the CDC.

To further confirm the importance of parents and grandparents serving as fitness role models for their children and grandchildren, there is a recent study performed by the British Journal of Sports Medicine that examined fitness levels of children from 50 different countries. Sadly, the results of the study revealed that U.S. children ranked 47th in global fitness. Overall, American children are just not physically fit. Kids, too, need to put down their cell phones and take a break from their tablets.

To get started on the path to physical activity, you don’t even have to leave your desk. There are five simple forms of exercise that don’t require any kind of equipment or athletic experience. They are called “deskercizes.” They can be performed at home, at work or at school.

• Paper Pushups — With your arms outstretched, while grabbing the edge of your desk, lean at 45 degrees and start doing pushups. Consider 20 every hour on the hour.
• Book Press — Pick up the heaviest book that you can hold with both hands. Then, extend the book above your head, and then lower it down behind your neck. This will help your triceps.
• Shoulder Blade Squeezes — To improve your hunched posture, stand up and squeeze your shoulder blades back and forth. Hold the squeeze on your shoulder blades for 10 seconds.
• Chair Squats — Stand a few inches from the edge of your chair, lower yourself until you are seated in your chair, stretch out your arms parallel to the ground and keep your back straight.
• Standing Calf Raises — While grabbing the back of your chair, put your feet together, and get up on your tippy toes. This process strengthens your calf muscles.

Physical inactivity in the U.S. is having a major impact on military readiness. Believe it or not, but the U.S. Army went on record with PHIT America in 2017 to produce an op-ed to address physical inactivity in the U.S. In U.S. Army & PHIT America Respond To Obesity News: National Defense Is At Risk If Physical Inactivity Is Not Reversed, the U.S. Army made a plea to U.S. education leaders to bring back daily physical education to schools because too many military recruits coming out of high school are not physically fit, and, therefore, not capable of making it through boot camp without getting injured because their bodies are not used to basic levels of physical activity.

Learn more about how fighting the “inactivity pandemic” at www.phitamerica.org.

From Soil to Oil Oliver’s Harvest Brings Natural CBD Oil To Wellington

Longtime Wellington residents Frank and Herta Suess are ahead of the curve in the trending field of CBD oil. Oliver’s Harvest, the two-year-old company named after their son, is dedicated to bringing a natural product to people looking for a safe option for treating a variety of issues from pain and inflammation to insulin control.

The variety of products available is impressive. Herbal supplements help with specific issues, such as joint support, sleeping issues and blood glucose management for Type 2 diabetics. Tinctures are concentrated CBD oils that provide more broad-spectrum support for general wellness.

“CBD with melatonin — I take that,” said Frank Suess, who has used CBD oil since before starting this venture. “I used to take Lorazepam, which is a prescription and addictive. I switched to our product, and it works well. With the Lorazepam, you need time to wake up, but with this, I felt rested and not drowsy.”

Suess has been involved in the healthcare industry through his Wellington-based businesses for decades, so it was a natural fit to base Oliver’s Harvest here as well.

Early on, Suess realized that while his pharmacist’s recommendations were solid, to develop a full product line, he needed an expert. So, he brought in a biomedical researcher to keep them on the cutting edge of the field. That is when Jamila Mammadova joined the team as the company’s research and development director.

“We want to refer to scientific data behind everything we claim,” Mammadova said. “We have studies on rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, inflammation, pain sensitivity, insulin sensitivity for Type 2 diabetes and social anxiety. Currently, there is a clinical trial going on in Israel for inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Currently, there is no cure for these chronic diseases, and people are just living with it. They need an anti-inflammatory that will be able to calm down the body’s response, and CBD does exactly that.”

CBD — which stands for cannabidiol — can also be purchased in treats like gummies and honey sticks. These offer full-body effects and an energy boost.

“That’s one of the huge advantages of CBD — it does not have side effects. It doesn’t make one nauseous, it doesn’t numb your emotional responsiveness,” Mammadova explained. “You can’t damage your liver if you take it long term, and you can’t overdose with CBD. Because it’s such a natural product, it is safe for consumption.”

