The Hibiscus Children’s Center Summer Social took an artistic approach this year, with Indian River County Advisory Board members and supporters gathering last Saturday evening at Lighthouse Art and Framing to champion children served by the organization.
“Megan and Barry have really taken the lead with this; we were looking for a place to host our Advisory Board social and Barry suggested Lighthouse,” explained Monica Cheslak, Hibiscus director of development, referring to Megan Hoots, Lighthouse design consultant, and Barry Shapiro, Lighthouse co-owner with Patricia Miles.
“We always try to do something like this in the summertime; it’s a little slower, so it’s a good time for us to give some attention to the community,” said Shapiro. “There are so many people that need help. If you can do a little bit here and there, it’s not a huge imprint, but it helps. We just hope we can pull in a few buckaroos for the kids.”
A recent redesign of their space has given them room to host additional programs and artists, said Shapiro, adding, “We have a lot of artists who want to work with us. People are very interested in the Vero art scene.”
The focus in the gallery this month includes a mix of works including some by year-round Lighthouse students, as well as others by adults from the Wednesday night open studios, and several tiles created by residents of Hibiscus Children’s Village. All will be available for purchase through the end of the month with proceeds split between the artists and Hibiscus.
At the social, Kristin Meek, owner of Ishkabibbles was donating a portion of proceeds from a trunk show of her hand-crafted boutique clothing, and there was also a raffle of items donated by local artists Lisa Jill Allison, Carol Bennett, Tess Browning, Dave Farrow, Nikki Farrow, Ellen Fischer, Greg Ingersol, Cindy Leon, Gwen McNenney, Kristin Meeks, Barbara Petrillo, Barry Shapiro and Lee Smith.
As guests wandered, socialized and perused all the creative works, they also enjoyed a delectable assortment of hors d’oeuvres and refreshments donated by Patisserie, Chive and Blue Agave.
Michael Waninger missed last year’s social, as he only became President/CEO of the organization last August, having served several years on the St. Lucie County Advisory Board.
“There have been some things sitting on the board that you don’t realize until you’re sitting in this seat,” he said. “You get a better feel for all the great work being done by the staff and volunteers and their passion for these kids. You see that even more when you get into the day-to-day operations.”
Hibiscus Children’s Center is entering its fourth decade. And while the need for its services has grown and various laws have changed, Waninger noted that its mission has remained the same, saying, “It was about the children then, it is about the children now and it will always be about the children.”
After a law was enacted this January extending the foster care age from 18 to 21, one of the Hibiscus Village residents asked if he could remain there.
“He came to us and said that out of all the places he’d lived, this was home for him,” said Waninger, adding that the boy was able to find employment through the Career Pathways to Independence program. They set up a separate home where he and three other boys will be able to stay until they turn age 21.
They are all also proud of a young woman who was raised most of her life as a Hibiscus Children’s Center resident; entering as a child at the Hibiscus Shelter until aging out of there at age 13 and transitioning to Hibiscus Village. While there she attended and graduated from Vero Beach High School and is now attending college and mentoring a current resident at the Village.
The mission of Hibiscus Children’s Center is to “provide safety for abused, abandoned and neglected children through prevention programs, residential programs, shelter programs, and recovery programs.” The IRC Advisory Board devised the social summer concept last year as a way to introduce Hibiscus to local professionals and encourage others to jump on board.