Jamie Serino, Sr., Director of Philanthropy at the Fuller Center and Jan Cairnes, CEO, The Hanley Foundation

We were fortunate to have a ‘double header’ this week with two speakers. 

The first talk was given by Jamie Serino, Sr., Director of Philanthropy at the Fuller Center. For more than 50 years, the Fuller Center’s mission has been to embrace, educate, and empower hardworking, under-resourced families and children to reach their full potential. The club was invited to Adopt-a-Class and get involved with the children at the Fuller Center. Through specialized programs and partnering with the community Fuller families receive the resources they need to build stable and self-sufficient households, extending the impact of the center to the home.

The second to speaker was Jan Cairnes, CEO of the Hanley Foundation. Hanley Foundation’s mission is to eliminate addiction through prevention, advocacy, treatment, and recovery support. In addition, the foundation provides financial aid scholarships for individuals who could not otherwise afford addiction treatment.

Hanley Foundation is breaking the cycle of drug and alcohol addiction before it begins. Hanley Foundation is the number one provider of grant-funded alcohol and substance abuse prevention programs in the state of Florida, currently providing services to more than 30 Florida counties.

In addition to substance abuse prevention, Hanley Foundation has a Zero Suicide Initiative. Suicide rates have steadily increased for people ages 15-34 since 2015 and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-24. Hanley Foundation’s Zero Suicide Initiative has a variety of programs to reduce the number of suicides in Florida including a Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) Gatekeeper Training. They are changing systems to ensure that fewer people die by suicide and training organizations on how to watch for the warning signs that an employee or client is in mental health crisis.

Hanley Foundation will host the 2^nd Annual Brice Makris Brunch on Sunday, Dec. 11, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Boca West Country Club. Foundation Board Member John Makris and his wife Michelle will chair the event that honors their son, Brice, who tragically passed away at age 23 from a Fentanyl overdose two years ago. All funds raised will benefit Hanley Foundation’s Brice Makris Endowment Fund for lifesaving treatment scholarships and addiction prevention programs.

“There are thousands of smart and talented individuals, just like Brice, right here in our community who are suffering from substance use disorders,” said Jan Cairnes, CEO of Hanley Foundation. “Events like this are critical to help spread the message of hope and raise important funds that allow us to continue to expand our substance use prevention and recovery programs.”

For more information, contact Member Amy Gottlieb at [email protected] or 561-542-1233 for more information, tickets, sponsorship, and underwriting opportunities.