November 2019
HATS OFF AWARD!
Working together is a key piece to solving community issues. It was such an honor to receive the 2019 Nonprofits First Hats Off Community Collaborators Award in recognition of our partnership with ChildNet and AT&T. AT&T provides critical funding for our Grounded for Life program and ChildNet partners with us to ensure children in foster care have an opportunity to thrive and succeed in school. With this collaboration, we are empowering foster children to achieve their dreams!
SOLE MATES LUNCHEON
Our inaugural Sole Mates Luncheon was an incredible event! We were thrilled to have close to 200 attentive and compassionate attendees fill the room. We are grateful to our committee and table captains who helped make that happen. We would like to thank our sponsors: Boca Grove Country Club, Joy Eber, First Republic Bank, JM Lexus, Oceans 234, Saks Fifth Avenue and our raffle donors: Boca Grove Country Club, Eat Sleep Bead by Sloane Gillman, and Saks Fifth Avenue, all of whom helped make the event a success.

Paige Kornblue was the event emcee, and the Guest of Honor was Twiler Smith, longtime foster parent and youth advocate. Founding board member Frank Barbieri presented our first ever Anchor Award to Dr. Bernadette Russell, Provost of Palm Beach State College, Boca Raton campus, for her extraordinary partnership with us. David Sarris, representing all of our students, shared the impact Best Foot Forward has had on his life.

T he Sole Mates Luncheon has an important purpose- to help us raise funds to provide our students with many things that are above and beyond regular program support. These things help them experience normalcy, a critical component to succeeding in school. We call these items "Essentials for Smooth Sailing." They are things that most students don't have to think about, like P.E. lockers, money for field trips and ROTC uniforms, senior year activities, and so much more. Click this link to see pictures from the luncheon!
COLLEGE & BEYOND: Our Etiquette Dinner!
Do you ever forget which water glass is yours? Thanks to an etiquette presentation by Benson Protocol, students in our College & Beyond program now know! We are grateful to GL Homes for sponsoring this wonderful event and treating the students to a four-course dinner at Farmer's Table. They learned things like where their bread plate and water glass are, how to do a professional handshake, where to put their napkin when they get up from the table, which fork to use with which course, and so much more! They were so engaged and were thrilled that executives from GL Homes not only attended, but sat with them while they dined!

Graduating from college is an amazing feat, but graduating from college with life skills that will help with interviews, business meetings, and events is priceless. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to bring this program to our college students and hope to add even more in the future!
BFF OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS!
Women of Distinction!

CONGRATULATIONS to Michelle Adams from CenterState Bank  on her Soroptimist Women of Distinction award in the Children and Families category! 👏
Soroptimist is an international volunteer organization working to improve the lives of women and youth through programs leading to social and economic empowerment. We nominated Michelle because of her continued support and dedication to our students. For over 5 years, she has coordinated school supply drives for us, served on our fundraising event committees, and much more. We are so proud to have her on the BFF team and appreciate all that she does. Congratulations to Michelle and all of the other tremendously deserving Women of Distinction nominees!
Women of Grace!

CONGRATULATIONS to Laura McCutcheon, a 2019 Bethesda Hospital Foundation Women of Grace Honoree! Laura has been an important part of Best Foot Forward for the past 6 years and has truly made a difference by helping us change lives. She continues to be committed to increasing the number of children served by our agency and appreciates the positive impact that we have on their lives. The resources needed for these youth are tremendous, and Laura’s involvement provides for this necessary and critical support.
It is very common to receive a text or email from her at any time of day, even on the weekends, about an idea that she has to help one of our students or to ask if they need anything. It is an honor to recognize Laura McCutcheon as part of the 2019 Women of Grace!
JLWVOY!

CONGRATULATIONS to Meryll Bangsil, our 2019 Junior League Woman Volunteer of the Year nominee! Meryll volunteers regularly for Best Foot Forward and is the Rising Chair of our BFF BASH event. Meryll epitomizes the concept of being a team player and always finds ways to incorporate others’ ideas and make everyone feel included. She has connected us to many financial resources in the community and is the catalyst for several donations and grants that have supported our programs for children in foster care. She is a passionate volunteer who truly wants to make an impact on her community in any way possible. 
Congratulations to Meryll and all of the 2019 wonderful Junior League Woman Volunteer of the Year nominees!
HOLIDAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The holidays will be here before we know it, and there are so many projects that we have planned.

We could use your help!

CLICK HERE to see all of the different options available, from stuffing envelopes to stuffing stockings...from wrapping presents to baking cookies... There is so much to do, and we can't do it without you!
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