Boca Helping Hands Will Honor 100 Year Old Volunteer Mel Lazerik

Boca Raton, FL —Boca Helping Hands will recognize its past and present friends, donors and volunteers at a celebration on October 20th. The organization will give special recognition to Arthur J. Remillard, Jr. who made the Boca Helping Hands Remillard Family Resource Center possible, and Mel Lazerick, who is the organization’s oldest active volunteer at age 100.

The celebration will be held on Saturday, October 20th from 6 -10 p.m. at the Boca Raton Marriott, 5150 Town Center Circle, Boca Raton, and will include hors d'oeuvres, dinner and dancing. Tickets are $99.

Arthur J. Remillard was instrumental in making the Boca Helping Hands Remillard Family Resource Center a reality. In 2009, when the search was on for a new location, Remillard told the board chairman with a smile, “Hurry up and find a building. You know, I don’t have that much time.” Through his generous gift, Boca Helping Hands was able to transition to the building that now houses all of its programs including job training and job mentoring, as well as its food center and warehouse.

“Boca Helping Hands does such important work in the community and it’s much more than a soup kitchen. These days, the organization’s outstanding staff does the critical work of training and mentoring people so that they have an occupation, and feeds people when they need help,” Arthur J. Remillard, Jr. said.

Mel Lazerick volunteers at Boca Helping Hands three times a week and distributes bags of food to the needy. The 100 year old, who has volunteered at BHH since the very beginning, says his commitment to those he serves is unwavering. His vibrant sense of humor comes out when asked why he continues to volunteer. “I do it for the pay,” Lazerick joked. “I don’t give up on things.” He explained that he likes helping people and building a strong rapport with those he serves. Many of the clients that walk through the Boca Helping Hands doors know him by name and stop to chat.

The Celebration is being chaired by Yasmine and Scott Coleman and is not a fundraiser. Anyone who has volunteered or supported Boca Helping Hands at any time is invited to attend. Please share your past and current photos from Boca Helping Hands with KellyC@bocahelpinghands.org.

To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.bocahelpinghands.org/celebration.

ABOUT BOCA HELPING HANDS

Boca Helping Hands (BHH) is a community-based non-profit located at the Remillard Family Resource Center, 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton 33432. They feed those in need, provide job training, job mentoring, distribute medical and dental vouchers and provide limited financial assistance to qualified Boca Raton residents in crisis.

The Food Center serves a hot meal six days a week with a family night dinner on Thursdays. Meals are also delivered to homebound disabled and elderly individuals. Boca Helping Hands opened its Resource Center in April 2002 with an emphasis on providing help for Boca Raton residents in crisis situations (e.g., eviction, utility cancellation).

With an increased focus on client self-sufficiency, Boca Helping Hands continues to promote and highlight its job training program, which offers free classes in Hospitality, Home Health Aide, CDL (Commercial Truck Driving), Customer Service Representative and IT Help Desk Technician.

The job mentoring program provides coaching and guidance designed to help individuals who are seeking employment opportunities. These services compliment the Boca Helping Hands food and resource programs in a continuing effort to help its clients become self-sufficient.

Boca Helping Hands has partnered with Genesis Community Health to bring medical and dental services to the local community. Medical and dental vouchers are available to qualifying, uninsured individuals for first time visits.

Charity Navigator awarded Boca Helping Hands a Four Star Charity for the 12th Consecutive Year.

Boca Helping Hands is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, FL 33432, and can be reached at 561-417-0913. For more information, please visit bocahelpinghands.org.