VOL. 27 NO. 7
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JULY 2026
Dancing With The Martin Stars 2026 Set To Dazzle The Audience And Raise Funds For Martin County Healthy Start Coalition Dazzling sequins, energetic music, bright lights, and a little friendly competition will take center stage on Saturday, September 26, for this year’s exciting and glamorous Dancing with the Martin Stars event. Eight community members will trade their day jobs for dance shoes and step onto the Lyric Theatre stage alongside seasoned professionals to support the work of the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition. Each dancer will be competing to wow the judges with their fancy footwork and also to raise the most funds to support the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition vision: every baby born healthy, every mother supported, and every father involved. Dancing With The Martin Stars 2026 on page 4
The spectacular cast of the 2025 Dancing with the Martin Stars brought down the curtain on last year’s event with a standing ovation from a grateful audience. The event promises to be as much fun in 2026, while raising funds to help ensure that every baby born in Martin County is healthy, every mother is supported, and every father is involved.
CareerConnect Martin Strengthens Martin County’s Workforce By Angela Hoffman, Executive Director, Martin Chamber Foundation Finding a path back into the workplace after an eight-year absence wasn’t easy for Ariadna Atkins, a mother who took time off to care for her special-needs child. When it was finally time for her to re-enter the workforce, she didn’t know how to start the job search.
She applied to the CareerConnect Martin program, and she met with Gina Masters, a workforce development coordinator. One of the first things they worked on was identifying her strengths and skills, which were used to bolster her resume and help her gain self-confidence. “In those eight years, she became an amazing multitasker, keeping things organized. These are skills she used at home, and I helped her see she could transfer those into the workforce,” Masters said. “It’s about changing perspective and focusing on the positive things.”
Atkins brushed up on her interview skills and completed her DISC assessment to learn more about how she can best fit into a team. Through CareerConnect Martin, she was placed in a Trial Employment Opportunity – a paid apprenticeship – with Audra Creech, an attorney at McCarthy & Summers. “Utilizing CareerConnect and trial employment has helped our firm fill a much-needed position, increased the likelihood of a successful long-term placement, and allowed us to discover CareerConnect Martin Strengthens on page 4
Martin County Commissioners Advance Plans For Treasure Coast Maternity Center
For more than a year, Martin County families have been forced to travel outside the community to deliver their babies. On Tuesday, May 19, the Martin County Board of County Commissioners took a major step toward changing that. The board agreed to lease county-owned property along S.E. Tower Drive in Stuart, where the proposed Treasure Coast Maternity Center would be developed, approving a 25-year lease at $1 per year. The approval marks a major milestone in restoring local maternity care access following the closure of Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital’s labor and delivery unit in 2025, which left Martin County without local hospital-based maternity services. Healthcare leaders and community advocates
Community leaders and healthcare advocates celebrated the ribbon cutting of Martin County Healthy Start Coalition’s MOM Mobile, which has already served 26 mothers and supported six full-term deliveries since September, demonstrating the growing need for local maternity services. Plans For Treasure Coast Maternity Center on page 6