The Moorings Yacht and Country Club was aglow with warmth and elegance at the annual Candlelight Ball to benefit the Hibiscus Children’s Center Village in Vero Beach.
The Village, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024, offers a supportive home environment to teens ages 12 to 17 who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. They are provided with mental health, medical and dental services; trauma care; educational, life skills and career development training; and enrichment activities.
As guests sat down to enjoy a delicious gourmet dinner, co-chairs Lisa Giessert and Tricia Chambers thanked their fellow Hibiscus Guild members, board members and the generous sponsors for making the event possible.
“I started supporting the Village by bringing much needed items to them for the children that are in their care. The teens sometimes arrive with little to no personal possessions of their own,” said Giessert.
“I’ve been a volunteer at Hibiscus Children’s Village for several years. I work at the front desk at their Village, and I’ve also been a math tutor. I have to tell you, being a math tutor for teens at the Village has been one of the most challenging, but most satisfying things I’ve ever done,” said Chambers.
Matt Markley, Hibiscus CEO, remarked that in a good year, 20 percent of their total agency revenue is derived from events, and some 50 percent comes from Florida’s Department of Children and Families.
“The rest we have to raise through private donations,” said Markley. In addition to increased costs for food and transportation, better compensation is needed to hire and retain qualified staff.
“Your support enables Hibiscus to remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We accept a child at 3 o’clock in the afternoon or 3 o’clock in the morning. We just accepted a child last week at 5 o’clock in the morning,” said Markley.
“You know and I know that you are not just supporting an agency. You are nurturing the hopes and dreams of the many kids who have found a safe haven at Hibiscus over the past 39 years.”
He spoke of one 14-year-old girl, “Sarah,” taken away from parents who struggled with addiction.
Over time, he said, Sarah began to trust, heal and find herself through counseling and trauma recovery therapy.
As she confronted her anger and confusion, and realized that the abuse she had faced wasn’t her fault, her sense of self-worth, confidence and independence grew. Like many others who arrive at the Village, Sarah was behind in her schooling, but with the assistance of a dedicated tutor and their educational liaison, caught up and eventually excelled in school.
“Sarah’s story is a daily reminder that with the right support, every child can heal and grow and reach their full potential,” said Markley.
“I’m not suggesting Hibiscus deserves the credit for the way things turned out for Sarah. Sarah deserves the credit. I do think Hibiscus helped Sarah rewrite her story. Sarah and hundreds of kids like her are the reason you support this amazing organization,” said Markley.
For more information, visit HibiscusChildrensCenter.org.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
