Bringing you News that Counts
Bringing you News that Counts
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April 21, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
· Guardian Ad Litem Program Needs Volunteers · 2008 Fair Housing Student Poster, Essay & DVD Contest Winners Announced · Memorial Day Observance Set for West Boca Veteran's Park · County Named a Top 10 Up-and-Coming Tech Location by Forbes Magazine · Celebrate the Expansion of the Daggerwing Nature Center · Palm Beach County Employee Receives Prestigious Honor
For more information about Palm Beach County’s programs and services, visit us online at www.pbcgov.com. If you have any questions or to provide feedback, you can e-mail us at countenews@pbcgov.com or call 355-2754. To unsubscribe to Count-e-News, click here.
Guardian Ad Litem Program Needs Volunteers
A guardian ad litem (GAL) is a volunteer appointed by the court to protect the rights and advocate for the best interests of a child involved in a court proceeding, usually because of alleged abuse or neglect. The volunteer GAL makes independent recommendations to the court by focusing on the needs of each child.
The GAL advocates for the best interests of the child they represent.The program currently has 300 volunteers and is hoping to double that amount, said Director of Recruitment Alan Mentser.
“We catch some of the things that fall through cracks,” he said. “We need to be able to put pieces of the puzzle together and paint a clear picture for the court, since we are the eyes of the court and speak up for the children.”
Mentser, who has been a guardian ad litem for the past nine years, said it’s a rewarding experience for those ready for a challenge. “I get more out of it than I put into it,” he said. “There’s a tremendous amount of personal satisfaction that I derive from advocating for children.”
Volunteer GALs are:
• Individuals who respect a child’s inherent right to grow up with dignity in a safe environment that meets that child’s best interests. • Individuals who assure that the child’s best interests are represented in the court at every stage of the case.
“We visit the child monthly, and we advocate for their best interest,” Mentser said. “Guardian ad litems must have a good dose of common sense, and we teach them the rest. It’s misunderstood that you have to be an attorney or have a legal background. We have students as young as 19 go through the training and become a guardian ad litem.”
Becoming a guardian ad litem requires the following:
• Complete a 30-hour training class and in-service trainings • Be at least 19 years old • Complete a prescreening and application process • Undergo a background check • Visit the children monthly • Have a passion for helping kids
For more information about the program, visit www.galpbc.org, call 355-2773 or contact Mentser at alan.mentser@gal.fl.gov.
2008 Fair Housing Student Poster, Essay & DVD Contest Winners Announced
Elementary School Poster First Place: Luis Flores of Diamond View Elementary School Second Place: Seanna Harris of South Olive Elementary School Third Place: Amanda McConnell of Acreage Pines Elementary School
Middle School Poster First Place: Delisa Johnson of Lantana Middle School Second Place: Margaret Schuettler of Lantana Middle School Third Place: Emily McCord of Boca Raton Middle School
Middle School Essay First Place: Thomas Coates of Wellington Landings Community Middle School Second Place: Murphy Aucamp of Boca Raton Community Middle School Third Place: Sydney Polacek of Boca Raton Community Middle School
High School DVD/Video First Place: Melanie Kabinoff and Sebastian Jones of Park Vista Community High School Second place: Brittany Jones and Justin Stephens of Park Vista Community High School Third Place: Audio & Video Students of the Northwood Youth Empowerment Center
A reception honoring these winners will be held April 30th at 6pm in the Jane M. Thompson Memorial Chambers, located on the 6th floor of the Palm Beach County Governmental Center, 301 N. Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach.
To RSVP, please contact Gail Katz at (561) 585-4544 ext 121.
Memorial Day Observance Set For West Boca Veteran's Park
This event
honors veterans of our armed services and will feature a procession of colors,
guest speakers, and patriotic music. The public is invited to attend and
encouraged to bring lawn chairs. This event is
sponsored by Palm Beach County’s Recreation Assistance Program/District V and
is coordinated jointly by the Veterans Coalition and Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation/Special Events Section.
Veteran’s Park is located at 9400 W. Palmetto Park Road, between Lyons Road and US Hwy. 441 in West Boca Raton. For more information about Veteran’s Park and other parks or programs available through the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, visit us online at www.pbcparks.com.
