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Against The Odds: Man Lives To Celebrate 21st Birthday

Posted by on Jul 13, 2017 in Awards & Recognitions, Current Events, Helping Families, Special Events | 0 comments

Against The Odds: Man Lives To Celebrate 21st Birthday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. – It was a 21st birthday that wasn’t supposed to happen. A Port St. Lucie man, who has outlived his doctor’s prognosis, became of legal age Wednesday. When Dylan Picariello was 3 and a half years old and seemingly healthy, doctors found an inoperable brain tumor. It grew aggressively. At 6-years-old, he was given two weeks to two months to live. But Wednesday he turned 21-years-old. Pizza and beer: those were the requests from the birthday boy. “Perfect birthday, that’s what we’re trying to do for the man. Trying to keep my man happy, Dylan,” said Jordan Vanduzer from behind the counter, making pizza, at Big Apple Pizza in Ft. Pierce. Read full article...

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Honor Flight Benefit

Posted by on Jul 23, 2015 in Awards & Recognitions, Current Events, Helping Families, Special Events | 0 comments

Honor Flight Benefit

*Click image to enlarge Uncle Sam Wants YOU! They are known as the Greatest Generation because they are quiet heroes, men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend our freedom in a foreign land during what was called the war to end all wars – World War II. Over 16 million men and women served during World War II, and today, an estimated 855,000 are still alive, but they’re getting old and fragile. The median age of WWII veterans is 95, and an average of 500 WWII veterans die every day. Sadly, the memorial to honor their service was not completed and dedicated until 2004, and many WWII have never seen the memorial to their service. On Thursday, August 6th, from 4-10 p.m. at Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, volunteers from Southeast Florida Honor Flight, the Van Duzer Foundation, the City of Port St. Lucie, the Board of St. Lucie County Commissioners and the City of Fort Pierce are working together to make sure all St. Lucie County WWII veterans have an opportunity to make that trip of a lifetime. Southeast Florida Honor Flight provides a free flight with all the trappings for WWII veterans, along with a volunteer guardian (who pays for his or her own trip), meals, medical professionals, and a guided VIP tour to the WWII Memorial, the Iwo Jima Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, August 6th, from 4 – 10 p.m., the counters at Big Apple will be staffed by local celebrities and volunteers who will take your order, make, and serve your pizza, with one hundred percent of the cost of your food and drinks going to help Southeast Florida Honor Flight collect funds for the October 2015 mission, which is currently in jeopardy because of the loss of funding. In addition to one hundred percent of your order and tip helping fund this special Honor Flight, your donation up to $10,000 will be matched by local dermatologist and philanthropist, Dr. Shamsher Singh. On hand that evening will be Port St. Lucie Mayor Greg Oravec, Fort Pierce Mayor Linda Hudson, several members of the St. Lucie County Commission, and a host of local luminaries and celebrities, so you never know who might serve your pizza that night. Or, you may choose to request a specific server in exchange for a substantial ‘gratuity’ to benefit Southeast Florida Honor Flight and the mission. There will be WWII veterans on hand to meet and chat with you, and it’s a perfect opportunity to thank these men and women for their heroic service and patriotism. In short, you can than them for your freedom. Eight years after deciding to create a small, grassroots non-profit foundation to help individuals and families in St. Lucie County who were experiencing difficulties due to unforeseen tragedy or illness, the Van Duzer Foundation is still about helping one family or one individual with creativity, style, and caring. And while the Foundation may have taken a few side trips along the way, like starting Boy Scout Troop 772 to help give young men in the community a positive place to spend time, learn, and grow into positive and contributing members of the community, the Foundation has always been, at heart, a small, community organization which wants to...

