As a way to honor the memory of Brice Makris, who died of a drug overdose, and to provide resources to those struggling with addiction, the Hanley Foundation is hosting the inaugural Hanley Foundation Brice Makris Memorial Picnic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 14 at Boca West Country Club.
The Hanley Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to adolescent substance use prevention and education. Hanley Foundation board member and Boca Raton resident John Makris and his wife Michelle will chair the event that honors their son, Brice Makris, who died in March 2020 to an accidental Fentanyl overdose.
The benefit will include a picnic-style luncheon, family activities, entertainment, a silent auction and a live auction by renowned auctioneer Neil Saffer. All proceeds from the Picnic will go toward Hanley Foundation’s Brice Makris Endowment Fund, which provides critical recovery scholarships.
“It’s staggering that more than 9.5 million counterfeit pills often containing deadly doses of Fentanyl were confiscated so far this year, which is more than the last two years combined,” John Makris says. “When Brice realized he had a problem and asked for our help for his addiction, he went through a local treatment program and then went to a sober home. Sadly, it just took one time of using drugs laced with Fentanyl for us to lose him more than a year ago. Before his death, Brice’s goal was to save 100 men and women from the disease of addiction. Michelle and I have now made his goal our mission.”
Hanley Foundation is one of the largest providers of educational programs that prevent underage drinking in Florida. The foundation’s mission is to eliminate addiction through prevention, advocacy, treatment and recovery support. In addition to offering treatment scholarships to those in need and facilitating training to identify the signs of substance misuse, the foundation works to reduce stigma and change policy through advocacy efforts.
“We are grateful to John and Michelle Makris for chairing this event to help raise funds and awareness for Hanley Foundation, and specifically for critical recovery scholarships for those who can’t afford quality treatment,” says Jan Cairnes, CEO for Hanley Foundation. “To underscore the Foundation’s belief that ‘family time is time well spent,” we have had the West Palm Beach Family Picnic for more than 25 years, and we hope this south county event will bring families together in the same way. There are thousands of individuals suffering from substance use disorders right here in our community. Please join us on Nov. 14 as we honor Brice’s memory and his mission to reach more people in our community who need help.”
Committee members include Mark Astor, Marcy Barrick, Stephanie Eisner, Betsy Gershon, Samantha Goodman, Amy and Jon Gottlieb, Liz Kirshner, Lisa McMillan, Sharon Michael, Alisa Oleck, Alan Ponce, Neil and Trisha Saffer, Lisa Schultz, Jonathan Sherry and Audra Simovitch.
Tickets for the benefit are $125 for adults (ages 13 and over), $50 per child (ages 4-12), and free for children (ages three and under). For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Amy Gottlieb at 561-542-1233. For more information on Hanley Foundation or to donate, please visit hanleyfoundation.org.
