Imagine Minnie Mouse, Ronald McDonald, and Sponge Bob all in the same place! Thanks to contributions from Steinger, Greene, & Feiner, Face It Athletics was able to bring all of these famed characters together for the Annual Doozy Festival. This event, a health and community festival, included greater than 60 healthcare and educational vendors. Its focus on health and wellness created a venue for parents to participate with their children in kickball tournaments and field day games. Of course, no community festival would be complete without a bounce house and face painting.
“Contributions from Steinger, Greene, & Feiner have made it possible for Face It Athletics to bring health awareness and education to an area the 2014 census referred to a one of the most poverty stricken in Palm Beach County,” says Thomas Benjamin, founder of Face It Athletics, the coordinators of this event.
This past weekend, Face It Athletics presented part two of their community event, the 11th Annual Celebrity Basketball Tournament hosted by NBA Josh Howard and Trevor Booker and featuring current Dallas Mavericks guard, Raymond Felton, and former Miami Heat center, Dexter Pittman playing pick-up games. According to Felton, the players participate in this event “…to show kids it’s not just about basketball… It’s about your decisions off the court as well.” A percentage of proceeds from the tournament went to support the Boca Raton Police Athletic League.
“These events came to fruition due to the generous support we received from Steinger, Greene, and Feiner. They saw our dream for the community and immediately wanted to participate,” says Benjamin, “without sponsors like Steinger, Greene, & Feiner, these accomplishments would be impossible.”
Benjamin and the Steinger, Greene, & Feiner family are on the right track as it relates to serving South County populations. Data from Palm Beach Counts suggests exorbitantly high percentages of children in these areas participate in the free or reduced lunch program, indicate as high risk on reading performance tests, and are not on grade level as it relates to FCAT reading and math assessments.
According to Floridacharts.com, the leading causes of death are coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and diabetes; all comorbidities tied to excess weight and low physical activity levels. “This is information we cannot overlook or dismiss. These communities are in desperate need of educational and healthcare focused events,” Benjamin maintains.
“Our business is about more than having a healthy bottom-line,” says Steinger, Greene, & Feiner founding partner Michael Steinger. “Our dedication to this community extends beyond the walls of our offices. This is where we live and it is our duty to do our part to help the entire community.”
Environment has been shown to play a key role in how children feel about themselves and how they relate to the world around them. Continued contributions from the firm have allowed for the upgrade of six middle school gymnasium floors in Palm Beach County. Myniah McClendon, then a student at Carver Middle School said, “I like the way it looks. It makes us feel proud about it,” when the gym was updated to have the mascot emblazoned on the floor. “Because of budget cuts, the schools were unable to take care of these upgrades. Our partners worked together to make good things happen,” says Benjamin.