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Minutes 03-28-96 MINUTES OF THE ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH MEETING HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, ON THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1996, AT 7:00 P.M. Present Angela Girtman, Chairwoman Beth Bailey, Public Information Shanna St. John, Vice Chairwoman Officer Marvin Blitz David Helwig Denise Panton Keturah Lee, Student Absent Floyd Beil Judy Moss Sorin Michalski, Student I. CALL TO ORDER Chairwoman Girtman called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. II. MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER A moment of silent prayer was observed. III. AGENDA APPROVAL Additions, Corrections, Deletions Motion Mr. Blitz moved to accept the agenda as printed. Mr. Helwig seconded the motion which carried unanimously. IV. MINUTES APPROVAL - February 22, 1996 Motion Vice Chairwoman St. John moved to accept the minutes. Ms. Panton seconded the motion which carried unanimously. V. PUBLIC AUDIENCE None 1 VI. OLD BUSINESS 1. Youth Expo Reports a. Photography Contest - David Helwig Mr. Helwig reported that a letter requesting support for the contest was sent to stores and organizations in the community. The Clock Restaurant has agreed to donate a camera which they had in their vault for over a year. This camera can be awarded as a prize. Mr. Helwig is having the camera checked to make sure it is operational. Others who have responded include Great Western Bank, Walgreen's, Eckerd's, and Winn-Dixie. Winn- Dixie has a budget every 90 days for this type of cause. They will provide some free developing for the contest. Walgreen's has offered to provide some cameras. Letters have also been sent to the main office of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Mr. Helwig has arranged for two judges, and WRMB has offered to provide time on their notice board if they are notified in advance. Mr. Helwig advised that there is still a great deal of work to be done, and he requested assistance from the members. In response to Vice Chairwoman St. John's question, Mr. Helwig advised that Walgreen's in the Boynton Beach Mall will provide as many disposable cameras as are needed by the contestants. Vice Chairwoman St. John questioned whether or not the prizes that are being donated must be used only for the photography contest. Mr. Helwig said the prizes can be awarded in any category. The prizes he received have not been stipulated for the photo contest only. Mr. Helwig reported that he is working with Great Western Bank in an effort to get U. S. Savings Bonds as awards. The members reviewed the letter which was used by Mr. Helwig, and all agreed that the letter was excellent and should be edited so that it can be used for each of the contests. The chairperson of each committee will be given copies of the letter to send to the appropriate people and organizations. In response to Chairwoman Girtman's question, Mr. Helwig advised that Winn-Dixie will provide some of the film developing. He is also working with Eckerd's. Vice Chairwoman St. John and Ms. Panton suggested that Mr. Helwig contact Smith Brothers since they worked with Sid Rosen in the past. They may be interested in working with us again. Chairwoman Girtman suggested that the letter to Smith Brothers include a reference to the fact that the photo contest is a memorial to Sid Rosen. Motion Chairwoman Girtman moved to name the photo contest for our former member Sid Rosen who did so much and brought this idea to the board and make it a memorial to him. Mr. 2 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 28, 1996 Blitz seconded the motion which carried unanimously. Mr. Blitz felt the letter was excellent; however, he pointed out that it does not contain a reference to the Youth Expo. He recommended that the letter be edited to incorporate the fact that the photo contest is part of the overall Youth Expo which will be held at the Boynton Beach Mall. There was a consensus of the board to individualize the letters to cover each of the contests. In addition, a sentence will be included which reads as follows: "The Advisory Board on Children & Youth is sponsoring a Youth Expo at the Boynton Beach Mall. One of the events will be a (photography)(art)(drama) contest. b. Art Contest - Marvin Blitz Mr. Blitz explained that since the last meeting, he has accepted a position as Chief Operating Officer for Security Bank which is based in Miami. He was out of the country for two weeks and, therefore, did not accomplish as much as he anticipated relative to the art contest. He advised that the bank he works for has allocated $250 in the form of U. S. Savings Bonds. These bonds can be broken down into different denominations to be awarded to the winners. There is also a subsidiary corporation affiliated with the bank from which Mr. Blitz may be able to secure an additional $250. This additional money would be available for prizes, or could be used to assist the board in operating the Youth Expo. Mr. Blitz has arranged for two