Local

Place of Hope Names “Hero of Hope”

Place of Hope introduce a new element to its annual Hope Bash in Palm Beach Gardens this year in naming local philanthropist and child advocate Elin Nordegren as its inaugural Harris L. Weinstein “Hero of Hope” for her dedicated support of children in need. Nordegren said, “I have been interested in child psychology for most of my life, and when I learned Place of Hope focuses on the psychological well-being of foster children, I felt this organization was a very good fit for me.” Themed “Angels of Hope,” the 2015 Hope Bash was held February 20th.“Angels” was selected as the […]

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West Palm Beach Teen On Way to Olympic Qualifier

Marco Bernal, a junior at The Kings Academy, in West Palm Beach, competes in the equestrian sport of dressage, the art of riding and training a horse in a manner that develops obedience, flexibility and balance. Bernal recently returned from Mexico where he competed for his native country of Colombia as the youngest competitor seeking to qualify for the 2015 Pan-American games, which leads to the Olympic Games. He qualified both as an individual and with his team, which includes his father, internationally acclaimed dressage rider Marco Bernal Sr. “It was the most amazing experience to compete internationally with my […]

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Walk Like MADD 5k Dash and Kick Off Event

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) celebrated its upcoming April 26 annual Walk Like MADD & MADD Dash Fort Lauderdale 5K with a kick-off party on February 11 at ArtServe in Fort Lauderdale. The party brought a record number of attendees for the organization, which since its establishment in 2011 has raised more than $400,000 to date for MADD Broward & Palm Beach. Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, MADD is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. During the “pep rally” for the April 5K, guests and […]

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Banyan Air’s Corporate Chaplain Albert Beltran Named Chaplain of the Year

Albert Beltran, a chaplain serving Banyan Air Service based in Fort Lauderdale for 7 years, was recently named 2014 Chaplain of the Year by Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA). Beltran, a senior certified chaplain, has been with CCA for 12 ½ years. This honor is based on demonstrated passion and excellence in fulfilling CCA’s mission. Attributes of a Chaplain of the Year include genuine care for people, availability and responsiveness to their needs and clear, faithful witness to the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. During a recent hangar ceremony at Banyan, teammates gathered to […]

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Don’t Forget the March of Remembrance!

Time causes our memories to collect dust. Without a regular spring cleaning, dusty memories lose their edge, lose their focus and lose their purpose. The March of Remembrance is an opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to do some spring cleaning in our memories and reflect upon atrocities that took place during the Holocaust and that will be repeated if we forget to remember.   The problem Anti-Semitism is on the rise and as demonstrated in Ray Comfort’s “180 Movie” (www.180movie.com), many of today’s young people have no idea who Adolph Hitler was or that he was able to engineer […]

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Barn Dance Raises Funds to Restore Women Freed From Sex Trafficking

Florida ranks as the third highest sex trafficked state in the United States. Thousands of young women are held captive through sex trafficking, and Hepzibah House, founded by Becky Dymond, is working hard to rescue and free these girls from their bondage. This month Hepzibah House will be hosting their annual Barn Dance BBQ Dinner and silent auction at the Journey Church East Campus in Boynton Beach on Friday, March 20, featuring a live band and square dance caller. Through this, they hope to earn money to rescue girls from bondage and to fund a home for their recovery and […]

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CityTalks Engage Leaders to Collaborate for Impact Following Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast

For the first time ever in South Florida, the National Christian Foundation in conjunction with the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, is bringing leaders together to spark conversation and ignite action during CityTalks. The conversation starts March 19th at the Broward County Convention Center with the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. followed by CityTalks at 9:30 a.m. “In essence, what we have been doing with the Mayor’s prayer breakfast, which is now in its 53rd year, has been to convene the faith-based community with the marketplace and our city leaders as an opportunity to affirm our city leaders, to let them […]

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Coach Rick Recognized as a “Hero Among Us”

Coach Rick Andreassen, founder of Saints International, a physical education program for home school students, received the “Heroes Among Us” award at the Panthers vs. Blue Jackets hockey game on January 29. The award recognizes South Florida heroes who strive to serve and show selflessness in our community. CJ George, a home school student who attended Saints, nominated Coach Rick for the award. George, who was often anxious and struggled with panic attacks, said Coach Rick always displayed patience, love and encouragement toward him. George said the athletic spirit he learned at Saints carried him through stage three cancer and […]

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Disabled Crew Enters Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race

Among forty-two sailboats participating in the 40th Annual Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race in January was the Impossible Dream, a sixty-foot sailing catamaran specifically built for wheelchair access. A four-man crew of disabled sailors operated the ship. Daniel Evans, a U.S. Paralympic champion, captained the Impossible Dream. His crew consisted of two other Paralympians, Julia Dorsett and Bradley Johnson and lastly Deborah Mellen, founder of Impossible Dream Project. The Impossible Dream makes disabled sailors’ dreams truly attainable. Boat designer Mike Brown, himself a paraplegic, set out to create a yacht that could sail the oceans, entirely operated by a […]

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Operation Dive 24 Aids Caribbean Islanders

Worldwide Christian Scuba Divers Organization (WCSDO), a missionary group to indigent communities in the Caribbean and neighboring islands, raised about $18,000 during Operation Dive 24 recently in Key Largo. Divers formed a tag-team and remained underwater for 24 hours at Jules’ Undersea Lodge. Captain Gary Mace, director of WCSDO, spent the entire 24 hours twenty-one feet beneath sea level and many supporters dove down to take in the breath-taking view through the 5” thick circular glass windows. Live feeds were broadcast over the internet reaching viewers as far west as California. Jim Mustoe, founder of WCSDO, said “A large number […]

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