The Ripple Effect of Giving: Bonnie Boroian's Journey of Philanthropy and Social Entrepreneurship at Place of Hope

Have you ever wondered how one person's commitment to giving can transform the lives of others? We explore this question and more in an engaging conversation with the remarkable Bonnie Boroian, a fervent social entrepreneur and Angel Mom at Place of Hope's Leighan and David Rinker Campus in Boca Raton, FL. Bonnie's passion for compassion-driven giving and her business, Blissfully Better Chocolates, is making an indelible mark on the lives of the children, single-moms, homeless youth, and human trafficking survivors. Her story may just inspire you to find ways to effect positive change in your own community.

In the heart of our discussion with Bonnie, we journey into the realm of companies leveraging their success for philanthropic causes. Bonnie peels back the curtain on her own company's journey to the Good Food Award, attributing some of their triumph to their work with Place of Hope. She gives us a glimpse into her hands-on approach in the kitchen with the children, emphasizing the importance of fostering healthy relationships and providing stability for these young people. The case Bonnie makes for businesses to support charitable organizations is both compelling and inspiring.

As we delve deeper into our dialogue with Bonnie, she underscores the significance of giving back to the community. She candidly shares her volunteering experiences at Place of Hope and the integration of philanthropy into her business operations. You'll hear about the weight of small acts of kindness and how businesses can effectively partner with charitable organizations. We wrap up our enlightening discussion with Bonnie by shining a light on a recent event hosted by Way FM, the World's Biggest Baby Shower, that benefited Place of Hope. Trust us, you'll walk away understanding the life-changing power of hope and its ripple effect on individuals and communities.

Host: Charles L. Bender III, Founding CEO and Board Member of Place of Hope

Title Sponsor: Crypto Capital Venture | Follow Dan Gambardello's on Twitter (@cryptorecruitr)

Looking for assistance  in south Florida? Visit VillagesOfHope.net

Link:  Visit the Place of Hope Website, PlaceOfHope.com

Connect with Place of Hope on social media: Facebook | YouTube | Instagram | LinkedIn

Email the Show: POHPodcast@PlaceOfHope.com 

Transcript

Charles Bender: 0:02

Hello and thank you for tuning in to Ambassadors of Hope. I'm your host, Charles Bender. We're so excited that you've tuned in to hear from local South Florida leaders who are making a difference in our community and region through our charity Place of Hope.

Lisa McDulin: 0:20

Hi, my name is Lisa McDulin. I'm the South County Director of Advancement for Place of Hope. I'm delighted to share a heartfelt forward for this episode as part of our Women to Watch series on the Ambassadors of Hope podcast. Throughout this series, you will have the privilege of meeting some remarkable women, many of whom have the cherished role of being what we call an angel mom. What is an angel mom? Well, this woman beautifully encompasses the qualities that are drawn from Proverbs 31, a familiar passage and a source of inspiration that encourages us to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of those who are destitute, speak up and judge fairly, defend the rights of the poor and the needy. As we delve into the stories of these exceptional individuals and women, we are reminded of the immense value of their contributions. They hold a special place within our hearts and within the broader mission of Place of Hope.

Lisa McDulin: 1:17

In the epilogue, the description of the wife of noble character from Proverbs 31 paints a vivid picture of dedication, strength and compassion. This series will shine a light on women who rise early, work diligently and bring immeasurable goodness to their families and their community. They are like ships bringing sustenance from afar and like skilled traders ensuring their efforts are not only fruitful but also serve a greater purpose. Our featured women embrace the ethos of industriousness and generosity. They exemplify the idea of strength and commitment, from overseeing tasks with vigor to ensuring that their endeavors positively impact those who are less fortunate. Their outstretched hands to the needy embody the core mission of Place of Hope. Thank you for joining us on this journey. As we celebrate these incredible women within our Women to Watch series, their stories are sure to inspire and uplift, reminding us all of the transformative power of hope.