judges for the art contest, and Fast Frame will provide $100 in framing as part of the prize. Although Mr. Blitz had prepared a letter to send to potential sponsors, he preferred Mr. Helwig's letter, with the changes he suggested earlier. He would like to use this same letter for the art contest. Therefore, the verbiage will be changed, and he will FAX a list of names and addresses to Ms. Bailey, who will send out the letters. Mr. Blitz further advised that, if necessary, he can provide assistance in advertising or promotion work. He discussed the Youth Expo with one of the bank vice presidents who handles the bank's promotional advertising, and he offered his assistance. Vice Chairwoman St. John suggested that the members consider the possibility of not only awarding a prize to the winners of the contests, but also awarding the winners' schools with a matching cash prize to be used by the specific school department. Chairwoman Girtman recommended that the board solicit wish lists from the school 3 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 28, 1996 departments. Prior to the Expo, people could pick up a wish from that wish list at the Mall. While shopping, they can purchase the item, and then turn it in at a drop-off booth during the Expo. Perhaps the Education Advisory Board would be interested in assisting in this area. This promotion would be advertised in the Mall, in the newspapers, and at City Hall. Chairwoman Girtman will discuss this possibility with members of the Education Advisory Board. c. Creative Writing - Angela Girtman Chairwoman Girtman has arranged for a judge for this contest. The judge taught writing at FAU, and is a book reviewer and editor. This contest will include elementary, middle and high school students. After discussion, a decision was also made to include the area private schools in the contest, as was done last year. Ms. Lee suggested that the board consider having an oratorical contest. Public speaking has helped her tremendously, but she was only given that option in high school because she was fortunate enough to be involved in programs that promote public speaking. Students who are not involved in such programs do not have this opportunity. Chairwoman Girtman agreed to investigate this suggestion with Mall representatives because the stage, which will be set up for other activities, may not be appropriate for public speaking. In the past, the Little Palm Theatre, which was located in the Mall, was used for these purposes. That Theatre is no longer in the Mall, but there may be another good location. Ms. Lee announced that this was her last meeting with the board since her term has now expired. She thanked the board for the opportunity to serve, and felt it has been a great experience for her. She left the meeting. d. Drama Contest - Denise Panton Vice Chairwoman St. John confirmed with the members that middle and high school students will be involved in this contest. Middle schools will compete against middle schools, and high schools will compete against high schools. Ms. Panton suggests that each group perform a 15-minute skit related to the theme. Vice Chairwoman St. John has arranged for one judge, and Ms. Panton will contact FAU's Drama Department to try to arrange for another judge. A decision was made by the board to exclude the Palm Beach School of the Arts from the competition. However, they will be contacted to see if they would like to provide a judge. 4 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 28, 1996 Discussion ensued relative to whether or not to limit the number of contestant entrants from each school, and whether or not to limit entries to photos taken with the disposable cameras only. Chairwoman Girtman pointed out that when the first contest was set up, the only entries permitted were those taken with the disposable cameras which were distributed. The board developed the film, and returned the photos to the participants. They were then permitted to submit three of their favorite photos. However, during the last contest, the board allowed submissions by the school's photography departments as well as submissions by individuals. There was no comparison between the quality of the two types of submissions. When the judging categories are decided, the board will have to be mindful of this situation. Vice Chairwoman St. John feels it would be better to give everyone the same camera so that no one has an unfair advantage. Chairwoman Girtman explained that we will need a lot of cameras. Ms. Panton reminded everyone that Sid Rosen knew someone at Ritz Camera who participated in this effort. She suggested contacting Ritz again this year to see if they wish to participate. Vice Chairwoman St. John reported that Target also has a monthly-type budget for donations. She suggested contacting them. This discussion was tabled to allow time for research to find out how many cameras are needed. Chairwoman Girtman recommended having the judging and awarding of prizes at the close of the Expo. The contest participants will be told when the judging will