Ep: 34 - Jay Van Vechten - The Boating and Beach Bash - Boca Raton

This week on #SoooBoca Stories I am thrilled to have non other than Jay H. Van Vechten on the podcast as my guest! If you know Jay, you know he is a delight to speak with, and has the most magnificent stories!

Listen in to this sesh as Jay shares how he and his wife Lowell started their non-profit the Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities that is held annually right here in Boca Raton.

Jay, a born and bred New Yorker, devoted his career to corporate communications and public relations for some of the nation’s foremost Fortune 500 corporations. He closed his agency following a life changing accident and now spends all of his time helping other people with disabilities through his charity, the American Disabilities Foundation, Inc.  A devoted father and grandfather, Jay and his wife Lowell have resided in East Boca Raton since 1997.

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Event Details:

12th Annual Boating & Beach Bash for People with Disabilities 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 1, 2020 Spanish River Park, 3001 North Ocean Blvd. (A1A), Boca Raton, FL 33431 www.BoatingBeachBash.com

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Transcript

spk_0:   0:00
Hello and welcome. My name's Michelle Bellisari the host of #SoooBoca Stories and the founder of www.soooboca.com.  So grab a beverage, find a palm tree to get comfy under and get ready for another. So bogus story from around beautiful, sunny Boca Raton thanks to the villa. Sorry, group Every max service is for supporting. So Book of lifestyle Medio selling real estate in Boca Raton Hansel Florida since 2000 and three. Hey, guys, this Michelle b and today's guest is the fabulous J Van Vechten. Thank you. Admired from before and in person. I love the level of love you, Jay. Thank you for meeting our today.

spk_1:   0:50
My great pleasure. Thank you for inviting me.

spk_0:   0:52
Oh, absolutely. When I started my podcast, Um, maybe, like not even a year ago. Ah, one of the things I wanted to do it is I rolled into a new decade, was to start doing interviews around town. So thus the name hashtag So bogus stories. And I want to tap into some of the nonprofit stories around our committee because everyone so many nonprofits here to choose from. So I wanted to just, uh give you guys a little background on J. Who I've known for quite some time now, but one He is a retired New York City PR man. And let me tell you, if you're not following him on Facebook and reading some of those amazing stories and journeys and, uh, fun things that he's done, it's remarkable and fascinating and always enjoyable. But he operated his own award winning agency for 25 years until a fall changed his life as a full time resident of Boca J chairs the American Disabilities Foundation Inc and serves as the executive director of the annual boating and beach bash for People with Disabilities. And so that is one of the reasons I have J. On today, because the boating and beach beach bash is annual and it's coming up. So J tell everybody a little bit about what you're doing. I hear some noise in the background.

spk_1:   2:12
Well, um, we don't have an office, we have a home, and that is our office. So my wife and I work together. It's very much of a partnership. We are supported by a committee of about 25 that meet weekly, but today we're having a fold in stuck party of the house. So we have a bunch of the committee members here. We are doing a fundraising mailing to over 1000 people, so letters are being signed, folded stuff stamp sealed and will be taken to the post office later and having this

spk_0:   2:48
kind of love it

spk_1:   2:50
just very possible for us.

spk_0:   2:53
So this is the 12th annual boating in

spk_1:   2:56
a back, even though I'm shrank a dozen years. Yes,

spk_0:   3:01
wow. Yeah, a dozen years. That's That's amazing, actually. What's

spk_1:   3:06
amazing, Michelle, is that this event has grown to be the largest one day event in the United States for families with special needs, and I marched one. We will be hosting between five and 6000 guests for the day, and everything is free to the attendees. So that means it's normally $18 to get a Hispanic of a park on a one night where we, um, host the event. But all of that is waived for the day, so you get into the park for free. We have, ah, kitchen that it's set up overnight in the park in the middle of a field, and the night before, there's nothing there. And in the morning there's a massive tent set up with a number of cooking grills, and we will cook five between five and 6000 meals and serve them in five hours. And that little kitchen will be staffed by 45 volunteers all day, many from the Rotary Club downtown Rotary Club. They are this posture of the lunch, and their people come out and they're executives and realtors and just a myriad of folks from the community. And everybody rolls up their sleeves and cooks and opens hamburger buns and hot dog buns helps people enjoy a wonderful lunch. Then we also have a kind