Charles Bender: 2:25

We want to give a special thanks and shout out to our presenting sponsor, Crypto Capital Venture. Crypto Capital Venture acts as both a startup recruiting firm as well as one of the largest crypto communities in the cryptocurrency space, offering trailblazing content for over five years. If you're interested in crypto, you can join over 300,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel for the latest on crypto, just go to YouTube and search Crypto Capital Venture and make sure to subscribe. Thanks so much, Dan and our friends at Crypto Capital Venture.

Lisa McDulin: 3:06

I'm Lisa McDulin, director of Advancement for Place of Hope at the Leighan and David Rinker Campus. In this episode of Ambassadors of Hope, we're excited to highlight one of our favorite angel moms as a guest in this enlightening conversation. Bonnie Boroian, a devoted social entrepreneur, discusses her impactful journey with place of hope and, blissfully better chocolates. She reflects on her role as an ambassador for the organization, emphasizing the importance of compassionate giving and awareness building. Bonnie's involvement in supporting foster children and combating human trafficking highlights how businesses can create meaningful change beyond financial success. Her experiences at the rehearsal club and her dedication to helping others shine through her philanthropic efforts, leaving a lasting impact on both her community and her business. Okay, well, I'm excited for today's episode. Charles, are you excited?

Charles Bender: 4:07

I'm always excited.

Lisa McDulin: 4:07

Awesome. Well, sitting next to me and in front of you is one of our good friends, bonnie Boroian. Bonnie is one of our beloved Angel Moms at our Rinker campus in Bokeh Raton. She's on our leadership board. She's been a longtime volunteer, a good friend to many. She is an amazing ambassador for the organization and we're excited to have you here today to tell us about your journey and why you've gotten involved with place of hope and tell us more about what you're doing to help kind of drive the mission forward and create awareness for the organization. So thanks for being here.

Bonnie Boroian: 4:51

Thank you, Lisa. It's so wonderful to be here. I'm thrilled to see you both and talk about place of hope, which is one of my favorite subjects.

Charles Bender: 5:00

Bonnie, you're a blessing. You've been a part of place hope for so many years now. Obviously came in through the Bokeh campus, the Leanne and David rinker campus, but you're just a great example for everywhere that we do business and take care of kids and families of somebody in the community that just really engages in a whole bunch of different ways.

Charles Bender: 5:21

And you're like part of my hope today is that people will hear your story and think, man, I could do something like that, or I could do something, or I could do more or whatever that you know, whatever that becomes for them, I just think you're just, you're an encouraging person with an encouraging story and you're all about helping people. So, again, thanks, thanks for being here today, thrilled.

Charles Bender: 5:43

So, would you, you know, would you share with us, like a maybe, a specific story or life experience that you think helped to mold you in the direction to desire to support, specifically, place of hope? Is there anything?

Bonnie Boroian: 5:57

like that. Um, I think it's a lot more than a specific story. My parents were just incredibly generous and are still incredibly generous people with their time, with the diversity of people that they brought into our lives and just a helping, loving kind of atmosphere I grew up in and looking to see who could use that extra love, that extra help, that extra dollar was just such a big part of what I learned as a child, and so I'm always on the lookout for where there's a need and thrilled if I can jump in and be a part of it, and Place of Hope certainly has supplied a lot of that, and it's exciting to be able to give in that way.

Charles Bender: 6:53

You've given a lot of different ways, so there's a term I have for folks like you, so you got to hear this the right way. Okay, I consider you like a bird dog as well as other things.

Bonnie Boroian: 7:02

That's a good thing where I'm from.

Charles Bender: 7:04

So bird dogs want to say that you know, run out after the hunt and they go grab the birds for the shooter and so forth. And you're, you are a bird dog in that, since you're always bringing in friends, you're always introducing Place of Hope. So that's a whole different kind of giving right. You're, you are networking on behalf of the mission, you are an ambassador for Place of Hope and that's just. You know. You know, as well as the volunteering with the kids and the up close stuff, that's what makes part of what makes you so special, is that you're, you're advancing the mission for Place of Hope and we need that so much. Right, because, yeah, we might be doing something good and something cool, but there's a lot of great charities and there's a lot of great works out there on the, on the street, just in this one community that we live in called Palm Beach County, and and even in the church, of course. But but you do that and the results have just been absolutely amazing.