The company uses one source for its hemp-based CBD oil — a farm located in North Carolina where the Suess sons Oliver and Marcus work in the business. The hemp is grown, and the oil extracted, in the same facility.

“We want to control the quality,” Suess said. “Oliver does the bulk shipping from up there, and Marcus runs the extraction facility, which is like a brewery for CBD.”

Considering the connection between hemp and the soil, knowing where and how the product is grown and managed is vital.

“The quality of the soil is so important because hemp absorbs everything in the soil. It used to be used to clean the soil from contaminates. That means that anything in the soil becomes part of the plant, and what is in the plant becomes part of the extract,” Mammadova explained. “That’s why you want to keep soil as clean as possible for growing hemp. We also send out samples to an ISO-accredited third party for lab tests, ensuring that the product is high quality.”

Another popular CBD oil product is a line of pain creams specifically designed for tackling localized pain. Creams are combined with either lidocaine or capsaicin to treat pain in two ways.

“Lidocaine and capsaicin are analgesics that will numb the pain for short-term relief. The CBD component goes into the source of the pain and reduces inflammation to keep it from coming back. This is both short- and long-term pain treatment,” Mammadova said. “Capsaicin has additional properties. It is a neuroprotectant. That means it prevents nerves from being damaged. That works well for diabetic neuropathy or for any kind of pain that comes from nerve damage, like sciatic nerve pain or carpal tunnel syndrome.”

For many people, pets are family members who deserve the best of care, like any of their human relatives. Oliver’s Harvest has a line of products to help animals, including dogs, cats and even birds cope with pain and anxiety.

“It actually works faster with pets,” Mammadova said. “They have more receptors that will respond to CBD, so at the first dose, we see results.”

Helping both people and animals is important to the company.

“It fits in with the medical supplies because we already had pet supplies. We have glucometers for diabetic pets, for example. So, it was a natural extension,” Suess said. “We participate in the Noble Paws program, too. For every product that we sell for a pet, we donate a product to a rescue facility.”

Pet products for inflammation, arthritic pain and anxiety come in bacon-flavored tinctures or supplements and peanut butter. The latter is a tasty favorite of dogs that provides a broad-spectrum, full-body effect.

The company is working on additional products, such as a special supplement that combines 10 herbs with CBD to combat anxiety and stress, and another designed for PMS symptoms, including mood swings and cramps. They are also bringing in cigars made with CBD flowers.

CBD oil from hemp comes from the same family of plants that produce marijuana, but there is a key difference.

“The difference between these products and medical marijuana is the THC,” Mammadova said, referring to tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana. “That will impact your functionality through the day because you feel high, you feel euphoric. You do not get those feelings by ingesting CBD; you only get the relief.”

Suess understands the concern of many professionals, including police officers, firefighters and truck drivers, to name a few. He stressed that CBD will not impact them in a negative way.

“We are even working with somebody who is developing CBD to treat addicts. Many addicts get started on opioids because of pain. High-strength CBD works for pain,” Suess said. “There are now quite a few trials going on because CBD is non-addictive. So, you can give CBD to help get addicts off pain medications.”

The Oliver’s Harvest factory outlet store is located at 3361 Fairlane Farms Road in Wellington. The doors are open Monday through Friday, excluding holidays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but staff is always happy to answer questions and take orders over the phone and online.

Drop by the warehouse in person and receive a 10 percent discount on your purchase.

For more information about CBD oil products from Oliver’s Harvest, call (866) 634-3134 or visit www.oliversharvest.com.

Kasey Perry-Glass Joins Forces With FullBucket To Bring ‘Be Good & Do Good’ Mantra To Wellington

With many titles to her name, including an Olympic bronze medal and an FEI World Equestrian Games silver medal, dressage star Kasey Perry-Glass could be content with her busy life. However, while she is a competitive athlete driven by success, her passion for philanthropy also plays a large role in her life.

Her drive for success with horses began young, and she quickly advanced up the levels as a young rider when she decided to focus on dressage at age 14. Little did she know that years later, her determination and dedication to the sport, in combination with the talent of her Danish Warmblood gelding Goerklintgaards Dublet, would lead her to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she would help Team USA secure the bronze medal. Fast forward a few years, and the pair have had other notable performances at the FEI World Cup Finals, the FEI World Equestrian Games and the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.

