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Created: June 13 2019

2019 Graduating Scholars at HANDY’s 14th Annual Scholars Breakfast. Photo by Ginny Fujino

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL -- HANDY (Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth) welcomed more than 500 guests to its 14^th Annual Scholars Breakfast on Friday, May 31, in the Crystal Ballroom at Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina in Fort Lauderdale.

This year’s “Believe in the Dream” Breakfast, presented by Breakthru Beverage and Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina, recognized HANDY’s 2019 Graduating Scholars, Champions of Children Award Winners and Legacy Graduates Award. The celebratory breakfast raised more than $200,000 for HANDY’s initiatives and youth programs.

The event was highlighted by a ceremony to recognize this year’s graduates, as well as heartwarming speeches from individuals close to HANDY, including the event’s Featured Speaker, Dr. Charmaine Borda, a former HANDY youth who is now a HANDY Board Member. Another moving speech was delivered by Amber Mannings, a HANDY youth who was formerly homeless, but is now graduating and will attend Florida Atlantic University in the fall. The year’s Scholars Breakfast was emceed by Lt. Rob Furman with Broward County Sheriff’s Office. 

HANDY is an award-winning non-profit that provides life skills, education and a supportive community for Broward County children in foster and relative/nonrelative care.

The organization was founded in 1985 by Ed Pudaloff, who wished to create something special to help abused and neglected children in the Broward County community. He reached out to two of his closest friends, Marti Huizenga and Kathy Jackson, for help. The three of them started fundraising committees and created scholarship funds, bought clothes for children and celebrated their birthdays. In the beginning, they had two well-known events, Easter for Kids and the Fashion Show, which went on for years before incorporating other events such as the Scholars Breakfast.