Charles Bender: 7:53

One of the other things that you do that I really want people to hear, because I think this is, this is something that's so replicable and scalable and everybody could be doing some version of, and that is what you do through Blissfully Better. So tell us a little bit about Blissfully Better. You know how you got it going and the passion behind it, and then what you did to what you have done and are doing to make Place of Hope. Be a part of that.

Bonnie Boroian: 8:19

Hello. Well, blissfully Better is a company I founded We've had our seven year anniversary and it is a company that makes better for you chocolates made without refined sugar and all organic ingredients and a few ingredients, so just trying to make it as healthy as we can. And I founded it was because one of my daughters was diagnosed with pre diabetes when she was nine and I was determined that she was not going to go down the path of diabetes and that I needed to find a sugar source that would not spike her blood sugar levels. So I searched around, found coconut sugar, which is a low glycemic, naturally low glycemic sweetener. Decided to, you know, make her thing so she could have something in place of the cupcakes at school and the donuts at soccer practice, etc. And was so impressed with the sweetener and how delicious everything I made with it was, and understanding that there was so much obesity in our country, so much diabetes in our country, and feeling that this needs to be out there in a way that more people can have it, enjoy sweet treats and feel good about, you know, what they're doing for their health.

Bonnie Boroian: 9:52

So that's why I started blissfully better, and I've been able to use that platform to highlight a specific sector of place of hope and that's the human trafficking, education and awareness of the place of hope umbrella. When I learned about how important it was to understand how human trafficking is happening and that Florida being the third largest state where human trafficking is happening, I realized that I could use the platform of my company to highlight that aspect. So on the back of my packaging I have the human trafficking and awareness place of hope logo and try to, you know, bring people into understand what place of hope is doing in that realm and, you know, become a part of just people who can donate to place of hope, learn about human trafficking, and it's just been an honor to be able to do that.

Charles Bender: 11:08

And it's national. It's all over the place. Now I'm this is not to pump up your ego in any way, but I've told you 100,000 times it is the best product toffee candy, however you want to describe it right blissfully better. There's nothing better than it out there. So we're. I mean, where can people get it? Like where do they? You know, because I know it's boutique and you're in certain places.

Bonnie Boroian: 11:30

Yes, we were all over the country, as you say. We have a lot of specialty stores in many, many areas of the country. We're in some chains of markets and we sell on our website, on our Instagram page, on Amazon, qvc uh, many channels.

Charles Bender: 11:59

You know, what's cool about it too is that because you know, I, my wife's like a healthy eater and she helps me to eat healthier and she's a great chef too. But you know, looking at that as it applies to place of hope, it's a whole nother element, because it's actually something that we're really concerned with. When the kids, especially under 18, they come into our care, we we teach them about overall wellness and enrichment activities. But the wellness part has nutrition involved and, like we get them into, you know, an exercise program if they desire to and if they'll go that direction. But then there's that nutrition piece. So so you're doing that over there, support and place open it's. It's actually a big part of what we're trying to train up our kids to understand that. You know you're you only get one chance at this health thing right and, um, I just love that extra sort of thing. But when I think of like every package on blissfully better all over, this nation has the place of, will go on.

Charles Bender: 12:48

I just love that and I was telling you earlier. It's like my friend Arthur Adler at Bokeh West Children's Foundation. I've told him for a year. They said can you imagine if every country club in America were to step up and do something like what they do and what Lost Tree Village does? And there's others, but not every single one right. So imagine if you know, if every business could do some version of what you're doing with a national footprint. I just think it's. It's amazing and I love it yeah I.

Bonnie Boroian: 13:15

I think it's such a great opportunity for a business to, you know, highlight something that's going to benefit organizations that are doing great good in the world. Um, and more should do it.