Originally from California, Perry-Glass is based in the winter equestrian capital of the world during the season. Her busy routine consists of training multiple horses with the assistance of U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor Debbie McDonald.

Outside of the time she spends in the saddle, Perry-Glass is dedicated to expanding the awareness of philanthropy within the Wellington community and beyond. Her longtime support of Brooke USA, a nonprofit that funds programs to help equine owners in developing countries, has been a key part of her life. Inspired to help working equines in Central America, she was thrilled to recently become a brand ambassador for FullBucket, a one-for-one giving business with an extensive line of veterinary-strength digestion supplements.

Perry-Glass first learned of the company when she needed a higher-quality probiotic supplement for Dublet when travel was stressing his digestive system. Since beginning to use the probiotic line in 2018, following a recommendation from her vet, she not only witnessed the benefits of the scientifically proven ingredients, but she was exposed to FullBucket’s important promise — for every FullBucket product purchased, another will be donated to treat horses and donkeys in developing countries through the company’s giving program. This is a promise that Perry-Glass felt needed to be brought to the attention of all animal lovers, and she proudly joined the team as an ambassador.

FullBucket was founded by veterinarians and surgeons determined to use their business to make a significant difference in the world. The team developed the highest concentration of probiotic-based equine, dog and cat health supplements on the market, but they wanted to continue helping animals. With their mantra “Be Good & Do Good,” FullBucket used the supplements as a springboard into helping working equines around the world.

“When we first began donating products to these communities, we recruited the help of local veterinary colleges to test the donkeys, horses and mules’ stool and soil samples to better evaluate what was needed in their diets,” explained Dr. Rob Franklin, one of FullBucket’s co-founders. “We were then able to craft a unique blend to fit their specific nutritional needs. In addition, we hired local mills to produce the supplement to stimulate job growth, and we developed a channel to distribute on an ongoing basis, which delivers free to the developing communities who really need the assistance.”

While the products are used by top veterinary practices around the country, FullBucket’s unique business model is a steadfast reason that it has become a staple for many pet owners as they make the choice to give their pets FullBucket products over others.

Perry-Glass is one of many to make FullBucket her first choice in keeping her horses feeling and performing their best. 

“I am so excited to be working with a company with such good values and a great product — that is really important to me, and giving back is a passion of mine,” she explained. “What they do for working equines is amazing, and I’m looking forward to telling more people about FullBucket, especially in the animal-loving community of Wellington, and their one-for-one giving business model.”

FullBucket has shaken up the animal healthcare industry as the first successful giving one-for-one business. With support from its customers, the company has distributed more than 13,000 buckets of nutritional products to impoverished villages throughout Central America. Taking their support one step further, FullBucket’s team of professionals organize giving trips to communities that need the most aid. 

“During our annual giving trip, we invite several veterinarians and industry professionals to volunteer in a program that allows them to use their skills and help these working equines and the families that rely on them, and see firsthand what goes on in these impoverished communities,” co-founder Robo Hendrickson said. “For a week, we vaccinate, float teeth, trim hooves and tend to saddle sores like you’ve never seen before.”

It has been nine years since their first trip, and the community behind FullBucket has served hundreds of tons of nutritional supplement and helped thousands of malnourished working equines and their families.

“More than 170 volunteers have experienced the lifechanging gift of serving those in desperate need,” Hendrickson added. “To be able to return to a community a year following our initial visit and see the vast improvement in the health and care of their working equines by our support and the educational tools we provided, makes our journey even more special.”

The devotion of FullBucket’s time and resources to social issues close to her heart epitomizes the philanthropic aspirations of Perry-Glass. 

“We were thrilled to have Kasey as our first official rider in our athlete ambassador program,” co-founder Dr. Keith Latson said. “When we launched FullBucket as a supplement line that developed first-class products for veterinarians to use for digestive issues, we quickly realized that our team shared an innate ambition to help others. We redesigned the business from the ground up to align with our personal objectives to help others and working equines. Kasey shares our passion to try your best each day and to leave people, animals and the world better than you found them.”

