American Association of Caregiving Youth Celebration Brunch

BOCA RATON, Fla. - April 17, 2019 - PRLog -- A celebratory brunch event will be recognizing community member extraordinaire, Helen Babione.  Helen, who celebrated her 90^th birthday last month, has been the developer and spine of many non-profit organizations that have made a difference in the lives of thousands of people in our greater community.

Some of these include:  Twin Palms Center for the Disabled, Equine Assisted Therapies, Soroptimist International of Boca Raton/Deerfield Beach, Kiwanis Club, the Women's Circle in Boynton Beach and the Honor Your Doctor Luncheon of the Downtown Rotary Club.

During the brunch caregiving youth will share their stories; children who Helen has supported through the years. With support, these student-caregivers have learned to better manage their adult responsibilities and have a greater than 97 percent retention and high school graduation rate.

The only national data reports there are at least 1.3-1.4 million caregiving children ages 8-18 years old in the U.S. Of these, 38% provide care for a grandparent and 34% provide care for a parent. Because of these responsibilities, caregiving youth often face difficulties in school as well as personally. In fact, 22% of young adults who dropped out of high school said they did so to care for a family member!

WHEN:   Wednesday, May 1, 2019
         10:00 am – 12 noon

WHERE:   Broken Sound Club
         2401 Willow Springs Dr.
         Boca Raton, Florida 33496

WHY:      Proceeds of the breakfast will benefit the Caregiving Youth Project, a model program of AACY that offers services to middle and high school children who care for family members who are chronically ill, injured, elderly or disabled.

DRESS:    In something pink – Helen Babione's favorite!

Brunch tickets are $60 in advance and $75 at the door.  Please contact Gerry Fallon at (561) 391-7401, to purchase a ticket or for more information.  Sponsorships are also available. www.aacy.org

The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) is a Florida based 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation that began serving the greater Boca Raton community in 1997 as Boca Raton Interfaith in Action. Today it is the only organization solely dedicated to addressing the issues surrounding this silent, vulnerable and hidden population who provide care for chronically ill, injured, elderly or disabled family members.  Its mission is to increase awareness and provide support services for youth caregivers and their families by connecting them with healthcare, education and community resources.  AACY's model program, the Caregiving Youth Project (CYP), works in partnership with The School District of Palm Beach County.  Dr. Connie Siskowski, the organization's founder, was a CNN Top Ten Hero.