Charles Bender: 13:33

Yeah I agree and and just the awareness side to it. Money's one thing, right that you you give through proceeds and but just the awareness of it as well as it, just as a general issue, but then also for place of vote you never know who's going to look at that and get on our website and check things out and again.

Charles Bender: 13:48

That's part of the reason for this show the ambassadors of hope is because we want people to understand all the walks of life and the and the folks that are involved with place of hope from the beginning to now, not to mention that people usually stick with us long term, which we love. You know friends and ambassadors for long term, but just the different things that people are doing out there to bring attention to really kind of bolster the organization and strengthen it for the future you know a flip way of looking at it.

Charles Bender: 14:13

What? What would you say? Uh, your, you know your passion for what you do on the philanthropic side and on the engagement and social work at place of hope and maybe some other places. Do you think that some of that passion and and energy has helped you in the business side of things as well?

Bonnie Boroian: 14:33

um, yes, I, I do. I think that a lot of businesses that carry food goods want to see the the largest, all of the things that your company has. For instance, we won the good food award for two of our products, which was a great honor, and the first the first way they measure the foods that you know they're they're trying is to have blind taste tests 2 000 people tasting your product without knowing what, who makes it, anything about it, and if you make it through that layer to a finalist, then they start looking at your company. Where do you source your ingredients from? How clean is it? But also, what are your causes? What is it that you believe in and are you really living up to that? Are you just saying that because it looks good, right? Um, so we became winners for two varieties, and I'm sure that our supportive place of hope had a place in that.

Charles Bender: 15:44

You know they, they were happy to see that a company is doing more than just making a profit, that they are they have a philanthropic side and so thank you, yeah, right, and I thank you uh, and I I can even recall multiple times when we've had big events with you know that we do as our fundraisers and friendraisers, where you've given us some of the the candies to give out, and people are just the ones that haven't had it now. Most of our base hopefully has by now, but the ones that haven't just blown away by it and just how awesome it is?

Charles Bender: 16:21

and so forth, so that that helps too. But um, we, you know, we recall your a lot of your involvement hands on with the kids and the boys and the cottages and so forth tell us a little bit about that and what that's meant to you, because I know that's another part of bonnie barone.

Charles Bender: 16:34

Right, she's got the business, she's got the, the outreach, she's got the bring attention to and the philanthropically support. And then there's the engagement side. Like you get involved in the kids lives, talk about that a little bit with the boys and etc.

Bonnie Boroian: 16:46

Over the years um, yes, well, when I started 10 years ago at the rinker campus, um, and there my feeling has always been about children that they all deserve the kind of upbringing that I had, and it's so sad to see when they don't get that. And children who have not had the love, the advantages have been bounced around in their life, as a lot of these foster children who end up at place of hope have been, and looking to have hands-on experience and make a difference more than just through money. And so the cottage that had teenage boys, I felt that, more than just make a meal for them to be a mom in the kitchen, my kids come home from school and I'm a mom in the kitchen and a lot happens with a mom in the kitchen. You ask about the day you learn about certain things. You're being an example of preparing food with love and having them prepare it with you and having them have a part in. Ok, you're going to set the table.

Bonnie Boroian: 18:05

You know this is a family, so it just was something that I felt. You know I can bring food, but I can also be a presence and try to have them feel what so many children get to feel that they were not having in their life and it was a really great honor to be able to do it. And it was hard for some of them to open up. But you know, even if I made the smallest of difference, I felt that hopefully that was going to create some sort of impression that would help them in their lives.

Charles Bender: 18:49

You know I want Lisa to speak to this too, because she's been at the campus many times when you've been engaging with the kids.

Charles Bender: 18:55

But what you just described is really, you know, we're faith based or family based, and it's like the backbone of what it's all really about If these young people can build healthy relationships that aren't based on anything other than your desire to give and to show them to emulate what healthy relationships look like. And like mom in the kitchen, like you said. You know some people might hear that and just be like, well, that's not a big deal, right? That's just what families do. Well, we're, we're we're actually trying to recreate, we're actually trying to build up, we're trying to create family situations.