Together, Perry-Glass and FullBucket Health are committed to continuing their philanthropic efforts into the future, and she looks forward to joining them on a future giving trip to Guatemala to see the good FullBucket brings to communities in dire need of assistance.

As a team, they hope to bring light to the conditions of the working equines that aren’t always lucky enough to receive top-of-the-line care, or even any care at all. Beyond the beautiful properties of Wellington, there are animals that need help and can benefit directly from FullBucket’s “Be Good & Do Good” mantra.

Learn more at www.fullbuckethealth.com.

New Ambulatory Surgery Center To Open Soon At Bethesda Hospital West

Having an outpatient surgery procedure is about to get more convenient for residents in Wellington and the surrounding communities. Baptist Health South Florida is opening a new Ambulatory Surgery Center this fall on the campus of Bethesda Hospital West.

At the Ambulatory Surgery Center, surgical procedures that once required a hospital stay of two to three days can now be performed at the new outpatient facility, allowing patients to make faster recoveries and keep their healthcare costs more affordable.

Equipped with the latest in clinical innovation and advanced technology, the Baptist Health Surgery Center is a 15,000-square-foot center designed to offer patients comprehensive outpatient surgical services in a spa-like environment.

Upon entering the new center, patients will be greeted by a team of board-certified surgeons and specialty trained surgical nurses who are dedicated to providing the highest levels of quality and safety. As patients prepare for surgery, families are ushered to the tranquil, natural light-infused waiting room, where they will be able to track their loved one’s progress during their procedure in real time and enjoy complimentary wi-fi.

Thanks to modern medical advancements, such as minimally invasive procedures and new anesthesia techniques that reduce complications, patients can return home sooner from procedures such as orthopaedic knee replacement procedures and gynecologic surgeries.

Looking ahead to 2020, Bethesda Hospital West will embark upon its largest expansion to date. Currently 80 beds with all private rooms, the hospital is going to add 35 medical-surgical beds in all private inpatient rooms, with two new operating suites. Because of the hospital’s butterfly design, the new rooms will be built on the side opposite the existing patient tower. In this way, construction noise can be kept to a minimum for patients at rest. Construction is expected to be completed in 2023.

Bethesda Hospital West was designed to grow to 400 inpatient beds as the community grows. It offers medical and surgical care, diagnostic imaging, rehabilitation services, an intensive care unit and a 24-hour emergency center for adults and children.

“These two new additions to the Bethesda Hospital West campus demonstrate our commitment to the people in western Palm Beach County,” said Roger L. Kirk, CEO of Bethesda Health. “Together with Baptist Health South Florida, we are making outpatient surgical care and inpatient hospital care more accessible, reflecting our continued commitment to providing compassionate care that will meet our community’s needs.”

Bethesda Hospital West, along with Bethesda Hospital East and its affiliated facilities, joined Baptist Health in 2017 to expand access to high-quality, compassionate healthcare across South Florida. Baptist Health South Florida is the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals — Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Bethesda Hospital East, Bethesda Hospital West, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Fishermen’s Community Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital — and nearly 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities, spanning four counties.

Learn more at www.baptisthealth.net.

The Wellington Community Foundation Awards Inaugural Arle And Ken Adams Scholarships

Some of the best opportunities in life exist in your own backyard. That is especially the case when it comes to high school students and their parents who are searching for college scholarship opportunities. One of those scholarships with roots in Wellington is the new Arle and Ken Adams Scholarship, which is administered by the Wellington Community Foundation.

The Arle and Ken Adams Scholarship, which was distributed for the first time this year, was created to serve those in need who can benefit from a helping hand in order to become one of tomorrow’s leaders.

According to Wellington Community Foundation Chair Tom Wenham, the scholarship will be awarded annually to two students from Wellington who have a proven track record of supporting the Village of Wellington and its residents.

The scholarship was named in honor of former Palm Beach County Commissioner Ken Adams and his late wife, Arle Adams. Longtime Wellington residents, Arle and Ken Adams made great contributions to the growth and development of the Village of Wellington, dating back to the late 1970s.

