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Minutes 05-22-97 MINUTES OF THE ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1997, AT 7:00 P.M. PRESENT Shanna St. John, Chairperson Wilfred Hawkins, Assistant to the Angela Girtman, Vice Chairperson City Manager Marie Lengert Hattie Miller, Alternate Jeffrey Davis, Student Amy Williams, Student ABSENT Robert Borovy Angela Dencker Denise Panton I. CALL TO ORDER Chairperson St. John called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. II. MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER A moment of silent prayer was observed. III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Chairperson St. John added Item V. (Back to School Day for All Americans). Motion Ms. Lengert moved to approve the agenda as amended. Ms. Miller seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairperson St. John corrected the last paragraph on page 4 of the minutes of the last meeting to reflect that she got the idea from being involved in Leadership about the MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 City formulating a program like Leadership has to review the duties and requirements of the board and have a brainstorming session. Motion Vice Chairperson Girtman moved to approve the minutes of the April 24, 1997 meeting as amended. Ms. Lengert seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. V. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS A. Parade article by Colin Powell Chairperson St. John distributed an article titled “Will You Help?” and advised that it pertains to what this board is trying to do in forming a youth volunteer program. B. Visions 20/20 Kickoff - Monday, June 9, 1997 - Civic Center - 6:30 p.m. Chairperson St. John made this announcement. C. Education Advisory Board Forum - June 5, 1997 - Woman’s Club - 6:30 p.m. Chairperson St. John made this announcement and advised that Rep. John C. Rayson will be the guest speaker and will discuss lottery accountability. She urged the members of this board to attend this forum in support of the Education Advisory Board. D. Grant’s Workshop - June 6, 1977 - United Way - 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. Chairperson St. John advised that this workshop is free of charge. If the members of the board cannot attend this workshop, another one will be held in September. She urged the members of the board to attend this workshop, since this board is going to be looking for grants to support some of the programs it wants to implement. E. Back to School Day for All Americans Chairperson St. John distributed a brochure of the proposal from the Center for Group Counseling and SIRS, Inc. whereby all Americans volunteer at the school from which they graduated. 2 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Mentor Program Chairperson St. John advised that for years this board has discussed starting a grandparent program. This was one of the ideas of the original task force that formed this board. United Way and Motorola have expressed interest in providing volunteers. Chairperson St. John suggested calling this program Boynton Buddies and not limiting it to seniors. She also suggested contacting local child care centers such as Head Start and at-risk youth in need of mentors and have a Boynton Buddies Day at the Hester Center or the Civic Center once a month. Various activities will be set up and the children would be brought around to meet different adults and spend time with them so they can easily connect with someone they like. She would like to concentrate on the pre-school and elementary age children first and eventually upgrade the activities to reach middle school and high school age children. She also suggested having parenting classes and guest speakers for parents who do not work and have pre-school age children. Eventually, she hoped this program will be taken over by the City. Ms. Lengert pointed out that transportation will be needed. Chairperson St. John advised that sponsors, such as Motorola, will be needed for this program. She asked the members of the board to bring back their input at the next meeting. Vice Chairperson Girtman expressed concern about background checks of mentors and insurance associated with taking children out of a facility. She felt it would be better if the children were brought to certain centers for a field day. Ms. Lengert suggested starting out by having the members of this board hold a story hour and tell stories to groups of children. Vice Chairperson Girtman stated that the Community Police Officers used to visit various centers and read stories to the children. She suggested that the board contact the facilities and find out what the children would be interested in. She also suggested having career people, such as a dentist or baker, dress in their uniforms and visit the different facilities. The members of the board decided that a list of facilities to visit and who to invite to the facilities is needed. VI. OLD BUSINESS 3 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 A. Youth Volunteer Bank Chairperson St. John advised that a flyer was drafted and Creative Titcomb is working on a logo. A computer program is being formulated by the City. The following sponsors have been contacted: Sun-Sentinel, the Chamber of Commerce, Bethesda Hospital, and Motorola. The Finance Department has set up an account to handle the money. Mr. Borovy and Ms. Dencker have spoken to the Boy Scouts, and Ms. Lengert has contacted the Girl Scouts. A list of different places to approach is needed when the flyers are ready. The senior volunteers have already been approached to verify the volunteer hours. Chairperson St. John identified about 20 grants on the Internet. She approached Police Chief Marshall Gage about including the First Offender Program in this program. Since community service is mandatory, they discussed giving those people half the credit hours. The board previously decided this would be a natural tie in for neighborhood revitalization and double credit hours for projects relating to neighborhood revitalization should be given. The board previously voted to have a clean up day. Chairperson St. John suggested contacting the Code