Charles Bender: 19:29

So it is sort of rocket science in some ways, right, because there's not enough of it out there and there's so many people at such high levels of despair Some of these young people because they just never experienced any of that. So, yeah, you coming in there and some of the other injured moms coming in and doing what might seem so simple is actually not at all simple. It's pretty profound and that's where you know those relationships that can give some of these young people I know I've been doing this a long time can give them the stability that they need to springboard from in their future.

Lisa McDulin: 20:01

So I thank you for that as well.

Charles Bender: 20:02

At least you got some thoughts on that.

Lisa McDulin: 20:04

I do. I think that one of my earliest remember memories of you volunteering on the campus were in that Genesis cottage with those boys and you didn't just come one time and drop off a panel of Zanya, you made a, an intentional decision that you were going to be there the same night every week, bringing the food, engaging with these young men. And I recall that we had and it was a shelter which was really only supposed to be a 30 day, you know stay, and some of these kids were there for a year. There were a couple of brothers and then I know that you got a chance to get to know really well because you took that time and you were consistent. You didn't just come once, you came back again and again and I think that's how the trust was built and how you built those valuable relationships.

Lisa McDulin: 20:53

And I'm sure that they all remember what you did and while that may seem, like Charles said, very small, I mean that's very significant because they they probably never had that type of consistency and attention and love, just that simple act of creating a meal and sitting around at the dinner table and having conversation how was your day? And you did that for them. And I remember the birthday parties that you did, and I mean just so many great memories and we're so grateful that you've been a part of all of that. And but I remember when you made your candy the first time too.

Lisa McDulin: 21:33

Yeah, and you brought it in these little Ziploc bags, so it was before. It was blissfully better. We all got to be the taste testers. That's pretty exciting.

Charles Bender: 21:43

I love it. I love it, bonnie. Talk to us a little bit about your thoughts on how other businesses can get involved or why it's important for them. Advice you might give them. If they're whether they're small, medium sized business, whatever and they don't have a philanthropic component what advice would you give them as to why they should consider doing something?

Bonnie Boroian: 22:05

Well, I think I'd say they should start where they are. You know you do what you can do. If anybody's thinking that they don't have enough money to be giving to a charity, there's a lot of ways to give. You can give by creating awareness. You can give a small portion of your goods to help. You know there's there's so many reasons to look to give, and Especially something that's coming from your heart. I think you know some people in the chocolate industry give a lot to the farmers in the countries where the chocolates made and the free making sure that there's free trade there, etc. And I think that's an amazing way to help in that industry. And some people have said to me well, you're a chocolate. What does that have to do with this charity?

Bonnie Boroian: 23:25

Well, it's my chocolate and my heart is very involved in this charity and I know I can provide some good by sharing about this charity, and so that's important as a founder, a leader, to stand up and say here's what I believe in and here's how I can help it. And that's something everybody can do, regardless of whether they're a brand new company or very well established company.

Charles Bender: 24:06

Well, and you know as a business person, clearly look at the P&L and there might not be the room for a small startup business or whatever to have a charitable budget and that's up to the individual to decide. You know how much they want to stretch there and so forth, but I clearly I think there's nothing but upside. One of the things we're seeing a lot of. We're seeing it in philanthropic giving with families and foundations. We're seeing more and more hands on. In other words, they want to be involved in the process, and so that's an upside for a business if you did have a charitable budget.

Charles Bender: 24:36

We know, for instance, international materials down in Delray. They have a foundation tied to the company that the owner established and what they do, and of course, that family has a foundation too and their family's involved in their decisions. But corporately what they do is they allow the team, the staff members, to be involved in the decision-making. So there's that upside of that as well, the corporate culture that that's built around giving and giving back and passing that on down through. You know an altruistic approach to business, but you said it as well, there's sometimes maybe it's not money, sometimes it's just bringing awareness to. You know, we do a lot of these corporate drives for material goods for the moms and the kids that we serve out in the community, the foster homes and the relative caregivers. I mean we just did when yesterday brought in a ton of stuff and it was awesome, you know so. So that's something people could do too. You know, in a company they can learn from that where they do a diaper drive for Place of Hope or that kind of thing too you know.