Key figures in getting Wellington incorporated as a municipality in the 1990s, there are very few aspects of Wellington’s growth that cannot be attributed to some kind of involvement or assistance from Arle and Ken Adams.

A scholarship committee led by Wellington Community Foundation board members James Seder and Joanna Boynton was given the task of recommending the inaugural recipients of the Arle and Ken Adams Scholarship.

According to Wenham, there were 18 applicants, and making a decision was difficult.

“Our selection committee recommended two out of 18, and it was not easy,” Wenham said. “They all had great GPAs and résumés.”

Seder agreed that there was a wealth of qualified candidates who submitted applications this inaugural year.

“I am very proud of all of these young men and women,” he said. “We received 18 applications in our first year, which is an incredible number.”

The scholarship committee put the word out about the new scholarship by reaching out to local high schools.

“We relied on guidance counselors to put the word out there,” Seder said. “We also believed that the higher award amount of $2,500 could help a lot of people with expenses. Once the applications were received, the scholarship committee reviewed each application. I can assure you that we spent many hours and days reviewing these applications. Each one had its own merits. Committee members submitted their top candidates to the foundation’s board of directors, and votes were cast to award the scholarships.”

The first recipients are Wellington residents Sebastian Suarez, a 2019 graduate of Palm Beach Central High School, and Francesca Herman, a 2019 graduate of Wellington High School.

“We strived to make our scholarship different from the others by trying to focus on the values and qualities that Arle and Ken Adams exemplified over the years,” Seder said. “This includes an emphasis on public service, leadership and community involvement. We also considered academic achievement and overcoming adversity in making the award decision.”

Suarez will attend the University of Florida in Gainesville. As part of his commitment to Wellington, Suarez has rebuilt homes, painted houses and raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network. The scholarship money will help Suarez and his family pay the college bills when he enrolls at UF, where he will pursue a degree in architecture. Suarez added that that he had help in searching for college scholarships, which led him to apply for the Arle and Ken Adams Scholarship.

“I found a lot of information on the bulletin board of my school’s web site,” he said. “The Palm Beach County School Board also has listed a number of scholarships for local students to apply for and pursue.”

Suarez, who had a 3.95 GPA and a 5.13 HPA at Palm Beach Central, noted that it just takes basic verbal communication skills to find out the existence of many scholarships.

“It’s important to ask advice from other people who have recently gone through the college scholarship process,” Suarez suggested. “Ask your friends about their experiences and speak with your school’s guidance counselor. I have an older sister who just recently went to college, so I learned a lot from her experiences, as well.”

At Palm Beach Central, Suarez was a member of the Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society and Interact Club. Those extracurricular affiliations helped, not only in his application for this scholarship, but for others as well, such as one he received from the Rotary Club of Wellington.

Even though he has graduated, he’s still hoping that he will receive another scholarship before he heads to Gainesville. “I’ve also applied for the Charles R. O’Melia Scholarship, which supports students who want to pursue a career in architecture,” Suarez said. “In the essay part of the application, you had to tell your story about how important architecture is to you.”

Herman, who eventually wants to graduate from medical school, earned great grades at Wellington High School — a 3.98 GPA and 5.36 HPA. She will be headed to Tulane University in August.

Herman feels that many scholarship organizations are more interested in a candidate’s level of community service than their grade point average — but it doesn’t hurt to have strong grades.

Herman founded a club at Wellington High School that helped the less fortunate. It’s called the Seed Those in Need Club. She also traveled to Gainesville last summer where she conducted research on how restriction enzymes can attack Type 1 diabetes.

Both Suarez and Herman agree that half the battle in winning college scholarships is taking the time to apply for them. Being able to put your thoughts in writing — featuring properly written declarative sentences — is often the biggest hurdle in earning a college scholarship, they both agreed.

That is something they both accomplished in their scholarship applications.

“Sebastian and Francesca were both strong academic performers and involved in the community,” Seder said. “What spoke to me was how they overcame personal adversity in their lives and were still able to find the time to help others.”

