THE
GAZETTE VOLUME 9 • ISSUE 16 AUGUST 18, 2022
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WILTON MANORS
SPECIAL FEATURE: THE GAZETTE TAKES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE WILTON COLLECTIVE AND JULIAN’S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH
WILTON COLLECTIVE VENDORS SHARE ARTISTRY AND HEART WITH THE COLLECTIVE By Bella Ramirez Local artist Dooney Potter could not avert his gaze from a certain chandelier when walking by the Wilton Collective. Drawn in, he entered the store with his husband a month after they first opened and realized this could be the spot for his artwork. After inquiring for a spot, Potter had free rein to pick a time to set up his work. “It was easy,” Potter said. “They had the area available really quickly.” Wilton Collective, a section of nonprofit Julian’s Fountain of Youth (JFOY), is a consignment store that employs LGBT youth through a work-study program. The Collective has a home for every type of thing — clothes, art, furniture, plants, bikes, jewelry and more. Potter described the Wilton Collective as having a small world atmosphere. “A lot of times I meet people there and they’re somehow connected to me through other people,” he said. “It’s a nice networking situation.” Mike Trottier, owner of Plant Life Wilton Manors and longtime friend of Julian Cavazos, the man behind Wilton Collective, thought the Collective was “an amazing idea.” Trottier first started as a supporter of the organization; now, he is also a vendor. “During the pandemic, I kind of fell into the crowd of buying houseplants and learning about them with my sister,” Trottier said. “I just needed a hobby.” That hobby is now dubbed “Plant Life Wilton Manors,” a small shop of plant arrangements Trottier puts together after
Photo by Steve R. Lang.
buying them wholesale. It is primarily housed in the Wilton Collective. Trottier believes in the Wilton Collective vision so strongly that he not only pays rent to the building to house his Plant Life business, but also donates part of his sales to JFOY. He said the Collective “warms [his] heart.” “That’s the best part of it for me, is to see a place where these kids can go when they get out of school, and be around other human beings that actually care for them, and know what they’re going through and have been there before,” Trottier said. Trottier mentioned that aside from vendors like Plant Life, Wilton Collective also accepts donations. He describes most of the items
sold there as high-quality and high-end. “It’s a thrift store, mostly,” Trottier said. “But it’s higher end stuff. It’s not junk.” Trottier credits this to affluent members of the LGBT community in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale and Oakland Park deciding to donate items from their closets to JFOY. Wilton Collective focuses on creating a diverse and accepting space. In the back of the building is a permanent vendor — Carvelle Bikes, run by Carvelle Estriplet. “I heard through a mutual friend that Julian was opening a space where they can have different vendors, different people, and they specifically wanted people of the LGBT,” Estriplet said. “Who better than a black trans woman who loves bikes?”
Estriplet credits Wilton Collective for the growth of her business. Having a spot in Wilton Collective has increased her popularity so much that she is now opening a second location for Carvelle Bikes. “This is the dream,” Estriplet said. “If you told myself three years ago, I was gonna own a bike shop, I wouldn’t believe myself.” Estriplet calls the experience “exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time” but mentioned that Carvelle Bikes will always have a home in Wilton Collective, even as it expands. “I think this is a great space not only for, you know, selling my art but also for connecting with people and doing something good for the community,” Potter said.
You can visit Wilton Collective at 2365 Wilton Dr, Wilton Manors, FL 33305. Copies of SFGN are available there weekly.
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NEWS
WILTON MANORS
WILTON COLLECTIVE COLLECTS ART, CLOTHES, FURNITURE AND LESSONS
THE
GAZETTE August 18, 2022 • Volume 9 • Issue 16 2520 N. Dixie Highway • Wilton Manors, FL 33305 Phone: 954-530-4970 Fax: 954-530-7943
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The Wilton Collective in Wilton Manors is a community space that supports LGBT teens. Photo by Bella Ramirez.
