Committee members organizing the Hanley Center’s 19th annual Family Picnic gathered recently to finalize plans for the upcoming family-friendly event. Scheduled for Sunday, March 9 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, the benefit raises awareness and funds for Hanley Center’s programs.
The committee is led by chairmen Lisa and Dan Thomas, with child chairmen, Jack and Whitney; co-chairmen Denise Groo and Val Perez; honorary chairmen Dorothy and Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, with child honorary chairmen and grandsons, Landon Branch and Noah LoFaso; and honorary media chairwomen Roxanne Stein of WPTV NewsChannel 5 and Deena Lang of WRMF 97.9.
The event committee includes Lyanne Azqueta, Jack Barrett, Krista Basore, Sally Chester, Steve and Kimmie Cury, Lauren and Brett Elam, Bill and Dena Foman, Mike Gelin, Chuck and Lisa Gerardi, Karen Holloway, Suzanne Holmes, Theresa Kewley, Lauren and Daniel Lieberman, Kelly LoFaso, Jennifer Marcone, Michelle and John McGovern, Denise Meers, Mary Katherine Morales, Elizabeth Parker, Michele Poole, John Riordan, Nicky Skolnick, Kellen Smith, Tom and Chris Streit, Jim and Cassidy Sullivan, Jennifer Swanson and Karen Vaughn and Lauren Walker.
Event sponsors include Suffolk Construction, the Sunny & Abe Rosenberg Foundation, Florida Power & Light, the Hanley Family Foundation, the Jack C. Massey Foundation, Akerman LLP, the Mestal Foundation, Slatkow & Husak Public Relations, Diana Wister, Suzanne and Michael Holmes, McLaughlin & Stern LLP, Downtown at the Gardens, Lila Photo, the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau and the Palm Beach County Farm Bureau, Bravo KB, Dari and Billy Bowman, Sarah Cortvriend Esq., Barbara S. Noble, Elizabeth Parker Esq., Tom and Chris Streit, and Young & Stein Attorneys at Law. Media sponsors include: Wellington The Magazine, WPTV NewsChannel 5 and WRMF 97.9.
“Lisa and I are so excited to chair the Hanley Center Foundation’s annual Family Picnic event for a second consecutive year,” Dan Thomas said. “This event invites the entire family for a fun-filled afternoon, as research has shown that quality time spent with our children can significantly reduce the likelihood for drug and alcohol abuse. Funds raised are earmarked for prevention efforts in the local community with a focus on school-aged children.”
The Hanley Center is a nonprofit residential substance abuse treatment center established by the Hanley family as a community resource nearly 30 years ago. Mary Jane and Jack Hanley started with the goal of bringing quality substance abuse treatment to the southeast. The community rallied behind them to initially build the Hanley Center, and it has become a vital community pillar and national trailblazer for the recovery industry. The Hanley Center has led the treatment industry as a pioneer, with older adult and boomer programs setting a hallmark for effective treatment and the industry standard for treating those populations today.
“At the Hanley Center, we are proud to offer patients world-class addiction treatment. However, it is our hope that families never have to suffer from the disease of addiction,” said Dr. Rachel Docekal, Hanley Center Foundation CEO and vice president of external relations for Caron Treatment Centers. “Our teams of experts understand the importance of prevention, and through our research-based prevention programming, we have helped many children and adults better understand drug and alcohol abuse. We are so thankful to our Family Picnic leadership and sponsors for their hard work and donations creating another successful event — one that gives back to the local community in the form of education for elementary, middle and high school students and their caregivers.”
Together, Caron and Hanley treatment centers comprise the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit addiction treatment provider in the country, focused on a 12-Step recovery program with a powerful clinical component. In South Florida, Caron and Hanley operate lifesaving addiction treatment centers at the Hanley Center, Caron Ocean Drive and Caron Renaissance in Palm Beach County, and Gate Lodge in Vero Beach. For more information, call (561) 841-1048 or visit www.hanleycenter.org.
Children and families attending the Picnic will have premium seating that day for world-class horse jumping competition. The exciting afternoon will also include lunch, animal encounters, a magic show, children’s crafts and a silent auction. Tickets to the Family Picnic are $195 for adults (18 and over), $50 per child (7 to 17 years of age), and children 6 and under are free.
For more information about the Hanley Family Picnic or Hanley prevention programming, visit www.hanleycenterfoundation.org. Sponsorships for the event are still available. If you wish to purchase tickets or reserve a table, contact the Hanley Center Foundation’s Special Events Team at events@hanleycenter.org or (561) 841-1048.
ABOVE: Dan Thomas, Denise Meers and Mike Gelin. PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILA PHOTO
