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The Breakers, Goodwill and Store Self Storage Team Up to Support Homeless

Through the efforts of the Homeless Advisory Board and implementation of the Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness in the county, a new Homeless Resource Center (HRC) will be opening in 2011.

Thanks to a unique public/private partnership with The Breakers, Gulfstream Goodwill Industries and Store Self Storage and Wine Storage, the county’s new facility will be fully furnished with sofas, stuffed chairs, tables, and more than 200 pieces of artwork.

On July 8, Goodwill workers delivered the items to Store Self Storage in Palm Beach Gardens, where they will be safely kept at no charge until the Homeless Resource Center is ready.

The Breakers donated the furnishings from a recent 69-room renovation at the landmark hotel. All the items were wrapped and moved by Goodwill personnel, and Store Self Storage offered the free storage space. Pieces not retained for the HRC will be sold at area Goodwill stores and boutiques with proceeds shared with the Homeless Advisory Board.

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Scouts Build Oyster Habitat in Lake Worth Lagoon

Eagle Scout candidate Zachary Bishop (left, center) and fellow members of Troop 132, from Palm Beach Gardens, worked together to create an oyster habitat in the Lake Worth Lagoon. Twenty-five troop and family members gathered at the Department of Environmental Resources Management’s plant nursery to fill 250 netted bags with fossilized shell. The shell provides a hard surface for juvenile oysters to attach and grow.

The Scouts loaded the bags on a trailer and transported them to the Town of Lantana’s Bicentennial Park. Some on dry land, others in the water, the bags were placed along a 60-foot area of seawall, northwest of the Lantana Bridge. As oysters attach to the bagged shell, the area will become a living oyster reef.

Over the years, 149 members of Troop 132 have earned Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable by the Boy Scouts of America. Now that Zachary has planned, coordinated and implemented this important and successful environmental project, his name will soon be added to the Eagle list.

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Protect Your Pets from Hot Weather

It is officially summer, and the unseasonably hot weather is too unbearable for many dogs left outdoors in inhumane conditions. Pet owners should be aware of the following:

• It is illegal to chain your dog from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• It is illegal to keep a dog in a pen that does not provide adequate ventilation. • It is illegal not to provide fans or air conditioning to dogs kept outside if temperatures reach over 90 degrees.
• It is illegal to maintain a dog in a pen without dry bedding or protection from the heat, sun or rain.
• All dogs must be provided with clean, fresh water at all times.

 

Residents should report animal abuse by calling 233-1200. Information reported should include the complete street address for investigative purposes.

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Childhood Immunization Update

The Palm Beach County Health Department encourages parents of school age children to vaccinate early, well before the back to school rush. Childhood immunizations are available by appointment at health centers and the following outreach locations with the immunization van.

 

• Tuesday, July 20 - Crestwood Middle School
64 Sparrow Drive Royal Palm Beach Registration 9 a.m.
• Wednesday, July 21 - Mission Medical Center
9600 West Atlantic Avenue Delray Beach Registration 9:15 a.m.
• Thursday, July 22 - Riviera Beach Head Start
1440 Martin Luther King Boulevard Riviera Beach Registration 12:30 p.m.
• Friday, July 23 - Back to School Fair, North General Center of Medicine 1315 North Federal Highway Boynton Beach Registration 9:30 p.m.

 

New students in Palm Beach County need a "680" blue card from Florida with vaccines verified and signed by a medical provider.

 

Kindergarten students (age 4-5) - boosters for DTaP, polio, MMR and varicella (chicken pox), in addition to all other vaccines
1st and 2nd grade (age 6-7) - 2 varicella, in addition to all other vaccines
7th & 8th grades (age 11-12) - Tdap booster, in addition to all other vaccines.

 

Physicals are also required for new students, and students in kindergarten and 7th grade. Childhood immunization records should be brought to the provider when receiving new or updated shots. Health centers operated by the Palm Beach County Health Department are located from Delray Beach to Jupiter and west to Belle Glade and offer children’s vaccines daily. Visit http://www.pbchd.com or call 800-810-1225 for locations and times.

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County Offers LearningExpress Library

 

LearningExpress Library might sound like a product for school kids, but its goal is to reach lifelong learners. Want to improve your computer skills, brush up on grammar, or prepare for a job interview? Start with LearningExpress Library, available free at the county libraries.

LearningExpress’ Computer Skills module contains video tutorials for Microsoft’s Office Suite and Windows and Mac operating systems. Most tutorials offer three levels of instruction ranging from beginner to advanced. With complete control over the tutorial, you can skip ahead to the sections that interest you and bookmark lessons you want to revisit. Grammar lessons are tucked into Skill Building for Adults, which also includes math refreshers, reading comprehension and writing tips.

 

The Job Search & Workplace Skills module contains a thorough guide to preparing for interviews. Ranging from the basics (such as how to dress for an interview) to trickier parts (when to talk about the salary), this guide takes you through the entire interview process and explains what the interviewer is looking for both in terms of your answers and your behavior. Other sections in this module cover job searching and tips for great resumes.

 

LearningExpress Library can be accessed by logging into your account, when you are at the library or from your home computer, by visiting http://www.pbclibrary.org/. Once you are logged in, you can click on “Research Resources,” then “Electronic Databases,” and scroll down to “LearningExpress” under “Education. Or, visit http://www.pbclibrary.org/outreach-literacy.htm and scroll down to “LearningExpress Library.”

 

To log in when you are at the library, create a username and password, enter your e-mail address, and click the "Register" button. Your username and password must be at least six characters and should not include spaces. If you are at home, enter your library card number as your username, create a password, enter your e-mail address and click the "Register" button. For questions, call 233-2600.

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