By Bella Ramirez Julian Cavazos often found himself staring at a large building he loved, entranced. First it was a Mexican restaurant in the ‘90s, then Boomerangs, and now, finally, he can call it his own: Wilton Collective, a work-study program part of his nonprofit Julian’s Fountain of Youth. Cavazos said he “always knew” he wanted to build a work-study program for LGBT teens. “They get to see themselves within the workspace, from the top all the way down,” he said. “That to me was very, very important.” Wilton Collective employs LGBT teens to train them for the workforce in a welcoming environment. It’s part learning about business and part learning about themselves. “I would say the biggest way it’s changed my perception is it made it so that I can understand what it’s really like to have a passion to work somewhere,” Gage Sheffield, a student in the manager-in-training program, said. On their first day of work, Sheffield strapped on a backpack vacuum cleaner to help dust off a chandelier before putting it together for the shop. They said they “didn’t know what to expect.” As someone who was promoted to youth manager in November and then the manager-in-training in June, Sheffield embraces the Wilton Collective. “It’s kind of like the perfect first job,” they said.
Part of what makes the job “perfect” is media and ask, and it’s here.” the diversity in the store; Sheffield said their Cavazos said Wilton Collective’s following coworkers come from “completely different on social media garners attention from people backgrounds.” out of Florida, helping the collective receives “Having a place like this, where you can donations from out-of-state supporters. come to work and you can just be who you Locally, Wilton Collective also is supported are with no reservations by its volunteers. Some about that,” Sheffield volunteers, like Kyle said. “It’s something I Turner, see their work as don’t think a lot of us an educational venture. expected.” “White, privileged, This welcoming older men have gotten atmosphere is exactly very comfortable in what Cavazos imagined their life and it’s nice to when he first started the see many of us stepping work-study program. He outside of our comfort based it on a program zone to learn from our in Louisville, Kentucky, youth,” Turner said. for senior citizens and “They get to learn from adapted it for LGBT us, and we get to learn teens. The Louisville from them to be better program that helped him older citizens of the plan the work program United States.” - Julian Cavazos was a thrift shop like Ultimately, all parties Cavazos’ first workinvolved — including PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF WILTON COLLECTIVE study program, Julian’s patrons of the store — Fountain of Treasures, gain or give knowledge at also on Wilton Drive. Wilton Collective. “I call it the collective because it’s a collective “Even if [patrons] don’t buy or spend a of individuals that make this all happen and dime, they’re supporting [the safe space] by look the way it does,” Cavazos explained. “If coming in and interacting,” Cavazos said. we are ever in need of something, whatever “Everyone that walks through the door has that looks like, all I have to do is go on social the opportunity to teach.”
“I call it the collective because it’s a collective of individuals that make this all happen and look the way it does,”
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Sales Manager • Justin Wyse justin.wyse@sfgn.com Advertising Sales Associate • Edwin Neimann edwin.neimann@sfgn.com Accounting Services by CG Bookkeeping South Florida Gay News is published weekly. The opinions expressed in columns, stories, and letters to the editor do not represent the opinions of SFGN, or the Publisher. You should not presume the sexual orientation of individuals based on their names or pictorial representations. Furthermore the word “gay” in SFGN should be interpreted to be inclusive of the entire LGBT community. All of the material/columns that appears in print and online, including articles used in conjunction with the AP, is protected under federal copyright and intellectual property laws, and is jealously guarded by the newspaper. Nothing published may be reprinted in whole or part without getting written consent from the Publisher, at his law office, at Norm@NormKent.com. SFGN, as a private corporation, reserves the right to enforce its own standards regarding the suitability of advertising copy, illustrations and photographs. MEMBER
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NEWS
WILTON MANORS
NEWS
WILTON MANORS
GET READY TO PARTY AT THE 2022 REVERSE QUINCEAÑERA AUG. 27
Image via jfoy.org.