spk_0:   4:23
of amazing

spk_1:   4:24
Yeah, the concert, um, has become one of my favorite things over the years because I get to be producer and I work with, Ah, wonderful friend. Ingrid, former on Ingrid, helps pull all the details together for the concert, but we now feature performers with disabilities, so it becomes incredibly inspiring for our guests to see these folks up on stage. As an example. There is a young lady who was on America's got talent, and she was the first runner up. She went on to be on last year on the champions of one of the 10 best ever. Her name is catching our coochie. Uh, catch. He was in a plane crash, but she was one of two survivors of I believe, about 100 and seven passengers. Um, she was severely burned. She's endured over 100 surgeries. She is remarkable. And during many years of healing and surgery, she began seeing on this great voice came out. So when she went on the great stage of America's Got talent blew everybody away. And Simon if the Golden Buzzer and put her through This is the third year back with us. I don't know if she loves Sizemore. We loved or more, but we adore having you there. We found that the lighthouse for the Blind in Miami has a choral group. It's an all black coral group. They're about 20 of them. Everybody's blind. We bust them up every year. They bring their tambourines and their drums and guitars and day raise the roof on that tent, singing and, uh, uplifting everybody's spirits. We have a young gal. Who is that?

spk_0:   6:09
That's amazing.

spk_1:   6:10
X factor. Um, she was born with your arms facing backwards. Very strange. Um, she's 19 years old. She is now I recording artist in Nashville. Her name is Ryan Page. Big voice, big personality. She gets on that stage goes Good morning polka and the roar. Um, so that's the kind of day we have. And then at the end of the afternoon, we do an open mic. So you know, kids who want to get up and sing summer pretty good couple of been amazing and a few of them are horrible, but it doesn't matter because they're

spk_0:   6:49
all over me.

spk_1:   6:52
One of the you know, boating is in our title Bonita Beach bash and through the kindness and generosity of local boat owners, most of them through Royal Tom. Yet Country Club we will have upwards of 20 yachts for the day had down on the dock on the Intercoastal. We'll have the Coast Guard, active Coast Guard, Coast Guard, auxiliary physical therapists, and we will do over 2000 boat rides in five hours. Ah, a couple of the boats or prostitution boats, a wheelchairs roll right on board and we're taking people out on the water have never been on boats before, and they just love doing that. It's Ah, great front for me. Um,

spk_0:   7:40
well, there's There's nothing like the water and the ocean and the saltwater Thio, who, in my opinion, it's just so soothing, relaxing. It's also fun and exciting, so happy that this can be done with your event.

spk_1:   8:01
Well, it's all community based. You know why I m c. A takes a very active role on the beach. The drowning prevention part of the Y M C. A. And we're taking people in the ocean who've never been in the water before. And for them it is extraordinary. We transfer them out of their wheelchairs. Now that we have mats on the beach. Well, water, we transfer them into these. They look like Shane's lounges, but they have pontoons on each side, and we rolled them into the sea. And the joy of watching someone's face was never been in the ocean. Um, it's it's overwhelming. And the beach you have their parents wailing and crying and just overwhelmed. And then you got their kids of the border screaming and laughing. That's the juxtaposition. It's joy on both sides.

spk_0:   8:57
That's amazing.

spk_1:   8:59
Very cool.

spk_0:   9:00
Yeah, that's very cool. Um, you know Let's talk a little bit about your backstory. I mean, obviously we know the PR side of things with you, but I've talked to you before privately about what happened to you and one of the reasons this became not just an idea, but it was implemented. Um, tell everybody a little bit about your story. And how you segway this into the boating. A beach bash?