Enforcement Division to find out who needs assistance. She offered to approach the Solid Waste Authority to sponsor the clean up day. Chairperson St. John stated that after the last meeting, someone suggested to her that the board give a special award to the group (such as the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts) who does the most volunteer hours collectively. The following committees for this program were set up: Sponsorship Committee - St. John Information Gathering Committee - Girtman Youth Volunteer Committee - Williams, Davis, Borovy Awards Banquet Committee - Lengert, Miller Publicity Committee - Panton With regard to recording of volunteer hours, Chairperson St. John suggested that the volunteers pick up a card, keep track of their own volunteer hours, and turn the card into the volunteers for entry into the computer system on a monthly basis. A filing cabinet will be needed to store the cards and the volunteers’ initial membership form. A sponsor is needed to supply the cards. In the sponsorship letters that Chairperson St. John sent out, she mentioned that not only do we need sponsors for the scholarship bonds, but we need sponsors to put on the awards banquet and for the cost of handling the program. 4 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 At this time, Mr. Hawkins arrived. B. Youth Orchestra This item was tabled since Mr. Borovy was not present. C.Summer Movie Program Chairperson St. John recently spoke to United Artists Theater and is awaiting their response. In the interim, they would like to know which theaters are moving into the area. D. Puppetry Arts Theatre Chairperson St. John advised that the Puppetry Arts Theatre has found a temporary home in a bowling alley on Okeechobee Boulevard, west of the Turnpike. E. Youth Expo Statistics Chairperson St. John put together some statistics from the Youth Expo. There were over 10 positive articles and mentions in the press. There were 22 sponsors and 208 contestants who all received recognition coupons or money from the sponsors. There were 13 information booths and 30 groups or individuals performing (approximately 300 to 400 people on stage). The estimated mall traffic for the weekend is approximately 20,000 people a day, not taking into consideration special events. Twelve schools participated. Twelve hundred dollars in scholarships was awarded. There was standing room only at the Awards Ceremony in the City Commission Chambers. The board received thank you letters from parents and calls saying how wonderful the Youth Expo was. Chairperson St. John advised that the Youth Expo took six months of preparation, countless hours on the phone, running around, paperwork, soliciting donations, contacting schools, entertainment and information tables, scheduling, organization, and overcoming obstacles. Most of the work was done by the members of the board before reaching staff. Chairperson St. John stated that not only did we have the perfect combination of government, business, youth, and schools, but we created business and goodwill. F. Abolishing of Advisory Board on Children and Youth 5 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 The members of the board expressed a desire to remain intact. At the previous meeting, they voted in favor of sending a letter to the City Commission. Chairperson St. John read the letter that she personally sent to the Commission and the City Manager. (A copy of this letter is attached to these minutes.) Motion Ms. Lengert moved that no other letter be sent. She did not think it was necessary to send the Commission another letter. Ms. Miller seconded the motion. Chairperson St. John pointed out that her letter states that “it may not be representative of my fellow board members”. In addition, she has some new facts and suggestions that she would like to include in another letter to the Commission. She and Vice Chairperson Girtman will draft the new letter. The motion failed 4-1. Ms. Lengert was the only member to vote in favor of the motion. Chairperson St. John distributed a handout showing the correspondence that the board has sent out, the speakers they have had, and the subjects they discussed since she has been on the board. (A copy of this handout is attached to these minutes.) Vice Chairperson Girtman pointed out the board’s accomplishments prior to 1995 as follows: ? A grant was written for the Latchkey program and additional slots were received for the Latchkey children at Rolling Green Elementary School. ? Photo contest. ? A booklet of frequently called phone numbers for young families moving to Boynton Beach was formulated. ? Children’s concert and petting zoo for instruments (Philharmonic Orchestra). ? Workshop on gang violence. ? The board took tours of all the parks in the City. Vice Chairperson Girtman stated that when this board was first established, they received the notes from the Task Force stating what they felt the City needed as far as children and youth are concerned. The board prioritized those items and noted which 6 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 items were outdated. Then they started working on the items, which included the Latchkey Program and cultural activities for youth. The board also worked on trying to establish a children’s clinic to try to cut down on the number of children showing up in the emergency room for non-emergency purposes which drives up costs for everybody. She pointed out that some people do not have insurance or private doctors and when their children get sick, they take them to the emergency room. Chairperson St. John has done some research on the Task Force’s goals and objectives and many of them are still viable, such as the following: ? Adopt a grandchild/grandparent program. ? Too many activities are geographical and we need to start crossing geographical lines and find other medians besides mailings in order to communicate better with citizens about children’s activities. She read the following from documents from the Task Force: The members of the Task Force on Children and Youth extend their appreciation to the Boynton City Commission for the vision exhibited in establishing the Force. By taking this step, the City of