JULIAN’S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH By Bella Ramirez Julian Cavazos, president and founder of nonprofit Julian’s Fountain of Youth (JFOY), thought the organization would take at least two years to come to fruition. Less than half a year after he began working on it, he already had keys to their first location. Cavazos knew, after taking experiential learning courses, that he wanted to create a program that taught LGBT students in an experiential way. He promised himself he would get to this passion project at some point, “before you know it, it’s been five years.” Cavazos came to the realization that he still hadn’t realized his dream while hospitalized with open heart surgery. “I kept thinking to myself … I’m going to die,” Cavazos said. “So I made a commitment in that moment that when I got out, or if I got out, I was going to do this.” Throughout rehabilitation, Cavazos started working on his idea for a nonprofit centered on LGBT empowerment through workstudy and courses. The project took off quickly with immediate support. “They could tell how committed I was to this,” he said. “So they were like, ‘If you’re in I’m in.’” Now, Julian’s Fountain of Youth has two work-study programs — the Wilton Collective and Julian’s Fountain of Treasure — and various events to help LGBT youth
feel seen. Cavazos’ work takes up all seven days of the week, but every morning he makes time to respond to anxious parents’ emails and thoughtful thank you’s in his inbox. “I just got an email about midnight last night, from a mother, whose trans son is depressed, has anxiety, and doesn’t have any friends — I get these often,” Cavazos said. “I get to work with her and make sure that her son comes here or comes to one of our programs, so that he can look out and see that he’s not alone.” JFOY’s work-study programs work with volunteers and hire LGBT teens to teach them how to work in an environment that accepts them no matter their background. “In some cases, it might be the first type of job that a youth has had to get them used to the workforce and to develop their work ethics that they probably developed as they’ve grown as a teenager,” Kyle Turner, Wilton Collective Volunteer and Board Member of JFOY, said. Ultimately, JFOY is about being seen. “I get very emotional when I’m talking about this, because that’s what this is all about,” Cavazos said. “When a kid feels they’re in a situation where nobody is like them, or nobody understands, or nobody cares about them, I want them to know there are lots of us out here.”
ULTIMATELY, JFOY IS ABOUT BEING SEEN.
You can learn more about JFOY at jfoy.org.
Julian’s Reverse Quinceañera 2021. Photo by JR Davis.
John Hayden The glitz! The rivalries! The drama! is chronicled annually at the Reverse Finishing touches are being put on the party Quinceañera. This year’s chapter is titled of the year: the annual Reverse Quinceañera Myrna’s Family Values. Cavazos said things by Julian’s Fountain of Youth (JFOY). have been difficult since we last saw the The event’s eleventh edition will go down diva. Saturday, August 27, at The Venue in Wilton “Myrna’s breaking out on her own. It’s Manors. been a really tough year with the loss of And this year, it’s getting a makeover. Oscar. A lot is coming out about what “We have completely happened before ‘the changed the format of the incident.’ I don’t wanna show,” JFOY Founder Julian give away too much.” WHAT WE CAN Cavazos told SFGN. “In the What we can give away GIVE AWAY IS THAT past we’ve had competing is that Myrna has a new damas for Miss Reverse enemy, South Florida MYRNA HAS A NEW Quinceañera. To change legend Kitty Meow. This ENEMY, SOUTH it up and go into a new time, Myrna may have met look, we’re having houses her match. FLORIDA LEGEND compete at the Posing For “The house of Myrna is KITTY MEOW. THIS A Purpose Ball.” so ghetto,” Kitty Meow said. Five houses will be “She’s out of her league. TIME, MYRNA MAY competing: The House They can’t compete with HAVE MET HER of WAM (World AIDS the Temple of Kitty Meow.” Museum), The House of How will it turn out? You MATCH. Flock (FlockFest), The can catch up on Myrna’s House of Pub, The House saga at JFOY.org. of Imperial Sun Court, and The House of The event benefits JFOY, which works Royal Peacock. The winners will get $5,000 with local LGBT youth. The kids are given to donate to the nonprofit of their choice. support in facing the extra challenges that can come with coming out at a young age. Among other things, JFOY runs a summer A GRAND OPENING camp, as well as Wilton Collective, which is The night will start off with the latest primarily staffed by JFOY kids. Tables for the event are sold out, but some installment of Myrna’s saga, a telenovela based on “Myrna,” a long-suffering but standing room tickets may still be available. hopelessly awesome character, whose life Visit JFOY.org for more information.
