FRIENDS OF RECREATION
In December 2019, the new Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center opened to serve
the community of Palm Beach.
The Mandel Rec Center was created through a $13.7 million public-private partnership, with two-thirds of the funding coming from private donors. The private funding was secured through a two-year fundraising campaign spearheaded by Friends of Recreation, Inc., a 501c3 created for this purpose. One-third of the funding came from a generous donation from the Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation, one-third from over 150 Palm Beach families, foundations, and corporations, and one-third from the Town of Palm Beach.
The Mandel Rec Center now serves as the center of community life with an organic cafe, a
stunning playground, a fully equipped fitness center, a regulation soccer and lacrosse field, an
after-school center, and many activity rooms. The Smith Family Fieldhouse is a gymnasium
abuzz with activities seven days a week offering, among other programs, group fitness classes,
pickleball, youth and adult basketball, gymnastics, and tumbling programs.
To support the long-term viability of the Mandel Rec Center, the Friends of Recreation board has created an endowment fund and now provides grants to the Town of Palm Beach Recreation Department aimed at improving programming, providing scholarships to children of town employees, and funding for facility improvements not fully funded by the town. The
endowment in 2024 now exceeds $1.2 million and grows as donors continue to make
contributions and receive naming rights to various features of the Mandel Rec Center.
Find additional donor opportunities HERE
The Mandel Recreation Center is now a cornerstone of the Palm Beach community. For young
and older residents alike, the healthy lifestyle made available through the Rec Center has made
it a magnet for all residents of the town and an invaluable way to make friends and meaningful
connections.
Discover the Mandel Recreation Center HERE
THIS WAS A GAME CHANGER
THANKS TO ALL WHO CHEERED US ON!
JOIN THE ROSTER!
WORLD CUP DONORS ($1,000,000 TO $5,000,000)
Morton and Barbara Mandel Family Foundation
The Town of Palm Beach
PLATINUM DONORS ($300,000 TO $999,000)
The Fortin Foundation of Florida
Kenneth C. Griffin
The Matthew and Tracy Smith Foundation & Stanley and Arna Smith Foundation
GOLD DONORS ($100,000 TO $299,000)
Suzanne and Michael Ainslie
Dennis and Jean Bottorff
Florida Crystals Corp - The Fanjul Family
Pamela and Wayne Garrison Family Foundation
Todd and Kim Glaser
David and Becky Gochman
J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Foundation
Jerry and Darlene Jordan
The Kalisman Family
Howard and Michele Kessler
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Matthews
Michael and Margaret Picotte
The John F. Scarpa Foundation, John and Jana Scarpa
Charles and Helen Schwab
A. Alfred Taubman Foundation
Vecellio Family
Via Bice Worth Avenue, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Royall Victor III
Allison Wright
SILVER DONORS ($26,000 TO $99,000)
Keith and Linda Beaty
The Borchardt Family Foundation
Mark Dalton
Natalie and Edward Emerson
Scott and Kim Goodwin
Wendy Hubbell
Paul and Sonia Jones
The Kluger Family
The Mullen Family Foundation - Alicia and Tim Mullen
The Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Foundation – John and Sheila Rinker
Stephen and Austin Smith
Tony Williams
Allison Wright
Bob and Susan Wright
CRYSTAL DONORS ($6,000 to $25,000)
Christian and Ann-Britt Angle and family
Anson and Debra Beard
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Celedinas
The Ceriale Foundation - Melissa and John Ceriale
Mark W. Cook
Cristina B. Condon
Charles Duncker
Geri M. Emmett
James and Gaye Engel
Douglas L. Feagin
William B. Finneran
Mr. and Mrs. Brian D. Fitzgerald
Christopher J. and Anne W. Flowers
The Frisbie Family
The Alice Busch Gronewaldt Foundation – Louis B. Hager, Jr.
Elliot Hershberg
Eugene D. Hill
Thomas S. Kenan, III
The Kluger Family
The Lambert Family
Richard and Rita Lazarra
Jeffrey and Susan Levitt
The Honorable and Mrs. Earle Mack
Jim and Sara McCann
Carol McCracken in memory of John B. McCracken
Pamela and Brian McIver
Robert E. Nederlander
Northern Trust
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Panattoni
The William H. Pitt Foundation
Gary Pohrer
Pressly, Pressly, Randolph & Pressly, P.A.
John and Monika Preston
Mary Robosson
E. Burke Ross, Jr.
The Royal Poinciana Plaza
Patrick and Molly Ryan
Nicholas and Barrie Somers
Mr. and Mrs. Tim Sotos
Ken G. Tropin
The Zisson Family Fund
BRONZE DONORS ($1,000 to $5,000)
Leonard I. Ackerman
Linda and Skip Aldridge
Andriano Family
Julie Araskog
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Calhoun
John and Billings Cay
Tim Cohan and Audrey McNiff
George and Susan Cohon
The Nick Coniglio Family
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Cowie
Mr. and Mrs. Lew Crampton
Peter and Patty Garvy
Chris Goldberg and Juliana Gendelman
David and Sarah Goldberger
Kelly and Edward Grace
Kenneth W. Hubbard
Mary Watkins and Reuben Johnson
Richard M. Kleid
Brian and Andrea Kosoy
The Lake Family Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Sean Lang
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Leone
Bobbie D. Lindsay and Douglas P. Buck
Grant and Allyson Mashek
Cora Coniglio McClure
Jebb and Sara McCracken
Don & Patsy Mintmire
Danielle Hickox Moore
Lee and Harvey L. Poppel
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Pucillo
Mr. and Mrs. Stanley M. Rumbough, Jr.
The Sarda Family
Christopher and Margaret Sinclair
The Van der Grift Family
Susan Van Pelt
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Zeidman
RED SNEAKERS DONORS
The following will be recognized on a plaque at the Oakley Debbs Field
Midfielder
Natalie Dejoux
Maeve Mullen and Family
Striker
The Fiorentino Family
Nicole, Joe, and Mimi Picotte
Forward
Inger and H. Loy Anderson Jr. Foundation
Rollins and Jackie Andrew
Bayhurst Foundation – Whitney and Eric Bylin
Olivia Debbs - The Debbs Family
Gregory and Anastasia Georgas, and family
Charles and Mia Gordon
Stuart and Allison Haft
Mimi and Leigh McMakin
Frank and Jeanne Shanley
The Matthew and Tracy Smith Foundation
The Storkerson Family
as of April 2024
Matthew Smith - Chairman
Michael Ainslie - Vice-Chairman
Darlene Jordan - Vice-Chairman
Suzanne Ainslie | Robert Crespi | Cody Crowell | Natalie Emerson | Kim Goodwin | Kelly Grace | Jason Kalisman | Michael Kluger | Sara Maggio | Alicia Cannon Mullen | Marley Overman | Todd Peter | Gary Pohrer | Carolyn Ryan | Steve Smith | Diana Sterne | Tara Vecellio
FRIENDS OF RECREATION MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
PLAY IT FORWARD
