This story originally appeared in the January 2024 edition of Palm Beach Illustrated
Danita R. DeHaney, President and CEO of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties, enters her third year at the helm of the not-for-profit organization that has been leading philanthropy locally for more than five decades. DeHaney has prioritized three key areas in which the Community Foundation can and is making a difference today: access to higher education, early literacy, and mental health.
According to the research, one third of students at Palm Beach County colleges and universities are the first in their families to attend college and therefore need extra help to get to—and through—college; over half of Palm Beach County’s third graders are not reading on grade level and need extra support to get on track; and while the mental health crisis is affecting individuals of all ages, children and teens have suffered greatly post-pandemic and are in need of high quality care and guidance.
“We live in a community of great wealth and great need,” says DeHaney. “It’s an honor to connect our donors to the trusted nonprofit organizations on the ground that do the important work of helping those most in need. It is both my job and my joy.”
