As the opioid crisis continues to wreak havoc on the local community in South Florida, the Hanley Foundation is hosting events to help provide resources to fight against the epidemic.
The Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce’s Boca Festival Days will help serve as the foundation for various events throughout August that will raise proceeds for the nonprofit organization that offers prevention and education programming in schools and communities in Florida to combat substance use disorders.
“Let’s Fiesta” will occur from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 5, at Dance Flow in Boca Raton. The event will feature Dance Flow’s award-winning professional dancers, instructors and students performing salsa, bachata and rumba routines. It will include various raffles and a DIY taco bar. The night of festivities is the kickoff event to Hanley Foundation’s Brice Makris Memorial Picnic on Nov. 14, 2021, at Boca West Country Club. Hanley Foundation Board Member and Boca resident John Makris and his wife Michelle will chair the inaugural event to honor their son, Brice Makris, who passed away in March 2020 to a Fentanyl overdose.
“There are thousands of individuals suffering from substance use disorders right here in our community,” says Jan Cairnes, CEO for Hanley Foundation. “With the help of the Boca Chamber, Dance Flow and the Makris family, we are increasing awareness of substance use disorders in South Palm Beach County. With the proceeds of ‘Let’s Fiesta’ and the ‘Hanley Foundation Brice Makris Memorial Picnic,’ we will be able to increase our prevention programming to stop substance use disorder before it begins, advocacy programs to bring awareness, and scholarship programs to provide resources for those who cannot afford the financial burden of recovery.”
Admission for “Let’s Fiesta” is $25 per person in advance (includes food and drinks) or $30 at the door. You can purchase tickets at hanleyfoundation.org/festival-days.