Also important is for applicants to point out how the scholarship will help them achieve their goals

“I would like to see future scholarship applications place an additional emphasis on financial need,” Seder said. “With education costs always rising, sometimes these scholarships make the difference in whether a student attends college or not. If our scholarship helps someone get to college, I believe it’s money well spent and a great investment in the future.”

To learn more about the Arle and Ken Adams Scholarship, call the Wellington Community Foundation at (561) 333-9843.

Somerset Academy Of The Arts Opening Soon In Wellington

A new tuition-free educational choice for families is opening in Wellington this fall. Somerset Academy of the Arts is now accepting applications for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Located at 1000 Wellington Trace, Somerset Academy will occupy the 13-acre former Eagle Arts Academy campus. It is currently being renovated, and the school will host weekly open houses each Tuesday starting June 4.

Somerset Academy will be the sixth Somerset Academy school in Palm Beach County. Since 1997, Somerset Academy Inc. has offered high-quality K-12 educational programs in Florida, Nevada and Texas that continue to achieve academic success.

Although all Somerset Academy schools share a vision, each campus has a unique and enriching educational program that is tailored to its community. This formula, along with strong support from parents, has made Somerset Academy a nationally recognized, award-winning family of high-quality public charter schools. As a network, the schools are fully accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In addition to the core curriculum, Somerset Academy will provide an elective track for music, dance, visual and performing arts. The arts will also be integrated throughout the curriculum, and a highly qualified faculty will use research-based techniques and methods to engage students at all learning levels.

Principal Elizabeth Sauri will lead Somerset Academy in Wellington. Formerly the assistant principal at Mater Academy of International Studies in Miami, Sauri has multiple degrees, including a bachelor’s degree in special education with varying exceptionalities, a master’s degree in international business administration and a second master’s degree in educational leadership. She is excited to share her educational and leadership experiences with the Wellington community.

“Somerset Academy of the Arts will distinguish itself by providing every student with a rigorous learning environment enhanced by creativity and personal artistic development within the visual and performing arts,” Sauri said. “Unique educators facilitate our students’ learning experiences with creative lessons that not only academically challenge the students but empower their creativity and self-expression.”

Students can apply to Somerset Academy regardless of their zip code or community. Enrollment is based on a lottery process. Once the school has reached capacity, additional applicants will be placed on a waitlist and notified when vacancies occur. Sauri hopes that parents will take advantage of the summer tours and register for the lottery early.

“Students enrolling before the summer registration have the best chance to be admitted in the first lottery, since all of the seats are open,” she said. “Students enrolling now will be invited to tour the school with their parents to see where they will create years of memories, which will shape their future educational endeavors.”

Because this is a new school, families have a chance to be part of something special — the first class. “As an extra bonus, any student registering before July 15 will have two votes in selecting the school mascot,” Sauri said.

In addition to the core curriculum and arts electives, students will have opportunities to participate in learning experiences outside the classroom through field trips and partnerships within Palm Beach county’s diverse arts community. School-sponsored art showcases and afterschool activities will round out the robust offerings.

“We will develop extracurricular activities throughout the school year to meet student visual and performing art needs. Students will also participate in school shows, exhibiting art, music, dance and theater,” Sauri said. “We’re also looking at afterschool enrichment clubs based specifically on student demand and needs.”

As the renovations on the campus continue, Sauri is excited to meet families and show off the progress. Somerset Academy plans to be not only an exciting and welcoming learning environment, but a safe and secure place for students and teachers alike.

“Student safety is of the utmost importance to me and my fellow educators,” she said. “We are building in several safety features, from a state-of-the-art camera system, to fencing and on-campus security guards.”

Charter schools are public schools that are publicly funded based on enrollment like other public schools and are held accountable to the same state and federal academic standards. Teachers are certified, and students take the same mandated tests that other Florida students take, and schools receive grades from the Florida Department of Education. A national survey revealed that 78 percent of parents with school-age children support having a public charter school open in their neighborhood.

Somerset Academy of the Arts is on Facebook and Instagram at @somersetartspb, and parents can apply online by visiting www.somersetartspb.com. Open houses are held every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. starting June 4, although the campus will be closed the week of July 4. Tours can also be arranged by calling (561) 421-5510.