Candi Spitz is the Director of Development and Community Relations for the non-profit 211 Palm Beach and Treasure Coast, an agency that provides such extremely valuable community services as Crisis Intervention, Suicide Prevention, Developmental Screenings, Special Needs Advocacy, Elder Crisis, Veteran Crisis, First Responder Crisis and assistance to the financially disadvantaged.
She is also the Host of WPTV NewsChannel 5’s segment “Take 5: Now You Know.” and a Special Needs Travel Blogger for Discover the Palm Beaches. She is the former National Spokesperson for Autism Speaks, she spent years as a Special Needs Advocate for the Palm Beach County Court System, and she has served as an autism trainer for Palm Beach County law enforcement and rescue workers.
Most importantly, she is the mother of identical twin sons, Brendan and Jaden, who both were diagnosed with Autism in 2009. She knows firsthand the struggles and concerns that families face each day as they navigate the maze of life with special needs and is passionate about helping families find the help they so desperately need.
She was recognized as a Project Lifesaver International Ambassador in 2012 and was appointed as the Director of Ambassador Relations in 2021. Candi also took on the role of Public Relations and Social/Media Relations Coordinator for Project Lifesaver International in 2022.
Year Recognized: 2012
Haley Moss was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and made international headlines for becoming as the first documented openly autistic attorney admitted to The Florida Bar. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law in 2018, and graduated from the University of Florida in 2015 with Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Criminology.
Max Gail, after spending the majority of his formative years trying to “make sense” of the world around him, began acting at the age of 27 in a number of small supporting roles in television shows and movies. He explains that he had never really thought about being a celebrity, but that notion flew out the door after gaining notoriety while portraying what is likely known to be his most notorious role: Detective “Wojo” Wojciehowicz on ABC’s hit sitcom, Barney Miller. Many believe that, unlike most other cop shows of its time, the hit-running show portrayed a more factual representation of community policing with just enough wit and comedic relief. Max portrayed the fun-loving “Wojo” for 8 seasons until the show went off the air in 1982.
Dale Neuburger is Director of Burson Cohn & Wolfe Sports Practice – North America, a regional office of the international sports consultancy based in Lausanne, the “Olympic Capital.” From 2005 to 2018, the company was known as TSE Consulting, before its acquisition by WPP Group, one of the world’s leading communications companies. Since 2005, he has provided management expertise to international sports organizations, National Governing Bodies, and nonprofit organizations, primarily in strategic planning, event hosting, program evaluation, and business performance planning. Additionally, he has helped city governments and sports commissions to develop sport tourism plans, event hosting strategies, and international event development programs for cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The highest-ranking firefighter to survive the World Trade Center Collapse and the last fireman to escape the devastation, Richard “Pitch” Picciotto was on a stairwell between the sixth and seventh floors of the North Tower when it collapsed on September 11th. An FDNY battalion commander, his is the harrowing true story of an American hero, a man who thought nothing of himself and gave nearly everything for others during one of out nation’s darkest hours.
A native of Media, Pennsylvania, Ron graduated from Penncrest High School in 1961. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Economics from Grove City College in northwest Pennsylvania in1965. His 50 year professional career is highlighted by his 30 years of service in the Navy where he completed 3 operational platoon combat tours to the Republic of Vietnam with SEAL Team TWO. He subsequently filled such positions as Chief of Staff of the Joint Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg, NC and Commanding Officer of both Underwater Demolition Team TWENTY ONE and SEAL Team SIX, the world’s premier commando force that killed Osama bin Laden and rescued Captain Phillips from the Somali pirates in the Maersk Alabama lifeboat. He served two tours in the Pentagon on the Special Operations staffs of the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He earned a Master’s Degree in National Security Affairs from the Navy Postgraduate School, attended the Navy War College, and was the president of his class at the National War College. Ron retired as a Captain in 1995 after having been awarded 45 medals and ribbons including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Navy Legion of Merit, 2 Defense and 3 Navy Meritorious Service Medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, 7 Vietnam Campaign Medals, 9 individual commendation medals with the Combat “V” for valor including 4 Bronze Stars and the Purple Heart for multiple fragmentation grenade wounds.
If Jack Jacobs wanted a challenge, he certainly had one in 1966. He had a bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, a wife and a daughter, and no money. He had been through ROTC, and his plan was to enter active duty to earn a regular paycheck, then attend law school when his three year Army commitment was finished. He volunteered immediately for airborne duty. A year later, Lieutenant Jacobs was in Vietnam as a adviser to a Vietnamese infantry battalion in the Mekong Delta. He had wanted to deploy with his unit, the 82ND Airborne Division, and when he asked the Army why he had been chosen for the frustrating job of adviser, he was told it was simply because he had a college degree.