Lisa McDulin: 25:31

So there, like you said, there there are a lot of different ways that you can kind of crack the egg and get started right and I think, too, that you know time yourself to an organization like Place of Hope and then every time you have an opportunity to share that, I think people are going to.

Lisa McDulin: 25:50

People who also feel drawn to the organization and the type of work that we do are going to be probably more prone to doing business with you because you support an organization like Place of Hope, but they find out that that's something that's near and dear to your heart. The first thing they're going to think about is okay, when I'm going to get a gift or when I need to buy some chocolate, some sweet treats from my family, I'm going to order from this company because I know a portion of my proceeds are going to help kids that are in foster care and they're going to assist in educating the community about human trafficking and the dangers of trafficking. I would think that that would be a huge benefit as well to letting people know for sure.

Charles Bender: 26:38

All right, switch gears a little bit. I want to. I want to hear about the rehearsal club. Yes, that's what I said the rehearsal club. Bonnie, tell us a little bit about what that is, was, is and kind of how it shaped you as a, as an entrepreneur, as a business person, and I think people would be interested to know, sure?

Bonnie Boroian: 26:58

well, I'm going way back in my past here. So the rehearsal club is well, it was a place for women in show business and it provided affordable housing to women who were coming to New York City, couldn't afford to to pay for an apartment in a New York City lifestyle, so it was dormitory style living for these women. There was a cafeteria, there was a house mom men weren't allowed anywhere but the parlor on the first floor and you know there was bunk beds and cots all around and it was a great place to live for many reasons. The affordability of it was one, but a lot of it was. The camaraderie of people were in the same boat as you were trying to get jobs and learning you know who should take your pictures, because this is the best photographer you know for your headshots etc. My mom had lived there when she was in show business, dancing and Broadway shows.

Bonnie Boroian: 28:13

She slept on the cot next to Carol Burnett for a while a lot of famous people have lived there and the movie stage door was fashioned after the rehearsal club, so it was a very famous place when I lived there.

Bonnie Boroian: 28:31

I only got to live there a year because the the financial status of New York was in a very bad way and Mayor Koch decided that he was going to close the nonprofits because they got tax exempt status and so they closed the rehearsal club.

Bonnie Boroian: 28:48

Yeah so, but it, I have to say, when you ask how it shaped me as an entrepreneur and you know, in my business life, being in show business, you have a product and the product is you and you have to sell that product and it can be very hard to, you know, step away from yourself enough to look at it in that way. But you're, you know you're, you're doing what you can to get your name out there and to have people know your, your value and your worth. And it's no different when you have an actual product like blissfully better candy. You know my job is the same need to let people know how good it is and where they can buy it, and you know why they should carry it. So I guess, I guess it kind of shaped me in in that way yeah, for sure yeah, you know what?

Charles Bender: 29:51

I just thought of as you were describing. That too is. This is kind of neat. It's exactly what we're doing with the young people in our village as a hope program. Because you mentioned housing, you mentioned camaraderie, you mentioned that all of you are sort of kind of heading in the same direction to accomplish something, even though it's individualized. You're doing that together in that environment, and then you and then you you highlighted the point about the product is the you, and that's part of what we're trying to train our youth through our educational series, through our you know, our career days and all the things we do that the community is a part of, to really get the young people to understand that, yes, you are this product and you got to go out and shine, because then the world will, you know, accept you in for that next level of job or but but you've got this incubator for now, right, which is kind of what that place was and you know it's. It's kind of neat.

Bonnie Boroian: 30:46

I didn't even think about that till you were describing it but, that's so true.

