Professional models strutted the runway with a dazzling display of spring and summer fashions from Vero’s foremost boutiques at the 27th annual Fashion Show Luncheon at the Oak Harbor Club to benefit the Hibiscus Children’s Center. The event, co-chaired by Jan Harrell and Karen Loeffler, featured styles from Cooper & Co., Frances Brewster, Gretchen Scott, Loggia, Monkee’s of Vero Beach, Sara Campbell, Sassy Boutique and Vernon Scott Resort Wear.
Loeffler welcomed and thanked the fashionable crowd on behalf of the Hibiscus Indian River Guild, which has raised some $10 million for the nonprofit, before introducing Matt Markley, HCC CEO.
“For 27 years, this luncheon has brought together women like you who care deeply about children,” said Markley, adding that in addition to fundraising, guild members also volunteer thousands of hours each year.
Loeffler next spoke with Michelle King, HCC chief development officer, who gave a brief history of the organization, founded in 1985 by LaVaughn Tilton, where abused, neglected and abandoned children are cared for at the Hibiscus Shelter in Jensen Beach and the Hibiscus Village in Vero Beach.
King said children arrive scared, angry and often with nothing but the clothes on their backs, so therapists begin working with them immediately to build trust.
Their education coordinator looks into their often-neglected schooling, such as a recent young boy who should have been in third grade but had never stepped foot in a classroom. Medical staff manage children’s physical, dental and mental health, and activity coordinators, aided by volunteers and donations, arrange for special activities, including during summers and school breaks.
Vero’s Hibiscus Village cares for teens ages 12 through 17 in six homes, each with its own 24/7 on-site house parent, giving them a normal familial experience until they age out of the system.
“When they’re 18, they’re legal adults and they’re expected to be on their own. Who here thought they were ready to be on their own at 18? Not me and not my kids,” said King.
To prepare them, their Career Pathways to Independence program focuses on education and such skills as writing resumes, interviewing, opening checking accounts, saving money for living expenses and cars, and obtaining internships toward future employment.
Citing one of their many success stories, King read a note from Ashley, who had moved between shelters, foster homes and elsewhere, and was briefly reunited with her parents at 15 before being Baker Acted.
“My first placement after leaving the hospital was the Hibiscus Village in Vero Beach in 2008. I did not realize it at the time, but I had finally found my safe place. Hibiscus changed my life. It gave me stability, belief in myself and a place to thrive,” wrote Ashley, who is now 34, a happily married mother with a little boy and a career in the medical field.
King said that Hibiscus has the largest mental health program on the Treasure Coast; one of only 14 in Florida sanctioned by the Department of Health to treat sex-abuse victims.
Their Supporting Families in Crisis program works with families facing problems such as eviction, mental health or substance abuse issues, or anything else that puts undue stress or burden on the parents, as a way to keep children from entering the welfare system.
“Through a grant that we got last October, we expanded this program into Indian River County and we’ve kept 145 children safely in their homes with their parents,” said King.
Commenting how rewarding it has been to see children survive traumatic childhoods and become successful citizens thanks to Hibiscus, Harrell, a 20-year plus guild member, invited others to join.
“We have a lovely guild and we’re always open to new members.”
For more information, visit HibiscusChildrensCenter.org.
Photos by Norah Kodis