Five Years of More Smiles at Palace Gardens Backpack Giveaway

In looking at the Palace Gardens Assisted Living website, the opening passage is easy to understand.

“When Helen and Jacob Shaham founded The Palace in 1980, they weren’t looking to build a business — they were answering a calling. They believed aging should be honored, not managed. That care should be personal. That growing older should still mean living well.”

For the residents, “living well” also means being able to engage with the community, and for the fifth year, this was on full display Friday, Aug. 7, 2026, when excited children and happy families gathered in the front area for a back-to-school event.

Alejandro Medina, activities director, greeted visitors as 30 children of different grades pointed out the festive decorations for this year’s theme, “Tropical Paradise,” and looked forward to a delicious meal before receiving not only a backpack filled with school supplies, but also a brand-new tablet.

Terri Dawkins, owner of Mud Puddle Ceramics, teaches art and ceramics and collaborated with Larry Roth, founder of the nonprofit This Is For The Kids and a Homestead city councilmember, to set up a program where the residents could do more than simply create.

The idea, quickly embraced by The Palace, was to sell items throughout the year and use the funds to buy backpacks and tablets. Children are selected through coordination with local nonprofit organizations. The Palace has an extensive range of activities, including monthly Family and Friends events where the art and handcrafted items are sold.

“It is a way of giving back to the community,” Medina explained in his remarks.

For residents like Connie Watson, who used to run Black Point Marina Restaurant, seeing the children was a pleasure. They reminded her of her three grandchildren, who often visit.

“They have a lot of activities here and the food is really good,” Watson said.

In addition to Mr. Shaham and Councilmember Roth, Homestead Mayor Stephen Losner, Deputy City Manager Kemarr Brown, Councilmember Kim Konsky, Cutler Bay Councilmember Suzy Lord and members of the Homestead Police Department were part of the crowd, which included 22 residents.

After lunch, everyone applauded when the children were called to the stage to receive the backpacks and have their photographs taken. The lively music resumed when “Mr. Jason” brought all the children onto the stage to do a bit of a group dance.

There was also the Dolce Peccati Gelato Artigianale truck outside for even more refreshments. The treat was sponsored by Opus Care, and there were several people in line.

Big smiles were everywhere, and the residents are already planning new art and projects to keep the tradition going into another year.