Page 10 - Boca Club News - May '23

Page 10, Boca Club News

Boca Happenings

Boca Public Library Adds Musical Instruments

To Collection Available for Borrowing by Cardholders

The Boca Raton Public Library’s Downtown and instrument if it is checked out. In addition to musical instruments, Boca Raton Public
Spanish River branches now offer cardholders the “This new collection is perfect for someone who is Library cardholders can check out other Library of Things
opportunity to borrow an assortment of interested in exploring a new hobby without making items, such as tabletop games, jigsaw puzzles, chess sets, seeds,
musical instruments that include an a significant investment,” notes Helen Silver, cake pans, American Girl dolls, Early Literacy Backpacks,
acoustic guitar, ukulele, violin, Collection Services Librarian, “and instruments STEM Kits, Citizen Science Kits, and mobile hotspots.
keyboard, folding piano, and can be borrowed as easily as taking out a book. Residents of the City of Boca Raton can request a new
electric drum kit. Patrons can Libraries are truly a community resource, as library card at the Account Services desk at either library
borrow one instrument at a time for you can see with our ever-expanding Library of Things location. A photo ID and proof of residency with a current
up to two weeks (no renewals), and can place a hold on an collection.” address are required.

Government

Mayor’s Update:

FAU’s Men’s Basketball Team—Number 1 in Boca Hearts!

Scott Singer is the 35th Mayor of For those interested, there are many ways to get involved
Boca Raton and was re-elected that will make a meaningful difference to our students,
without opposition for a final the program, the University and, in turn, the city. You can
term. A South Florida native, find out more directly from FAU’s Basketball and Athletic
attorney, mediator, and small programs. In the meantime, we look forward to the prospect
business owner, Scott and his wife of great seasons to come and, hopefully, many return trips
Bella live in Broken Sound with to the Final Four.
their two young children. Please stay connected at social media at @
This message focuses on an ScottSingerUSA. You can also reach out by email to
unprecedented run by the FAU Men’s Basketball team in ssinger@myboca.us with any thoughts or requests.
their reaching the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament Photo credit: Dr. Nathan Nachlas
and the impact for the university and our community. I’m
sure the vast majority of you know already that the Florida
Atlantic Owls became the darlings of the basketball world
in winning not only their first-ever NCAA Tournament
game, but reaching the Final Four–the measuring stick for FAU Owls receive Key to the City from Mayor Scott Singer.
when basketball programs arrive on the national scene. I
was honored to attend our victory over Kansas State in
New York City at Madison Square Garden and the thrilling
game in the national semi-final in Houston against San
Diego State. Except for literally the last second, the semi-
final game was one of the greatest sporting events I’ve
ever witnessed.
The list of accolades for the Owls was long, including
a number 5 season-ending ranking, the most wins in the
nation (35), a national-best 20-game winning streak, and
unanimous coach of the year honors for Dusty May, who
signed a ten-year extension. Why does this matter for
non-basketball fans?
First, in my years of service I never saw another event
bring our community together like this. The social media
for this team was the most active of any Boca Raton event
or issue, likely in our history. So many people rallied to
support the team, the program, and the university. Second,
the media attention for Boca Raton was tremendous. FAU
estimated that in March alone the mentions in the media
were the equivalent of media purchases of $1.7 billion. Put
simply, FAU could not buy the coverage that was earned
for the “Boca Beach Boys.” It is great that for weeks, Boca
Raton was renowned for athletic excellence, youth, and a
thriving university program–and we hope that hard-earned
fame will continue.
The University can expect a strong increase in
the number of applications, particularly out-of-state
applications, which helps raise the profile of FAU,
expand the student base, and build more opportunities for
philanthropy.
Following their victory, I was honored to present
a record number of keys to the city to the entire team,
coaches, staff, and university leaders and supporters. The
City of Boca Raton held a Community Celebration on
April 18th that was attended by more than 4,000 fans and
received widespread media coverage. We were honored
to celebrate what we hope will be the start of many
other milestone moments for FAU and the City of Boca
Raton. The team and their perseverance have brought this
community together and strengthened the ties between the
city and the University like never before.
In the new era of name, image and likeness (NIL) rights
for college athletes, community support is all the more
important to help keep programs together and thriving.
FAU Athletics and the University have ways to seize this
moment–to build a winning program. I’ve been thrilled to
hear about the work of the Paradise Collective—an NIL
effort—as it looks to support student athletes.