take place, and they can return to receive their awards at the Mall. Mr. Blitz read the paragraph from the minutes of the last meeting which referred to an invocation by Reverend Ackermann and the possibility of having someone sign the Pledge of Allegiance or the Lord's Prayer. He expressed some confusion about the meaning of this paragraph. Vice Chairwoman St. John explained that her intention was to incorporate sign language into the program. She will contact the Girl Scouts of America because they learn sign language. Mr. Blitz recommended limiting the sign language program to the Pledge of Allegiance. Vice Chairwoman St. John thought it might be nice to have the children see a priest, a rabbi, a reverend, and a minister at the ceremony. Chairwoman Girtman felt that if religions were going to be brought into this program, instead of inviting the rabbis, priests, ministers, and reverends, it would be better to invite 5 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 28, 1996 a few children from each of the different church groups to perform "It's a Small World After All" at the opening ceremony. Vice Chairwoman St. John advised that she spoke with a few people at Morikami. They recently had an international program, and they will put her in touch with that group of people. She also spoke with representatives at the Haitian American Community Center. Their budget has been eliminated, but they will try to arrange to have some of the children gather to perform some traditional songs at the Expo. Vice Chairwoman St. John also spoke with a representative of the International Students' Club at PBCC. She will contact their advisor to see if they would like to have a table at the Expo where they can dress in traditional costumes and disseminate information about the college. The board must confirm with the Mall the dates and time of the Expo. Vice Chairwoman St. John will prepare a draft of the letter and send it to Ms. Bailey. VII. COMMITTEE REPORTS Mr. Helwig had the privilege of attending a workshop with Chairwoman Girtman relative to child care. He admitted his ignorance of what is going on in society relative to this issue. Until he attended the workshop, he was unaware of the fact that working people are unable to afford child care. After the workshop, he took a survey at his place of business, and learned that most of the cashiers make approximately $4.50 per hour. They bring home about $100 per week, and after child care, they are left with only $5 or $10 per week to live on. He vowed to become an advocate on this subject. Chairwoman Girtman explained that the workshop covered three areas which included welfare, child care, Social Security SSI. The budget is continually being cut from child care and the school system. Each time there is a stop-gap measure, another program is eliminated. Programs for the disabled were recently eliminated. This board needs to be an advocate for children, and needs to be involved in the politics of what is happening in the country to the children. The board also needs to be involved with the School Board on a local level. Chairwoman Girtman has a copy of a proposed bill which she will provide at the next meeting for review. Chairwoman Girtman would like to invite Dr. Westly or Dr. Nichols to make a presentation at an upcoming meeting. She encouraged everyone to stay alert and aware of the child care issue and other issues that will impact children. 6 MINUTES ADVISORY BOARD ON CHILDREN & YOUTH BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA MARCH 28, 1996 VIII. CORRESPONDENCE AND ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. "Let's Build a Playground" Grand Opening Celebration - Friday, April 26, 1996 - 6:00 p.m. Ms. Bailey advised that this date has been set for the Grand Opening of the playground. The event will be publicized in the newspaper. Ms. Panton requested volunteers to work at the playground on April 13 to finish up the minor details of the park. 2. Volunteers needed for: Great Beautiful Palm Beaches Cleanup - Saturday, April 13, 1996 - 8:30 a.m. to Noon Locations: Boat Club Park, 2100 N. Federal Highway Oceanfront Park, A1A, Ocean Ridge Intracoastal Park Site, 2200 N. Federal Highway Ms. Bailey advised that the City is participating in the State-wide Greater Florida Clean-up. The County participates through the Beautiful Palm Beaches, and the City will be taking the trash to Solid Waste Authority. IX. NEW BUSINESS Chairwoman Girtman urged the members to encourage student participation on the board. There are now student vacancies. The members questioned whether or not Mr. Michalski was still interested in participating; however, the Recording Secretary explained that the City Clerk's Office had not received any notification from him. Chairwoman Girtman announced that she will not be present at the April 25 meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 25, 1996. X. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the board, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Janet M. Prainito Recording Secretary (Two Tapes) 7