spk_1:   9:32
All right. Um, I've been in public relations my entire career since getting out of university of, but in 1979 you won't open starting my own agency out of my kitchen with a borrowed typewriter. A typewriter. It's that, um and I was handling all my letters, stamping them, going around the corner to mail them, and there was a copy machine a block away. I go do that. Um, and I landed a huge account with Johnson and Johnson, and I ended up having Johnson Johnson for over 25 years different Jang jae companies. But the agency really grew. Within a year, I had 12 people working out of my apartment. We had to get out, but the landlord says three other tenants, uh, and we got our first office, and we morphed into being one of the top 30 independent agencies in America, and I eventually opened a new office here in Boca Raton. We didn't have any Florida business, but we were establishing routes in case we wanted to grow that way. Yeah, doing a long range plan towards my eventual retirement. Um, we had already acquired a vacation house in Boca, and our son was several years old. And then in 2001 on a business trip to San Diego, I walked in a hotel bathroom and 6 30 in the morning. I didn't put the light on. I didn't see that the floor was wet. There'd been a leak all night, and when I hit the floor, I spun backwards and then fell backwards over the edge of the bathtub, and I crushed five vertebrae in my spine. I then pitch forward, broke both knees and went into a split. Awful fell on my table, took me an hour to get to crawl back into the bedroom toe, pull a phone under the floor and call for help. Um, I spent that are the next two years in wheelchairs. Um, then adored a number of surgeries. I'm all metal on both sides of my body, but it changed everything. Michelle, Um, yeah, and I really had to go reinvent myself because I couldn't travel the way I used travel. But we have the I love New York account, which required me to be in Europe constantly. We had a huge Belgian pharmaceutical company. When you're ended 15 trips to the gym in the year

spk_0:   12:08
I've seen your stories and all of your travels which many, many were worked really was born dead. And so you're right. A reinvention happened.

spk_1:   12:20
Yeah, we add Miss Universe Inc. So that meant we have Miss USA and Miss Universe and Miss Teen USA. So we would travel with the pageants. We did them in Korea. We did report. Rico, it was wonderful fun to do that. A lot of our business with very serious, so have a light inside, like a miss universe. Was was great fun. So yeah, I bet. And I found the Boca had a disability advisory board for the city, and I applied was accepted onto it. Um, I ended up sharing it. I had a wonderful time that everybody on that board their lives would trust, in one way or another by disabilities. That board no longer exists, by the way. I wish it did, but it doesn't, Um, right. It was found every March was building. The city's charter would one day a year in March provide free entry to the city's parks for people with disabilities. And that every March on a Saturday, our little board was hosting a luncheon that this city would pay for. For people in Boca lived in group homes. So usually they were adults in their twenties, thirties, forties, even fifties who had intellectual challenges. The luncheons were using about 75 to 85 people, um, joyous occasions. But sitting on the board, I said to my buddy Sean freakin, who was then sharing it, Shaun himself in a wheelchair. I said, I think this city is very vulnerable here because we're only a meanness and people in group homes. Yet this board is for all people with disabilities. Can't he knew Mayor Susan Welch, Um, and he made an appointment of the two of his one seer, and he explained that Jay has thoughts, and I said, I have Susan. I just think we're very vulnerable, limiting. Who comes to this luncheon? I would liketo open it up and I said, I've already spoken. We lived in Rock. I'm Young Country Club. I said, I've already spoken to the marina manager, and I know I can get three boats for the day. We could give rides. She loved the idea. She lived around. Love it. She was one of the voters. Um, way held our first bet in 2009 and I had my son cooking hamburgers. Half of his buddies from from school were there. My wife is cooking burgers, and we got everything set up down by the waterfront. And then we just sat watched, waiting to see what would happen. And the first person who came out of the woods on the path Waas, a man with a seeing eye dog. And then someone else followed in a wheelchair. And then three Children with down syndrome came holding hands. I looked low, my wife said, Bingo. We got a hit and always served 350 meals that day. Um, the following year we jumped to 750 people. Fortunately, we had added a few boats and the year. After that, I was called in by the city and told, This thing is getting too big, too labor intensive. Um too expensive. Um, we're giving it up. And my heart was so into this event, I I said, No, no, no, no, no. I can do this right. I came on, I spoke too low and I said, Are you willing to take the sign with me? And she said, Absolutely, because it also met. We lost the 12 members of the board. They could no longer working on it. It was It was not a city event. We began calling her and you help. Can you help, You know, and amazing the way people came together. And since rights we could hope for I still have the part for free. The following year I opened it up. I said, Come on in Florida, we didn't need to limit it and we jumped 2200 people.

