In the News

The Treasure Coast Music Teachers Association and Helping People Succeed are inviting the community to the 2014 Music-Thon, set for Saturday, December 6th at Treasure Coast Square in Jensen Beach.

Available all-day at the entrance to Macy’s at the north end of the mall, area music students will perform LIVE, on stage. The musicians include pianists, vocalists, guitarists, violins, violas, cellists and more. The event kicks off at 9:15 a.m. and runs to 6:30 p.m.

From lighted holiday trees, a snow village, and carnival decorations to trains and a wall of Santas, Helping People Succeed rolls out the red carpet to welcome the Treasure Coast community to its annual Holiday Happiness, celebrating the season with two floors of decorations.

Between December 1, 2014 and January 9, 2015, visitors will view holiday scenes in offices, meeting rooms, the lobby and outside as they approach Helping People Succeed offices at 1100 SE Federal Hwy in Stuart.

It’s that time of year to support the Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive, now underway at its Jensen Beach bookstore. Helping People Succeed’s Healthy Families program will benefit from this annual campaign.

From now until mid-December, a variety of children’s books will be on display behind the B&N check-out area and in a display in the center of the store. At checkout time, staff will ask each customer if they wish to participate in the book drive. Over the years, the Barnes & Noble Book Drive has provided hundreds of books benefitting children in Helping People Succeed programs.

Casting their absentee ballots on November 4th are Helping People Succeed Community Connections participants Eugene Grondin, Ed Grant and Trisha Overton.

The trio, showing off their I VOTED stickers, went online to study candidate positions and issues, filled out sample ballots and took them to the Martin County Supervisor of Elections office to vote.

Helping People Succeed’s Maria Velasco is the Family Support Worker of the Year for Healthy Families Florida, an evidence-based voluntary home visiting program that is proven to prevent child abuse and neglect in Florida’s highest risk families. She is one of more than 350 workers serving families in the State of Florida.

A 10-year employee at Helping People Succeed, Velasco works intensively with an average of 28-30 families each year in Martin County, which includes families from Hobe Sound and Indiantown to Jensen Beach. Many of her participants stay in the Healthy Families program for four years or more.

Helping People Succeed has coordinated its first meeting of the newly-formed Autism Program Council, comprised of community leaders, autism specialists and family members affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Recently, the Center for Disease Control reported that one in 68 children will be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder each year. Four out of five diagnosed will be boys.