Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program has its 14th annual dinner event and award presentation scheduled for Nov. 16 at
The Beach Club in Palm Beach.
The
advisory board of nine members serves as chairs of the event
.
A highlight of the evening is the presentation of the
Andrew F. O'Connell Award to Jupiter
resident Terry P. Verduin. The award is named for the late West Palm Beach attorney
who was active in island goings-on and who helped establish the guardianship services of Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program through his vision and foresight. The award is presented to an individual or organization making a significant positive impact on the quality of life for local seniors.
O'Connell died in 1985 and his only child,
Brian M. O'Connell of West Palm Beach, is an attorney with Boose Casey
et al in West Palm Beach.
The family has continued to be active club members of The Breakers.Among Andrew O'Connell's
late siblings
are Phil O'Connell, who servedas Palm Beach County State Attorney
, and
Stephen C. O'Connell, who left the area to serve as a Florida Supreme Court justice and as president of the University of Florida. The campus' main auditorium is named for him.
"We continue to honor Andrew O'Connell's well-known community leadership each year
whenwe honor someone helping continue that tradition of utmost care and concern for our local elders," said
Mary Cleary Ierardi, a longtime West Palm Beach resident active in the St. Edward Women's Guild in Palm Beach.
She is alsoboard president of Catholic Charities of Palm Beach.
Catholic Charities of Palm Beach is a 23-year-old 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving more than 25,000 persons in need with 16 separate programs at 46 service sites in the five-county region known as the Diocese of Palm Beach
------Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
She said the organization
is now the only group running the court-mandated guardianship training for new court-appointed guardians. Three non-profits in Palm Beach County offer overall guardianship services, but Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program is the only organization offering the comprehensive training. The quarterly sessions are run in partnership with the Palm Beach County Bar Association, which provides lecturers. About 200 new guardians a year take the course
, and any member of the public
who lives in Palm Beach County can register.
"In terms of providing compassionate and long-term peace of mind to the more than 200 clients a year they serve, the staff and volunteers at Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program really have distinguished themselves in so many ways in recent years," Ierardi said.
Previous honorees of the Andrew F. O'Connell Award include The Hon.
Mary Lupo of Jupiter, a then-circuit judge now retired, and the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, which runs the well-known Lourdes Noreen McKeen facility on Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach.
Verduin will be honored in recognition of her dedicated service to local elderly. Verduin has made a major impact in a relatively short time as an attorney. She earned her law degree 11 years ago.
"I went to law school in my mid-40s. I started at the University of Kentucky but was working full-time, too. I came to Florida on a school break, met my husband-to-be, moved down here that next summer, and then went to Nova Southeastern University," she said.
Before law school, Verduin was a court interpreter. Now 55, she has one 23-year-old daughter who lives in Kentucky.
Verduin concentrates on elder health, economic services such as Medicaid government benefits, developmental disabilities and mental health issues, plus probate and trusts. She has a unique perspective as a part-time staff attorney for the Florida Department of Children and Families in addition to her private practice. She got the lead for the DCF job from a local judge who was pleased with her work in the courtroom.
Amy Fariello, M.S.W., who has been Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs
Program administrator for five years, said Verduin has proved an invaluable partner: "Terry is a strong advocate for the vulnerable adults in the community, always concerned about safeguarding their rights and finding them guardianship services or whatever each case brings. She always navigates sensitive and timely issues with genuine concern."
The benefit starts with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m. cash bar. The dinner event is 7-9 p.m.
Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program provides compassionate, comprehensive guardianship and case management services to those in need, emphasizing the concerns of the economically disadvantaged and those without adequate community support. The staff assists in providing:
- Assessment of client needs when faced with life decisions
- Preparation of personalized care plan
- Bill payment and budget planning
- Assistance with nursing home admissions
- Securing medical/hospital admissions
- Facilitating Medicaid and Veterans Administration applications
- Continual monitoring to assure client physical and emotional well-being.
Referrals to Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program come from judges, family relatives, other social services agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, attorneys or financial institutions. Many current or future clients conduct a confidential "pre-need" visit, which Fariello says is available upon request.
Tickets to the Nov. 16 event are $100 per person and reservations are required by Nov. 1. Corporate tables of 10 are available. For more information on the event or on Catholic Charities' Elder Affairs Program services, contact Fariello at 561-842-2406 or email guard90@bellsouth.net
"We really need the community's support at this event to both honor someone very special to our area, and to continue these services in an attempt to meet the growing needs," Fariello said.