spk_0:   16:33
Well, that's amazing.

spk_1:   16:34
But the 3004 thousands turned into the five thousands every year, raising more money, getting more food, adding Maur exhibits more displays. Yeah, that's how it's grown.

spk_0:   16:49
That's amazing. J. I love this story and you know how unfortunately things happen and how we respond to them is a big part of healing. And I know you and I have talked about some things before in regard to to that kind of scenario. And I just applaud you so much for, um, taking this and running with it

spk_1:   17:17
for the powers above because they had another plan for May. Yes. Ah, I willingly took it on. They picked the right guy. I knew

spk_0:   17:26
howto dead How to put on a party, my friend. Yeah. We don't know, because that's really what it's about. It's all about, you know, really throwing a big party that's going to benefit. A lot of people make so many people happy. And, you know, I'm a question that I have for you is obviously this is still growing. What is what Do you see the next step with us?

spk_1:   17:57
I'm Michel. Thank you for asking that question. Um, we've created a workbook guy on how this event is structured. Um, I would love to find other cities that would like to take this on and created in their own communities. All you need is water boats in the park. Where lunch will be served. But you start looking up and down the coast. You know where you go? Boston, New York, Philly. Washington D. C um, Savannah. Charles.

spk_0:   18:31
Charles. Kristen? Yeah, I'm thinking outside of the box, too. Yeah, all the way up the coastline. Fripp All this place is go. Hello? Oh, yeah. Well, it doesn't have to be. He saw water?

spk_1:   18:43
No, absolutely. Could be freshwater as well.

spk_0:   18:46
Yeah, that's great Lakes.

spk_1:   18:49
Um, I've I've had a couple of preliminary calls, one of them, ironically, from Vancouver, uh, British Columbia, where they have been exploring the idea where they might host this in Vancouver. And perhaps with, uh, Prince Charles, who is very into disability work. Um, with his wounded warrior project that he does, you know?

spk_0:   19:15
Oh, Harry is Harry and Megan are, and you know, I'm from bank uber.

spk_1:   19:21
All right, so let's wait about a month.

spk_0:   19:26
Uh huh. Well, here's the thing. There's so much there with the waterfront in Vancouver and Stanley Park and the beaches. I mean, it's beautiful. I remember quite a bit from when I was younger living there, and, um and I think that would be a beautiful place to kick it off, especially if you're picking. You know, another country to start with, you know, fantastic.

spk_1:   19:50
And, you know, thanks to Google Earth, if I get a call from a community, I can go look at that community on good one. Makes suggestions to them where I think it might work, and then let them take it from there.

spk_0:   20:04
I love it. I love the fact that you have a workbook guide because a lot of people want to start things. And it's funny because I've mentioned something similar. Just, you know, some people that have started different events. I'm like, you know, you could really take this and show other people how to do this in their community, and it's just an extension of giving back anyway. And I mean, it's a win win right across the board. Um,

spk_1:   20:31
like that, like a local Rotary club takes it on building from there. Yeah,

spk_0:   20:36
exactly. It could be anyone really who has the passion, and that's really what it's about. You're so passionate about what you're doing and how you are executing this event year after year after year, and it's so popular, and I, unfortunately have been out of town so many times that you've had it. I'm going to absolutely trust Peter this year. I promise. But I thought, Well, if I can't, for some reason, I'll interview you, you know, and, um and we can talk about that. Well, I appreciate you sharing all this information with me and, um and, uh, my listeners, I think it's gonna be great. I want a Segway just a little bit until little fun stuff because you've been in Boca for ever and ever to and so have I. And so I I always I always like to ask a few fun questions of your game.

spk_1:   21:30
My family's been here 50 years now.