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AUGUST 18, 2022
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NEWS
OAKLAND PARK
BSO SEARCHING FOR DRIVER IN HIT-AND-RUN OF TODDLER IN OAKLAND PARK
SUSTAINING OUR ENVIRONMENT – AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE
By Christiana Lilly Police are asking for the public’s help to find a driver who hit a 2-year-old child in Oakland Park, then drove off. Around 6 p.m. on Aug. 11, a driver in a burgundy vehicle hit the child at the intersection of Northwest 43rd Street and Northwest Fifth Avenue, a residential neighborhood in Oakland Park. In a video shared by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, the driver left the scene after the accident. Thankfully, the toddler was taken to a nearby hospital and their injuries are considered not life-threatening. Just last month, 10-year-old La’Ziyah Stukes died from a hit-and-run in Wilton Manors that occurred in December 2021. She and her cousins were walking on the sidewalk when a man tried to cut in front of a bus, lost control of his vehicle, and drove into the six children. He fled the scene but was arrested the next day. Two of the
Screenshot courtesy of Broward Sheriff’s Office.
children died on the scene. If you know the driver in the Oakland Park hit-and-run or have information to share, contact Oakland Park Det. Shelby Campbell at 954-202-3131 or submit a tip through the SaferWatch App. To remain anonymous, contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493TIPS (8477), browardcrimestoppers.org, or dial **TIPS (8477).
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
WILTON MANORS
Lots of talk about climate change since the experts tell us that if we don’t drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, life as we know it will change. Rising sea levels will result in coastal areas being permanently flooded, rising temperatures will result in more extreme weather patterns. Of course, by now, none of this is news to anyone who has lived in coastal South Florida over the last decade and personally experienced changes. The City has been working to identify ways to reduce GHG emissions, and to encourage businesses and residents to do the same. The first step is to realize that our energy and water resources are finite and will not last forever unless we change our ways. The second is to think about conserving, reusing and recycling. Small changes can add up, and here are some ideas: If you still have a vehicle that uses traditional fossil fuels, commit to reducing your time in your car. One great strategy is the city’s new, all-electric Circuit shuttle, an on-demand $2 ride from anywhere in the city to anywhere in the city. Next time you head out for dinner on the Drive, leave your car at home! Download the Ride Circuit app and get started. If you’re coming from outside the city, take advantage of one of the city-sponsored $5 rideshare discount codes, which you can find at https://bit.ly/ WiltonUberRides. Of course, as someone whose primary mode of transport is not a car scooter, I would be remiss not to mention either bicycle or electric as increasingly popular transportation choices in our ever-more walkable city. I encourage you to join me in accepting our city’s “Challenge One Out of Seven” and consider leaving your car at home at least one day a week and bicycling around town. Our city has approximately 40 bike racks for you to safely secure your bike. For more information about bicycling, bike rack locations, and the challenge, visit https://bit. ly/bikewilton. Investigate solar energy. In some cases, solar panels can reduce (or eliminate) your electric bill and have the added benefit of reducing dependency on fossil fuel energy. In
Photo via Adobe.
Broward County, there is a Solar Co-Op called Solar United Neighbors, which provides a group rate from a single installer. For more information, go to solarunitedneighbors. org/Broward. I personally switched to solar using Wilton Manors-based ProSolar about 8 months ago, and my only complaint is that I wish I had done it sooner. I am saving money and the environment. Be sure you are recycling properly. Contamination of the recycling bin with nonrecyclable items costs money and effort. Please don’t put plastic bags of any sort in your recycling bin. For more information, check out the city’s recycling page. Reduce your water usage. Install an ultralow flow toilet and receive a rebate. Details at https://bit.ly/wiltontoiletrebate Consider composting to reduce your solid waste. Here’s a simple guide: https://n. pr/3vVCEl3. Plant trees! Trees are the best carbon sequestration tools and they make life better! Be sure to attend our city’s next annual tree giveaway. I am happy to say the trees I adopted last year are doing phenomenal! Stay tuned as the city continues to ramp up our efforts to become carbon neutral in the next five years. In the meantime, let me know what you’re thinking. I can be reached at ccaputo@wiltonmanors.com or via text at 954.557.2801.
— CHRIS CAPUTO
WILTON MANORS CITY COMMISSIONER
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