'The Art of Giving' raises $1.5 million for Learning Garden at Center for Creative Education

Robert L. Hamon (L), president and CEO of The Susan and Dom Telesco Center for Creative Education, with philanthropists and namesakes Susan and Dom Telesco (R). [Photos by Capehart]

A spring afternoon of philanthropy and community support translated into a significant investment as more than 150 guests gathered at Club Colette on March 16 for 'The Art of Giving': Spring Garden Party benefiting The Susan and Dom Telesco Center for Creative Education (CCE). The annual event raised more than $1.5 million to support the creation of a new Learning Garden for The Foundations School (TFS) at CCE in West Palm Beach.

The Learning Garden, funded through the event, will be located just outside the school’s cafeteria and serve as a functional instructional space. Designed as a “living lab,” the garden will allow students to apply classroom lessons through real-world experiences, including hydroponics, crop cultivation and garden-to-table learning. The space will integrate STEM concepts, mathematics, nutrition education and environmental awareness, offering students a deeper understanding of how food is grown and consumed.

Central to the work of the CCE is The Foundations School, a K–5 independent lab school that combines research-based instruction with whole-child support systems designed to improve outcomes for underserved students. Access to the school is made possible through a combination of philanthropy and state scholarship programs, allowing students from diverse backgrounds to benefit from its model.

“When students receive the right support early, the results are remarkable,” says Robert L. Hamon, President and CEO of the Center for Creative Education. “While only a fraction of students in surrounding schools are reading on grade level, nearly 90% of our students are. That difference isn’t about the students; it’s about the environment we create around them.”

The program also included remarks from parents, highlighting the school’s impact on student growth and development. Petra New, a Foundation School parent, shared the transformation she has seen in her children.

“In just one year, Ivy and Autumn went from a two-year delay to performing at grade level,” New says. “Watching them blossom into readers has been nothing short of a miracle. I am so incredibly proud to say that my family belongs to this village.”

For more information about The Foundations School or the Center for Creative Education, visit cceflorida.org.

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