spk_0:   21:34
Yeah, it's amazing. Isn't it amazing? I'm inching up that way. I think we're 42 years here. So we've been here a while. My dad started the first water slide down in pompano. Yes, that's why we moved here. Kicking and screaming. By the way, when you're in high school, it's not really fun. Like you're moving me. Where and what are we doing now? It wasn't fun, but then I realized I could go to the beach and the ocean was right here, and I was like, Oh, this isn't too bad, you know? Went to Boca High. So there you go. Um, but I love to ask, ah, people some fun questions. I also have a rule state podcast. That is Ah, fun, too. But that's, uh, I interview rule states professionals around the country. Who are they? They're influencers and what they're doing. So I love to ask him some questions, but one of my fun questions is especially since you've done so much and been so many places. If you could break bread with anyone, who would it be? West? And where in Boca, would you break bread at what restaurant would you go

spk_1:   22:46
to? Um, my goodness, can it be a big table?

spk_0:   22:54
It would be a real yes. You know what? It could be more than one person, by the way. So, yes, it could be a huge table. You could fill a damn restaurant. I don't care. Um, so it doesn't matter to me, but I'm curious food Jay Van Vechten would be breaking bread with you know, anyone dead or alive? Baby daughter alive

spk_1:   23:12
would be anyone from Buckingham Palace. It wouldn't be anyone from the Vatican. Um I'm not so interested in politicians. All the Winston Churchill, um uh, bird, But what an interesting conversation. Um, yes. I also always had a thing for Elizabeth Taylor growing up. So join

spk_0:   23:37
right. I would sit with her in a heartbeat and look at her. Look what she did. She started the most amazing charitable foundation out of complete need. Complete need

spk_1:   23:49
when everybody was against her. And, uh, yeah, she wrote it through. She left a tremendous legacy. They don't realize what a huge movie star she waas truly one of the last great movie stars we ever the glamorous mystery, the intrigue, the drama. Yeah,

spk_0:   24:11
yeah, I love watching her old movies. Yes, they're amazing. Just a big fan of a fan, too.

spk_1:   24:18
And where would we go? I would like to go to one of the pavilions by the ocean. Oh, bring along a picnic.

spk_0:   24:27
I love it.

spk_1:   24:28
A good bottle of wine. I could get a waiver to have one of our beaches.

spk_0:   24:34
Don't say anything.

spk_1:   24:35
Uh, started it just around sunset and enjoy a fine sunset and then open them with a cocktail and that opened the wine. And like a little gas light and dig in and talk. Yeah,

spk_0:   24:51
I love it. Yes, I think I'm into the casual, more intimate type of setting myself. And my husband likes to cook. So who knows what he would he'd make fish soup or something. Um, but I love that idea. That's fantastic. And, you know, I think it's fascinating because I asked this question frequently, and I get answers, All types of the answers and all types of food and and things like that. It's very interesting. And then the other question is, and I think this is very pro Brit. Who is your superhero? Your favorite superhero? Superman. Oh, love it. Why,

spk_1:   25:33
um, wanna play them in the movies? There you go. Being a Superman on the big screen into being a Superman in life and, yes, into re foundation, which have helped countless, countless people with disabilities and continue to as well. Um,

spk_0:   25:59
I got remarkable. I love that.

spk_1:   26:00
I got to meet him and worked with him. Um, while he was still with us. Um, and he was just extraordinarily kind, gentle man.

spk_0:   26:12
Oh, well, I appreciate you sharing that. I, um I appreciate you also taking some time out of your busy day to be on hashtag so bogus stories. I've always wanted to sit down war with Theo and shot a little bit more about your PR history. And I love the entrepreneurial spirit because one of the things I love to talk about with agents most rule stages have side hustles. F Y I and so lots of entrepreneurial spirit there. And I love how you started your business, which is how so many businesses starting garages and basements and bedrooms at kitchen tables. And there's just the sky's the limit. You just have to not worry about what people are thinking or doing. You just focus and stay in your lane, you know,

spk_1:   26:59
that's it. You know, I think back to my first potential client, and, um, I didn't tell him that, you know, we're going to be meeting at my kitchen table. He said he was fine with that. I said, Go out for lunch. We could meet in a restaurant. He said, No, I'll bring a watermelon now. I thought he was kidding, but he came with an entire watermelon slight.