County Named a Top 10 Up-and-Coming Tech Location by Forbes Magazine
Palm Beach County has been branded as an up-and-coming tech hotbed,
according to a Forbes magazine March 10th article titled, “Top 10 Up-and-Coming Tech Cities”.
Forbes ranked Palm Beach County in the top three locations with the most
promising innovation frontier. “Palm Beach County’s reputation for cutting edge biotech and life science research is on solid ground and gaining momentum,” said Kevin Johns, Palm Beach County Director of Economic Development. The county’s
landing of the Scripps Research Institute and the Max Planck Society are
stirring investment in biotechnology start-ups. The Palm Beach County employment in this arena is ticking upwards, the bioscience career academies are full
and the benefits to the tax base will begin to see positive revenues from these
investments steadily over the next 30 years, Johns said. Relationships
among patents determined the ranking: the greater the increase in the
number of important patents, the higher it ranked. The Forbes article
noted that the most important patents are generally referenced by other
inventors in the field when they filed for their own patents. “It is great to
be appreciated by Forbes Magazine in its new national rankings. Next, we
want to be in the top international rankings. The county’s strategy to become a
first-class knowledge-based economy is becoming a reality,” said Johns. “Palm Beach County’s motto ‘The Best of Everything’ now includes high tech innovation and
intellectual property.” Building
biotechnology businesses in Palm Beach County with highly educated, highly
motivated people who appreciate the quality of life is helping to bring
investors into the area. As a result, the county is generating a
high-skill, high-wage employment base for the future. “For example,
look at the Enterprise Development Corporation (EDC), a nonprofit organization
that assists emerging science and technology companies,” said Jane Teague,
Executive Director of the Boca Raton-based EDC. “Commercialization
of new discoveries is working well in Palm Beach County,” she said. “The EDC
has helped high-tech companies to create nearly 50 new jobs, and retained over
360 existing jobs since January 2007.” The county
matched state funding for the EDC startup to help diversify the economy.
For more information on the EDC, go to www.edc-tech.org
or call (561) 620-8494. For more information on the high-tech industry, please call Maggie Smith, Palm Beach County Economic Development Office at (561)355-3624.
Celebrate the Expansion of the Daggerwing Nature Center
Daggerwing Nature Center is set within the beautiful confines of South County Regional Park in western Boca Raton. Features at the center include a new exhibit hall with live animals and interactive state-of-the-art exhibits, classroom facilities, laboratory, lobby, reading area, and an elevated boardwalk which takes you on a relaxing journey through a swamp. The boardwalk has two 1/3-mile trails, bench-style seating, as well as an observation tower available for you to view the abundant plant and animal life including osprey, woodpeckers, butterflies, endangered wood storks, alligators, and a wide variety of bromeliads. Be sure not to miss the center’s namesake, the Ruddy Daggerwing butterfly, as it flutters through the trees!
Daggerwing Nature Center recently underwent a miraculous transformation by having 5,000 square feet added. In 2002, voters approved a $50 million bond issue that allotted $2 million to expand the nature center.
The mission of Daggerwing Nature Center is to encourage an appreciation of our natural environment through education and demonstration, in hope of inspiring personal involvement in conservation. The center is located at 11200 Park Access Road in Boca Raton. For more information, call (561) 629-8760.
Palm Beach County Employee Receives Prestigious Honor
AIHA is one of
the largest international associations serving the needs of occupational and
environmental health professionals practicing industrial hygiene in industry,
government, labor, academic institutions and independent organizations. Only five percent of AIHA’s membership can qualify for the Fellow Award, which is given to professionals who have made significant contributions in the field of industrial hygiene. Berke will be honored during a ceremony in Minneapolis on June 4th.
Berke, who works in the County’s Risk Management Department in Employee Safety/Loss Control, said he is honored to receive the award. He has worked for the County since 2001.
“Recognition from my peers for my contributions to occupational safety and health during my 30 years of practice in both private and public sectors represents a significant professional milestone for me,” he said. “It is an honor for me to join this select group of highly respected health and safety professionals. I look forward to continuing to work at Palm Beach County to help management and employees work together to prevent injuries and illness.”
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