Boca Raton, FL-  The first reception and silent auction to benefit the Caregiving Youth Project was held  at the Gallery Center in Boca Raton.

 

The “Make a Bid for the Kids,” auction gave guests the opportunity to bid on gift cards to restaurants and personal services, autographed sports memorabilia, electronics, tickets to sporting and arts events and jewelry. 

 

A wide variety of art in the galleries including sculpture, glass, artifacts, paintings and ancient treasures was on display for guests’ viewing pleasure. Gallery Center houses a collection of artwork displayed in galleries that offer a frequently changing selection. The Griffin Gallery specializes in ancient art from Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Far East, the Near East, the Holy Land, Pre-Columbian cultures, and prehistoric Native America.

 

According to VHFC advisory board member and event chair, Carole Rutherford Stevenson, the auction was a huge success and guests were enthusiastically bidding on many of the items.

 

Proceeds benefited the Caregiving Youth Project, based in Boca Raton. This is the first program of its kind in the U.S. to identify and provide comprehensive services to middle school students taking care of sick, disabled or aged family members who may in some cases, be their siblings. Started in 2006, the program serves more than 240 caregiving youth attending five Palm Beach County middle schools, including Boca Raton, Congress, Lantana, Okeeheelee and Palm Springs Middle Schools.

 

More than 200 more caregiving youth are in various stages of program processing for services, which include respite, a camp, caregiving classes, skills building/support groups, home visits with linkages to community resources and sponsored activities. The program plans to expand to two more middle schools in this next school year, and needs funding to meet the increasing demand.     

    

For information on the Caregiving Youth Project call
(561) 391-7401 or email Cynthia@aacy.org.To read the story in the New York Times and see their video, go to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/23/health/23care.html?hp=&pagewanted=all