Education and Youth Advocacy Committee, The Broward Workshop

The Broward Workshop, a private non-partisan, non-profit organization consisting of 100 of Broward’s leading business and professional leaders, formed the Education and Youth Advocacy Committee (EYAC), co-chaired by Alan Levy, President and CEO of Great American Farms and Linda Carter, President and CEO of Community Foundation of Broward. EYAC members, executive leaders from the District, business sector and postsecondary institutions, are charged with breaking down barriers and creating community solutions to the issues facing education.

Donation of Cash or In-Kind Support Award: Publix Super Markets with Whispering Pines Center

Publix Super Market is a mainstay at Whispering Pines Center, a facility that serves emotionally/behaviorally disturbed, special-needs students ranging from 5 to 22 years of age. Among the programs offered by Publix is an on-the-job training program that assists students in acquiring self-reliance, self-esteem, independent living skills, as well as social skills, work ethics and employability skills. Publix provides hands-on training opportunities for students to learn key job skills in the areas of front-end customer service (bagging), frozen food and produce stocking. Several Whispering Pines students found permanent employment with Publix after finishing their education.

Jones Lang LaSalle with Boyd Anderson High School

Steven Wasserman, Senior Vice President of Jones Lang LaSalle and a member of the Council of Educational Change successfully facilitated a $250,000 grant targeted to increasing Boyd Anderson High School’s graduation rate. Wasserman worked with teams of teachers, administrators and business representatives to develop and implement a student shadowing and internship program, a career fair and a Global Logistics and Manufacturing dual enrollment program aligned to Broward College.

Sonny’s Enterprises and Atlantic Technical Center and Technical High School

Sonny’s provides hands-on, high quality instruction to Atlantic Technical High School students through a variety of programs. With the support and assistance of Sonny’s engineers, managers, machinists and even the company president, the FIRST Robotics team built a competitive robot able to perform and win at competitions locally and nationally. Sonny’s is also involved with the Machining Apprenticeship Program, which trains more then 30 students per year. 100% of these students opted for college as the next step, with 76% choosing engineering as their major.