Dyer Difference Award Helps Support Blue Star Families and Youth Sailing
The Youth Sailing Foundation believes that sailing is an adventure for a lifetime and works hard all year long to help provide Indian River County youth with educational, recreational, and competitive opportunities to enjoy the sport and learn the life skills which accompany it. Every year, 130 children who might not otherwise be exposed to sailing are introduced to the sport and have the opportunity to build confidence, discipline, responsibility, and leadership while learning to rig and pilot their own sailboats on the beautiful Indian River Lagoon. It provides many of the involved youth an opportunity to enjoy the waterways which are close to home but often feel out of reach for children who live in our beautiful, coastal community. The March Dyer Difference Award in Indian River County helps support the mission of the Youth Sailing Foundation and its upcoming Rock the Boat Benefit Gala.
FEBRUARY
Indian River County Award Recipients 2023
JANUARY
For The Love of Paws !
MARCH
From left to right: Diana Ciemko, Mary Wood, Snow (dog), John Dyer, Tatiana Dyer, Cookie Pankiewicz. Ted Pankiewicz, Sr.,Ted Pankiewicz, Jr., Handsome (dog), Helena Voss, Cheryl Diedolf, Cheryl and Jim Wilson
We Care
Youth Sailing Foundation
Left to Right: Sales Manager Ken Novander, General Manager Jonathan Hardie, Youth Sailing Foundation’s Stu Keiller, Finance Manager Chris Amos
Dyer Diference Honors Compassion and Service
When we’re not feeling well, we can’t possibly do our best at work or in school. And while most of us don’t think twice about scheduling a doctor’s appointment or making a stop at an urgent care facility for proper diagnosis and treatment to help put us on the path to recovery and a return to productivity, it’s not that simple for those who have no insurance. For them, visiting a doctor or scheduling a preventive diagnostic test often means the difference between making the rent payment or feeding the family. In Vero Beach, the We Care program coordinates diagnostics, medical care, and treatment for hundreds of qualified patients who are uninsured. We Care coordinates volunteers to provide diagnostic testing and/or specialty medical treatment, including cardiology, dermatology, neurology, general surgery, oncology, and more. More than 300 individuals have received assistance through this program and its generous volunteer donors and providers. During the month known for love and caring, the Dyer Difference Award Committee has chosen to recognize the compassionate care being offered in Indian River County.
Dyer Subaru Manager Brandon Reynolds, Dr. Jonathan Braue and Lauren Kelley-Braue PA, General Manager Jonathan Hardie ,Jennifer Jones, Tatiana and Will Dyer.
Paws Honored with Dyer Difference Award
Jessica Pankiewicz was just 32 when she succumbed to complications of Devic’s, an autoimmune disease. An animal lover who had a heart for helping others, Pankiewicz’s legacy lives on through For the Love of Paws, an organization formed in 2014 in honor of her. For the Love of Paws helps provide senior citizens peace of mind when they are no longer able to care for their beloved pet companions. The organization works hard to foster, adopt, or provide sanctuary for pets on its five-acre farm in Fellsmere. Additionally, For the Love of Paws also distributes more than 14,000 pounds of pet food each month to
food pantries to ensure that pets don’t go hungry when times for their two-legged family members are ‘ruff.’ Best of all, For the Love of Paws also provides veterinary care for senior citizens on low or fixed incomes and free spay and neutering of seniors’ and veterans’ pets. The organization’s Fur Real Pet Companion program has given patients in 32 memory care facilities a chance to share the unconditional love provided by a pet, too. The January Dyer Difference Award recognizes the love and dedication of For the Love of Paws with its own equivalent to a tail wag and scratch behind the ear.
Empowering our communities, accelerating the future.