Bringing you News that Counts
Bringing you News that Counts
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January 14th, 2008
IN THIS ISSUE
· Tell Us What You Think at the County’s First Public Budget Forums · Office of Community Revitalization Presents Residents Education to Action Program · Criminal Justice Commission Launches New Youth Criminal Justice Academy · Annual Holiday Toy Drive a Success · New Downloadable Audiobook Service Available at Your Library · More Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities
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 email us at countenews@pbcgov.com or call (561) 355-2754. To unsubscribe to Count-e-News, click here.
Tell Us What You Think at the County’s First Public Budget Forums
There will be a presentation by County staff and an open question-and-answer period. County officials are especially interested in knowing what programs and services residents feel are most important to them. Attendees will be asked to fill out a survey on how they think County tax dollars should be spent. Completed surveys may be submitted at the forum or returned by mail. The survey can also be completed online at www.pbcgov.com. The Web site also has information on current and past years’ budgets and official documentation. For more information, contact Public Affairs at (561) 355-2754.
Here is the County Budget Forum Schedule:
Office of Community Revitalization Presents Residents Education to Action Program
The mission of this program is to provide an opportunity for the residents of Palm Beach County to acquire a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the civil government system through active participation in the system. This course is open to youth and adult neighborhood leaders, and any interested citizens who would like to learn about civic engagement, resident empowerment and available County and community resources to assist in neighborhood revitalization efforts. During the course, participants will learn community-building skills such as solving the crime epidemic, crime prevention methods; code enforcement policies and financial management techniques. Participants will be encouraged to solve a neighborhood improvement problem and will also be given the opportunity to apply for a grant through the “America’s Next Top Neighborhood Award Grant Program. Sessions are facilitated using a variety of innovative techniques including group activities, lectures, guest speakers, individual outside work, and oral presentations. The course and all materials are free. A commitment for the entire six-week course is required. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Courses will be held in western and central Palm Beach County locations from January 24 through April 22. To register for REAP, for additional information regarding this program or other OCR activities, please contact LaToya Ricketts at (561) 233-5239 or visit http://www.pbcgov.com/ocr/programs/reap/
Criminal Justice Commission Launches New Youth Criminal Justice Academy
The Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) is hosting the first Youth Criminal Justice Academy from January 29 to February 19. The four-week class will teach students ages 13 to 18 about the criminal justice system in Palm Beach County, with an emphasis on juvenile justice.
The new program was created by the CJC to educate Palm Beach County youth about the criminal justice system, and to introduce them to local criminal justice professionals. The course will cover all aspects of the criminal justice system and provide a good general knowledge of the system from the perspective of criminal justice professionals.
The Academy will be taught by criminal justice practitioners. Sessions will be held at the Northwood Youth Empowerment Center at 723 39th Street in West Palm Beach. Classes will include presentations by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Juvenile and County Court judges, juvenile corrections personnel, and law enforcement officials.
The classes will be held from 4 to 6 p.m., except for the third class on Tuesday, February 5th, which will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30p.m. The February 5th class will feature a tour of the Main Detention Center on Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach.
There is no cost for the Academy with registration limited to the first 50 persons. Please e-mail your registration form to or register at the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission office located on the 10th Floor of the Governmental Center, 301 N. Olive Ave, Suite 1001, West Palm Beach or by calling Glenna Nowalk at 355-4943. The registration form is available online at: http://www.co.palm-each.fl.us/criminaljustice/currentevents/academy.htm
Annual Holiday Toy Drive a Success
The 2007 Holiday Toy Program provides toys, books and other gift items to children of families participating in the Division’s Emergency, Economic Stability, Self Sufficiency, or Indigent Burial Programs. Despite some challenges along the way, the event was a success thanks to a lot of hard work and sacrifice on the part of donors.
