Palm Beach leaders to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Palm Beach State College at Emerald Torch Awards Gala

Danielle Moore, the current mayor of the Town of Palm Beach, and her mother Lesly Smith, the former mayor, will receive an award for Lifetime Achievement at the Palm Beach State College 2nd Emerald Torch Awards Gala at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Student Commons area on PBSC’s Lake Worth campus.

The second annual event, hosted by Mistress of Ceremonies and WPTV News Channel 5 anchor Hollani Davis, will celebrate alumni and leaders who strengthen the community along with PBSC’s rich Panther legacy of transforming the lives of students. Festivities include a cocktail hour, dinner, dancing, and an awards presentation.

Tickets are on sale now and are $300 for an individual and $3,000 for a table of 10. To purchase, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/torchawards.

The event will honor the following alumni who will receive an Emerald Torch Award: Harold Caudio, visual artist featured at the 2024 Yvonne S. Boice STEAM Luncheon; Foundation Board Member and philanthropist Julie Kime; and President and CEO of Correct Craft Bill Yeargin.

“It is a great privilege to recognize the contributions of our community leaders and alumni in this celebration of Palm Beach State College’s legacy of serving hundreds of thousands of students and their families and communities,” said PBSC President Ava L. Parker, J.D. “The Emerald Torch Awards Gala will also be an opportunity to reinforce the College’s continuing mission to empower the futures of Palm Beach County residents and help drive the county’s economic development and progress.”

All proceeds from the event will support The Foundation for Palm Beach State College and its initiatives to fund student scholarships and enhance programs of study. The awards winners are:

Danielle Moore and Lesly Smith, Lifetime Achievement Award

Danielle Moore is the current mayor of the Town of Palm Beach and life-long resident. She is a long-time champion of community causes that benefit the town.  As a member of the Town Council, which she served as president for two terms, she earned a reputation for her attention to constituents, her forward thinking on the issues, and her leadership in reaching consensus on challenges that affect the entire Town.

Moore is the president and Lesly Smith the vice president of The Mary Alice Fortin Foundation, which provides grants to qualified charitable organizations by invitation only. The foundation’s primary focus is children, education, homelessness and animal welfare. The Foundation has supported Palm Beach State with scholarships for decades.

Lesly Smith

Named for her father Lester Stockard, a shipping executive — Lesly Smith was raised in New York City and began visiting Palm Beach when her parents bought a house in the 1950’s. She has been a full-time resident for decades. She is a longtime member of the Garden Club of Palm Beach and served the town as a member of the Architectural Review Commission, then as a Town Council member for seven years, five as Council President, and eventually served as Mayor of Palm Beach from 2000-2005.

Smith is an active philanthropist, chair of the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League; supporter of Opportunity Inc., Boys & Girls Clubs, Adopt-A-Family, Catholic Charities, the Center for Family Services, Farmworker Children’s Council, the Hanley Center, the Par 3 Foundation, Rosarian Academy, the Preservation Foundation, Seagull Industries, The Society of the Four Arts, St. Ann’s Place, St. Ann’s School, Take Stock in Children, The ARC, The Lord’s Place and many others.

Smith also serves as president of the Fortin Child Care Foundation and the Fortin Foundation of Florida, which to date have allocated more than $30 million, focusing on causes dedicated to improving lives and building strong communities.

Emerald Torch Award recipients for the Class of 2024:

Harold Caudio (PBSC alumnus)
Haitian-American and South Florida native, Harold Caudio is an accomplished mixed-media artist and designer. He started doing art the first time he picked up a crayon as a child. Caudio created the ‘The Colored Collextion,’ an emotion-evoking series of portraits of powerful figures made entirely out of Skittles (candy). This infamous ‘Collextion’ has been featured at Art Basel Miami 2013, 2014, 2018 & 2019, Art Palm Beach 2019 and The Wearable Art Gala 2019. It’s been viewed by millions of people, and has gone viral on social media sites and featured in numerous publications & networks such as Business Insider, Young Turks, BET, Good Morning America, The REAL tv, NBC, ABC World News, Palm Beach Post, the LA Times, Fox News, 60 minutes and more.

At PBSC’s 2024 Yvonne S. Boice STEAM Luncheon, a special portrait of Boice made out of skittles was unveiled by Caudio. The portrait, which was Caudio’s first portrait of a white person, was a tribute to Boice’s legacy of philanthropy and encouragement to those of all colors and backgrounds.

Julie Kime (PBSC alumna)
As a 35-year board member for the Boys and Girls Club, Julie Kime plays a vital role in providing support and guidance to youth in underserved communities. Additionally, her commitment to higher education is evident through her creation of the Julie Kime Hispanic Women Scholarship at Palm Beach State College, empowering young women to pursue their academic dreams. Julie’s impact extends beyond scholarship initiatives; she is also the lead donor for the Julie and John Kime Library and Resource Center at Palm Beach State’s Loxahatchee Groves campus, providing students with invaluable resources for learning and growth. She won a PBSC 2022 Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award in the alumni category for her philanthropic work.

In addition to her philanthropic endeavors, Kime is a respected businesswoman, having owned and operated her own insurance agency. As a founding member of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Central Chamber, she has played a pivotal role in fostering economic growth and development in the region.

Bill Yeargin (PBSC alumnus)
Bill Yeargin is a thought leader, CEO, board member, global traveler (110 countries), innovator and cultural evangelist. He has authored six books including the best sellers, Education of a CEO and Faith Leap. Yeargin has shared leadership insights in innumerable articles and columns for nearly three decades and has been a popular speaker at hundreds of events on six continents.

Correct Craft, where Yeargin serves as CEO, is a 99-year-old company with global operations. Correct Craft’s subsidiaries include multiple boat brands, engine brands, water sport parks and entities devoted solely to vertical integration and innovation. The company has manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and distributes into about 70 countries.