Boynton Beach has become a forerunner in children’s issues and a model for other cities in the State in investigating and developing programs to meet the unmet needs of children and young families. The diversity and varying qualifications of the people who made up the Force demonstrates the widespread interest in this area on the part of the people in this County. Agencies Statewide anxiously await the release of this report. This was and is a very ambitious undertaking and will require all of our experience and skill to achieve success. We feel our children deserve no less. She referred to a memorandum from the City Clerk to the City Manager which stated that the City employee representative of this board was previously the Public Information Officer who put in extensive time monthly. She pointed out that the members of the board did a lot of the leg work. They wrote the letters and all the PIO had to do was put them on letterhead. The memo stated that two special events were held by this board—a Youth Expo and a youth cultural day at the mall. Chairperson St. John advised that this board only held one special event. She pointed out that one of the reasons the Commission is considering consolidating boards is to cut costs. However, the estimated yearly cost for staff time relating to this board is $368.88, excluding the Recording Secretary’s time. To save money, she suggested that a secretary be elected from this board to take the minutes and bring 7 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 them to the City Clerk’s Office. She also suggested setting up a mailbox system for all the boards so that the members of every board could pick up the minutes. This would eliminate mailing costs and time spent labeling and addressing. The minutes could be available at City Hall in the Mall also for those who cannot get to City Hall by 5:00 p.m. In addition, the minutes could be made available to the public so that they know what is happening on the boards. She also suggested that the City allow the members of the boards to use the copier to make their own copies to cut back on staff time. Overlapping of boards is also a major concern of the City Commission. Chairperson St. John stated that by communicating more, we can be working on more projects together, but we can still be working on the projects we are currently working on. She pointed out that this board and the Education Advisory Board are both concerned about children. However, one board is concerned with schools and education and the other is concerned with community issues, and she did not think there are not enough advocates for children. With the Youth Expo, Chairperson St. John pointed out that this board brought people from other counties and from other parts of Palm Beach County into the Boynton Beach area and the Boynton Beach Mall. We raised their revenues and promoted goodwill and good press. She did not think this equates to the costs of $368 or the Recording Secretary’s fee. Chairperson St. John read portions of minutes from the Education Advisory Board meetings. Chairperson Denahan was not in agreement with Chairperson St. John’s suggestion to hold the boards’ meetings on the same night. Chairperson Denahan pointed out that at the Visions conference, the assembly agreed that education was a priority and we need a high school in Boynton Beach. If the Education Advisory Board is diluted in anyway, it will send a bad message to the citizen’s of Boynton Beach. Chairperson St. John pointed out that three of the Commissioners attended this board’s meetings and said the board’s duties are outdated. However, they are giving those same duties to the Education Advisory Board. She felt the duties need to be updated and stated that the Commission is not looking at the big picture. At the last City Commission meeting, there was discussion about alternating the board meetings every other month. However, Chairperson St. John pointed out that with the programs we are currently forming, we need to meet more often. It was the consensus of the board to stay intact as is. If that is not possible, they were in favor of meeting every other month. The board decided to meet as a committee to review the letter that is going to be sent to the City Commission regarding the future of this board and its duties. This meeting 8 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 will be made known to the Education Advisory Board so that they may attend if they wish to submit their input. Motion Vice Chairperson Girtman moved to meet as a committee to review the letter that is going to be sent to the City Commission regarding the future of this board and its duties. Ms. Lengert seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. th This meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, at 5:00 p.m. The facility at which this meeting will take place has yet to be determined. If this board is abolished, Chairperson St. John felt that the money in this board’s account should go toward programs that we are currently working on and not be combined with another board’s money or put into the City’s fund. Motion Ms. Lengert moved to keep this board’s money separate and use it for programs that we have planned on using it for. Vice Chairperson Girtman seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. VII. PUBLIC AUDIENCE Two students of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership Boynton Beach, Class of 1997, introduced themselves. Chairperson St. John welcomed them to the meeting. Paint Your Heart Out Vice Chairperson Girtman announced that the Paint-Up Fix-Up Paint Your Heart Out Program is seeking volunteers and is looking for senior citizens who need work done on their houses. Comment by Chairperson Chairperson St. John expressed pride and honor in being a part of this board. She felt all the members of this board are caring, cohesive, and doers. 9 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MAY 22, 1997 VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the board, Ms. Lengert moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Ms. Panton seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. Eve Eubanks Recording Secretary (Two Tapes) 10