Donations poured in from all over Palm Beach County, including the Palm Beach Prayer Team Ministries and the Governor’s Council for Community Health Partnerships, Inc. Also making a donation was the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition. Members of the organization helped pack a van with boxes of books for children of all ages. As a result, each child participating in the program received two or three books. Other donors include The Benjamin School, Brandsmart, Learning Express, Toys for Tots, RJM Builders, Munz Construction, My Quilt Shoppe and Buccaneer Mortgage, Inc.
The donated toys were distributed to children across the county thanks to several donors and volunteers. Once sorted and bagged, Division social workers distributed the toys to each of their designated families along with wrapping paper. Governor’s Council for Community Health Partnerships, Inc. again assisted the Division by processing contributions and coordinating payments, in addition to helping obtain donations.
Through the collective efforts of community partnerships, both public and private, the Holiday Toy Program was able to continue the annual tradition. For more information or to make a donation, please contact Human Services Special Projects Coordinator Sharon Vereen-Thomas at sharofrose@aol.com (561) 667-5113 or Human Services Director Claudia Tuck at 355-4772.
New Downloadable Audiobook Service Available at Your Library
The Palm Beach County Library Digital Media Collection is a new service that has been developed through a partnership with OverDrive, Inc., a leading provider of digital audiobooks. The Digital Media Collection includes over 400 titles by best-selling authors such as James Patterson, Janet Evanovich and John Grisham; self improvement, biography and other popular nonfiction titles and classic literature. Digital audiobooks circulate for 14 days and automatically expire, so there are never any overdue notices or late fees to worry about. The audiobooks can be listened to on your computer or transferred to several portable devices such as MP3 players, personal digital assistants, and smart phones. Some titles may also be burned to CDs for use in a standard CD player. Using the Digital Media Collection is simple. You will need your library card and a personal computer with Internet access. You will also need to download the OverDrive Media Console, a small, easy-to-use helper application available free of charge from the site. Step-by-step instructions for searching, downloading and listening to the available audiobooks are provided online. For further information about our new Digital Media Collection and to begin enjoying the downloadable audiobooks, please visit: http://www.pbclibrary.org/audiobooks.html.
More Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities
· From tropical gardening enthusiasts to those who simply want to take the first step to create a beautiful garden, attendees of Mounts Botanical Garden’s Refining the Garden: A Tropical Gardening Symposium on Saturday, Jan. 26 will have the opportunity to learn from several local and national experts. The symposium, held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will include workshops and lectures led by area gardening authorities, as well as a keynote address by nationally acclaimed gardening expert Ken Druse. Attendees will receive continental breakfast, a boxed lunch and tea on Mounts’ Terrace. Tickets are $100 for Mounts’ members and $125 for Mounts’ non-members and master gardeners. For tickets and additional information, call (561) 233-1757 or visit www.mounts.org. Because workshop attendance is limited, early reservations are recommended. Mounts Botanical Garden is located at 559 North Military Trail in West Palm Beach. · Environmental Resources Management is hosting a Yamato Scrub Natural Area Workday. You can get down and dirty during this event where volunteers will plant sawgrass seedlings in the wetland restoration area and perform trail maintenance on the south hiking trail. Volunteers should wear old clothing and shoes that they do not mind getting wet and muddy. We will supply equipment and refreshments. The event will be held on Saturday, January 26 from 9 a.m. to noon. To register, call (561) 233-2426 or e-mail Ann Mathews at amathews@co.palm-beach.fl.us ·
Explore scientific topics in a
comfortable and relaxed atmosphere with other mature adults during Science for Seniors: State of Nature at Green Cay Nature Center. Discover the various aspects of how the
natural environment has changed (or has been forced to change) over the years.
Reservations required. The event will be held on Wednesday, January 23 at 2 p.m. The event
is open to adults 50 and over and costs $3 per person. Green Cay Nature Center is operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department and is
located at 12800 Hagen Ranch Road in Boynton Beach. Visit http://www.pbcgov.com/parks/nature/green_cay_nature_center/ for more information.
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