Bonnie Boroian: 30:50

You know, and I I've just seen, over the 10 years I've been involved with Place of Hope, the level of wraparound services that you are providing and upping the amount you know so high, these so many opportunities that are available for the young people who live a place of hope to to learn and grow and have exposure. I was just at the campus three weeks ago helping babysit some of their children so that their moms could go do a career day, and it was just so great to see that, that they've gotten exposure to so many things. Um, you're doing so much. It just it blows me away we are.

Charles Bender: 31:42

We're doing so much. You're part of all of it. What and when you? When, when, during the days of the rehearsal club, when you were seeing the community step up to be helpful right, because obviously it didn't happen by itself. People had to give, people had to bring resources, people had to agree on rents and all that stuff right, how much of that influenced you do you think, and in terms of you know, being able to see how to run your business and have that, that charitable component.

Bonnie Boroian: 32:11

You know the community input. Right, it probably did. I never even thought of it in that way, but you know now that you mention it. You know all these little pieces of our lives create an influence that we don't even notice necessarily. But when you look back and you piece it all together, it's all part and parcel of where you are right now, in this time in your life and in your business life, your personal life. You know how how much that all brings you to the place you want to be.

Charles Bender: 32:45

I guess as we get older, we have a little more wisdom in that right. Like you don't realize, you're in what you're in and how it's shaping you and stretching you until you look back at it one day.

Charles Bender: 32:54

I guess that's kind of one of the definitions of wisdom right, but we're just excited that you're with us today to tell your story Because, again, we just you know, we really want people to understand all the different components and all the great things that make place of hope so special. It's the people, it's, it's their energies, it's their passions for what they do outside of here and how they can bring that in. And why? Just know, because you've lived it out and a lot of people have been inspired by Bonnie and blissfully better and and just, and your time in the cottages with all of that. And you know, as we grow, we need more of that, we need more Bonnie's, and you don't get to go anywhere either, by the way, so you'll be staying and so you know it's. We're grateful that you were able to come in and talk a little bit about it. Hope people are going to look at what's your website blissfully bettercom.

Charles Bender: 33:48

Okay, you got to check it out. You can order from there too, I think right. Yes you can so Lisa any closing thoughts.

Lisa McDulin: 33:54

No, just thank you for being here, thank you for sharing and, and we appreciate everything that you do so much. You are just such a blessing to our kids and to our staff and to so many people in the community that get to work alongside of you. So thank you for everything you do.

Bonnie Boroian: 34:11

You're so welcome. I have to say that it's not one person I've introduced a place of hope who hasn't profoundly thanked me for introducing the charity but also having so many wonderful people in their lives because of being a part of place of hope. Being an angel mom has been a blessing to every angel mom I know and it's it's a joy to share it on so many levels. So thank you for being the kind of people you are and who really give from your heart consistently and in larger ways every year. It's incredible.

Charles Bender: 34:53

Well, God is good and he provides and he brings the people.

Charles Bender: 34:56

So thank you for being compassionate, thank you for being a social entrepreneur I love that term and you are one. We think of ourselves as social entrepreneurs. But thank you for also, you know, the time you spent with the kids and just even the babysitting part. People don't realize how critical that is for the, for the single moms that we're trying to help, and how these, these, what for maybe some people seem like a small barrier, become, you know, almost impossible to overcome without somebody intervening. So thank you for doing that and just overall thanks for being an ambassador of hope for place. I appreciate you.

Lisa McDulin: 35:34

An inspiring initiative took place recently that radiated the theme of hope in action. Way FM, with their heartwarming effort, hosted the world's biggest baby shower to support place of hope. Through this event, individuals had the opportunity to extend their compassion by donating essential items such as diapers, wipes and formula. Numerous drop off locations, including Chick-fil-A locations at Northlake Boulevard, palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, okeechobee in the Turnpike, lake Worth, south Lake, lantana, boynton Beach, west Boynton Beach, delray Beach and West Boca, were made available for contributions. This past donation drive not only united the community, but also embodied the power of turning hope into tangible assistance Through the collective efforts of caring individuals. This event beautifully demonstrated how a small gesture can translate into a substantial impact, exemplifying hope in action.

Charles Bender: 36:38

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