On Tuesday, June 22, 2011, Mr. Greg Peters received his diploma as a graduate of Leadership Boca Class of 2011. Present to share in Greg’s achievement was Boca Helping Hands’ Executive Director, James S. Gavrilos, himself a graduate of Leadership Boca (Class of 2007) who was asked to offer the invocation.
One of our stellar volunteers, Greg has devoted his time to Grant Research. Spending hours on the internet pouring through financial statements and past giving histories, Greg identifies those foundations and corporations most likely to support the mission of Boca Helping Hands. His outstanding vetting process has resulted in our receiving some 75% of the grants for which we apply! Once Greg determines that a foundation or corporation is a “match”, he feeds the information to James Gavrilos and Karen Swedenborg who pull the grant together. Revenue from grants has skyrocketed since Greg became an integral part of the Grants Team.
Leadership Boca is an annual program sponsored by the Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. Participants must be accepted to the five-month program, and then commit to spending two Wednesdays per month for the duration of the class. Each Wednesday’s program is a complete day devoted to one aspect of community life: Education, Government, Social Service, Arts and Culture, Business, et al. Participants meet with key civic leaders, college presidents, school principals, non-profit community activists, and business leaders and hear first-hand the challenges facing the business community in Boca Raton. The days are long (beginning at 7:30 A.M. and concluding at 5:30 P.M.), but filled with information.
Leadership Boca participants have an outstanding opportunity to network with other business professionals while gaining a greater understanding of the City of Boca Raton. On April 6th, the 45 Leadership Boca participants came to Boca Helping Hands for a tour and overview of our mission on Social Service Day. In addition to our chance to “tell our story” during the tour, Boca Helping Hands partnered with Lifetime Athletic Club to sponsor the “after-hours cocktail party,” providing yet another opportunity to network and share the mission of BHH. The entire Boca Helping Hands family congratulates Greg Peters on his accomplishment and thanks to him for helping spread the word about BHH!
