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BOCA RATON, FL – March 25, 2026 – The American Association of Caregiving Youth (AACY) hosted its 2026 Hearts & “Soles” Sneaker Ball on Friday, March 13, 2026, at the Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club in Boca Raton—a benefit aimed at sustaining critical services for more than 700 middle and high school students who serve as family caregivers for chronically ill, disabled, and/or frail elderly family members. (AACY.org)
The event comes at a pivotal moment for AACY’s nationally recognized Caregiving Youth Project, which has experienced financial strain that threatened the continuation of core services relied upon daily by vulnerable students. More than 150 guests heard from Judeline, an 8th-grade participant who cares for her single father, and from Mary Ann, a 2019 high school graduate who is now employed full-time and pursuing her master’s degree. She, too, provided care for her single father until his passing.
The 2026 Sneaker Ball was led by Honorary Chairs John and Arline McNally, with Kim Champion and Bruce Spizler, J.D., serving as Co-Chairs. Neil Saffer of Saffer & Company Benefit Auctions served as Master of Ceremonies. Boca Raton Magazine was the Exclusive Magazine Sponsor, and The Boca Tribune was the media sponsor.
Through the Caregiving Youth Project, the first in the US, AACY provides individualized academic advocacy, mentoring, respite, and emotional support to students whose caregiving responsibilities often go unseen. Without these services, many Caregiving Youth faced increased risks of academic failure, chronic stress, social isolation, and long-term economic instability.
AACY is approaching its 20th year of service, in which the organization has supported more than 3,000 Caregiving Youth, helping achieve a 98 percent high school graduation rate.
The challenges of the growing population of Caregiving Youth extend throughout the world. In the US alone, there are more than six million student-caregivers. The expertise of the AACY team is being sought by others, such as the Rhode Island Department of Education, the Maryland Commission on Caregiving, and an affiliate in CO that formed the Colorado Alliance for Caregiving Youth, among others.
American Association of Caregiving Youth Board of Directors:
Frank Barbieri, Esq.; Debralyn Belletieri, Chair; Karen Brill; Leandra Cain; Althea Largie Ceasor; Gail Eagle; Jeffrey Gordon, Esq., Vice Chair; Maria Levix; Ellyn Okrent, LCSW; Isabel Parrado, MEd, Secretary; Daniel Polen, Interim Treasurer; Pamela Polani, Esq.; Connie Siskowski, RN, PhD, President and Founder; Bruce Spizler, JD.; and Abbey Strauss, MD.
Michael Connor Photography – MikefromQueens.com