spk_0:   27:24
It's interesting.

spk_1:   27:26
And then we sat at the table for two hours, and I got the account.

spk_0:   27:31
People just want to connect with human beings honestly and everything that I see as much as social media is up there right now. J. I think people crave just having the interaction. And, um, I think one of things that you do extremely well on your social media is you have such a humanizing component that makes people want to get involved with what you're doing. And I think that's a gift.

spk_1:   27:57
Thank you. That's very kind of, you know, one of the things that I really believe in. Michele and connecting with someone break bread together, sit down with them. Churchill. You've always wanted to meet. Sit down with that potential client over a meal. It's so different than being in an office setting. There's

spk_0:   28:16
some

spk_1:   28:17
food that brings people together. And if you can pick an interesting dining experience where you're trying to get to know someone and meet them there and have fun ordering different things together, um, it's pretty amazing. I have been.

spk_0:   28:35
So let's do this. Tell everybody where they can find the boating and beach bash online, how they can get involved and how they can volunteer or sponsor or make donations.

spk_1:   28:51
Awesome. Well, we make it very easy. Um, we have, ah, website, um, where everything basically is located, but it's it's it's boating. Beach bash dot com voting beach batch dot com. Um, lots of videos there that people can see what the event looks like. People can sign up to volunteer. You can make donations on it too. Was by the papal site that we have, huh? We have a foundation that we establish Michelle called the American Disabilities Foundation, and that is now the parent for the voting Beach batch. So we have our own five on one C three donations. Of course, there are the bullets allowed by law. Um, and that helps a lot of people who want to have a tax deductible contribution I'm all in for. Do it. Please. Will you welcome it? Yeah. Absolutely. Sunday, March 1 from 10 a.m. Till 3 p.m. At Spanish River Park on a one A. Um we love our volunteers. Um, we'd like people to get there really early because the event starts in 10. We do a lot of free set up, so people could be there between 7 30 and eight. help us, we will feed you. We we worked with a number of different places, like Starbucks, Einstein, bagels and McDonald's the fresh market. So we have all kinds of things to pick out coffee, and, um, it's just starts the party going and our volunteers so moved by the event we run about 400 volunteers year. Um, a lot of them are kids from book Hi, Another local high schools. We get college kids, we get groups like the Downtown Rotary Club and Quanis, and I just got off the phone with the lions of their coming. So we love it when those kinds of groups join us. Um, a lot of independence come as well. A lot of seniors come love having our seniors there, and we have so many different job opportunities that we can guide people into different things. Um, where we need help the most.

spk_0:   31:11
Well, I appreciate it and make sure everybody you check out the website for sure, and I'm sure you have your social media icons on air, so people want to like and follow different pages and things like that. They could do that. Reach out directly to J

spk_1:   31:28
with this police Facebook page where we post all the latest videos. Yeah, You

spk_0:   31:34
gotta love it. God love it. Well, Jay, thank you. So so much for being on hashtag so bogus stories today I'm just so pleased that you have the time and, ah, that you could share little backstory and background on how this got started and where it's going and much success this year. And as I said, I will absolutely try to be there this year because I'm looking forward, Thio seeing all of the events and potentially helping out if I can, So I appreciate it. Thank you so much. Wow, What a great episode. Thanks for joining in today. I hope you will subscribe to the podcast were on iTunes Buzz brow I heart radio stitcher Spotify You name it, We're on it. I hope you'll follow along and join us every week. Well, we have a new episode on hashtag so bogus stories. Don't forget to check out the website at so polka dot com. We have updates all the time on places, spaces, things to do what's happening all around, book or tone and south Florida and you can follow us on the socials at So Boca on Instagram and on Facebook. And if you're interested in sponsoring one of our episodes or would like to do some advertising, feel free to reach out to me at so. Boca at gmail dot com. Have a great day.