Health Care District’s Executive Team Volunteers in Support of Underserved Public School Students and their Teachers

Image of the executive team at Red Apple Supplies

Health Care District Executive Team from left:
Belma Andrić, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer and VP and Executive Director of Clinic Services; Steven Hurwitz,
Vice President, Chief HR & Administrative Officer;
Valerie Shahriari, Esq., General Counsel;
Darcy J. Davis, Chief Executive Officer; Karen A. Harris,
VP of Field Operations; Deborah J. Hall, CHC, CRMA,
CFSA, VP Compliance and Privacy Officer, Internal Audit
and Joel Snook, CPA, Chief Financial Officer.

Teachers in Palm Beach County’s neediest public schools can turn to a special store in Riviera Beach to stock up on school supplies for their students and classrooms. The Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s executive team got a first-hand look at how Red Apple Supplies is easing the burden on teachers and making a difference for their students. The group stopped by and volunteered on February 6, 2020, assembling 200 packages of school supplies for high school students attending a Title 1 public school in Palm Beach County. The visit kicked off with an introduction about the philanthropic mission of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County and how it operates one of its key programs.

Launched in 2015, Red Apple Supplies is a free teacher resource store that has grown to serve 53 public schools identified as having the greatest need. These Palm Beach County public schools have a large concentration of low-income students who are receiving free or reduced-price lunches. Teachers at these schools are invited to “shop” in the store twice a year for free school supplies for their classrooms and their students. The goal is for teachers to no longer feel that they have to pay out of their own pockets, which can add up to as much as $800 a year. The program survives on donations of a wide variety of classroom supplies from local companies.

Image of Steven Hurwitz and Karen Harris at Red Apple Supplies After receiving a tour of the warehouse and store, the executive team members went to work, packaging dozens of bags with notebooks, folders, pens, pencils, erasers and colored pencils. The team wrote special messages of encouragement on each bag like “Fantastic job!” and “You are AWESOME!” Throughout the year, the Health Care District’s executives engage in hands-on team building projects where they volunteer at local non-profits in support of those in need in the community.