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Leaders Share Troop Project

Posted by on Jun 26, 2015 in Awards & Recognitions, Current Events, Helping Families, Press Room | 0 comments

Leaders Share Troop Project

By: Bartholomew Sullivan Phone: 202-408-2726 Email: bartholomew.sullivan@tcpalm.com WASHINGTON — Fort Pierce businessman Scott Van Duzer and an entourage from St. Lucie County came away from a meeting with White House officials Wednesday convinced they can “fast-track” their Boy Scout Troop 772 initiative in more than 230 cities across the country. VanDuzer, perhaps best known nationally as the man who gave President Barack Obama a bear hug and lifted him off the his feet at his pizza parlor in 2012, is bringing his success story with Fort Pierce youngsters to the leaders of the president’s “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative. The White House initiative’s name comes from another term for the good Samaritan mentioned in Luke’s Gospel. In a meeting with Special Assistant to the President Michael D. Smith, director of the White House initiative, the group said everyone shared ideas and promised cooperation. PROJECT 1A “We’re going to be lining up with those (230) cities so that we can fast-track what we’re doing,” said Van Duzer on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington after the session. “We were extremely pleased how receptive they were of all the stuff we’ve done, and he told us how proud he is of us for doing all this.” During the meeting, Smith asked how many Boy Scouts of color are in troops nationwide and was told it’s less than 5 percent, Van Duzer said. The group, some of whom traveled to Ferguson, Missouri, to help set up seven troops there, will be in Baltimore on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the group met with U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, and handed him a progress report on the initiative in his district. Already after less than two years, 18 of his Boy Scouts have made the honor roll at Dan Mc-Carty Middle School in Fort Pierce, Van Duzer told Murphy, a Democratic Party candidate for the Senate from Jupiter. Debuting as spokesman for the group was St. Louis Rams tight end Jared Cook, who said he was looking for “something to get involved in, a place for kids to get off the street,” after the riots last year in Ferguson, just miles from the Rams’ training camp. Filmmaker Praheme Praphet gave Murphy a poster for his feature movie “Troop 491: The Adventures of the Muddy Lions,” which he told the congressman is about a child of a single parent who found a way to avoid gangs and the streets of Richmond, Virginia, through Scouting. Someone joked that Murphy should hang it in his “new office,” to laughter. Said Murphy: “I’m either going to have a bigger office or no office,” to more laughter. Van Duzer gave Murphy an update on a program that started with 51 of the toughest cases at the middle school. Later, in an interview in the rotunda of the Cannon Office Building, Van Duzer talked of all the people who have stepped forward to help, including the Boy Scouts national leadership, and local politicians. Van Duzer said a “cornerstone” of the program, state Rep. Larry Lee Jr., had planned to make the trip but could not at the last minute. Some in Troop 772 have traveled to the state Legislature in Tallahassee, where Lee was their host, and to Congress and to the United Nations to earn three different levels of citizenship merit badges,...

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Van Duzer Founder Receives Jefferson Award

Posted by on Nov 24, 2013 in Awards & Recognitions | 0 comments

Van Duzer Founder Receives Jefferson Award

Scott Van Duzer will represent the S. Florida at the Jefferson Award ceremonies in Washington D.C. • Jefferson Award for Community Service – South Florida Representative • Points of Light Foundation – Presidential Volunteer Click here is see the full article.

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Service Awards

Posted by on Nov 24, 2013 in Awards & Recognitions | 0 comments

Service Awards

Service Awards For The Van Duzer Foundation • Spirit of St. Lucie Award • Exchange Club Book of Deeds • Awarded Key to the City of Fort Pierce, FL • Spotlighted in PEOPLE Magazine as a Community Hero • Riverside Bank Hometown Hero Award • Indian River State College Pioneer Hall of Fame – First ever inductee • St. Lucie County Fire District Citizen Hero • Florida’s Blood Centers First-ever Ambassador • Honorary Fire Chief – St. Lucie County Fire District • Boys & Girls Club Man of the Year 2010 • Florida Public Relations Association Communicator of the Year Award 2010  ...

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Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist

Posted by on Nov 20, 2012 in Awards & Recognitions | 0 comments

Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist

Scott Van Duzer was named the ‘Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist’ during the 15th Annual National Philanthropy Day by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Friday, November 20 at Harbor Ridge Yacht & Country Club. Big congratulations for being recognized in a category with so many other wonderful nominees.  

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The 2009 Man Of The Year

Posted by on Nov 24, 2009 in Awards & Recognitions | 0 comments

The 2009 Man Of The Year

The Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Lucie County named Scott Van Duzer the 2009 Man of the Year for the incredible work he does in our community. Dawn and Scott Van Duzer with Charlie Cuomo

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