THE FUTURE
The Youth Tree Team has been busy planting and maintaining the trees in our community. Under the leadership of Community Forester Dondre McCrary, they are planting trees in residential yards in the Heart of Boynton, maintaining the urban orchards, and weeding and mulching trees in public parks from Delray Beach to West Palm Beach. This 10 week program, funded by the Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, gives teens their first work experience, nurtures a connection to nature, and exposes them to green career paths most of us wish we knew about at their age. It is refreshing to see their positivity and teamwork while working hard to improve our neighborhoods. Thank you Prince, Aiyana and Ford! This program has a lot of potential for expansion, and we look forward to providing this opportunity to more teens next summer. Thank you Ben Rusnak for the beautiful pictures. Click here for more pictures
Children’s Service Council of Palm Beach County
A CHILDREN’S SERVICES COUNCIL (CSC) IS A COUNTYWIDE SPECIAL TAXING DISTRICT CREATED BY ORDINANCE, AND APPROVED BY VOTERS, TO FUND PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT IMPROVE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.
TO DATE, 11 FLORIDA COUNTIES HAVE CREATED CSCS THAT INVEST TAXPAYER DOLLARS IN THE WELL-BEING OF THEIR COMMUNITY’S CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. WHILE THE SERVICES OFFERED AND AGE GROUPS SERVED VARY DEPENDING ON THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY, THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF ALL CSCS IS TO INVEST IN PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMS THAT PRODUCE MEASURABLE RESULTS.
IN NINE COUNTIES, VOTERS HAVE APPROVED “INDEPENDENT” TAXING AUTHORITY FOR THEIR CSC TO ENSURE THAT A DEDICATED FUNDING SOURCE IS AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. IN ADDITION TO PALM BEACH, THE OTHER COUNTIES WITH INDEPENDENT DISTRICTS ARE ALACHUA, BROWARD, HILLSBOROUGH, MARTIN, MIAMI-DADE, OKEECHOBEE, PINELLAS AND ST. LUCIE. DUVAL COUNTY (JACKSONVILLE) OPERATES AS A “DEPENDENT” DISTRICT, RELYING ON FUNDING FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES, INCLUDING COUNTY GOVERNMENT, TO PAY FOR CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. MANATEE COUNTY IS A HYBRID.
BENJAMIN RUSNAK
Benjamin Rusnak is a South Florida-based commercial and editorial photographer, whose heart resides in the American West.
Recently he has been artist-in-residence at both Zion and Capitol Reef National Parks, working on a deeply personal project about the tension between preserving and experiencing wild places.
For nearly 20 years he has documented poverty in the developing world for international relief and development agencies. Prior to that, he was a newspaper photojournalist.
His award-winning work has been recognized and exhibited internationally, including the prestigious Gordon Parks Award and InterAction’s Effective Assistance Humanitarian Photography Award, among many other honors. His work is represented by ZUMA PRESS.
Some images in the “Reportage” and “23°” galleries are the copyright of Food For The Poor, Inc.