Lilly Pulitzer Downtown Delray helps Frances J. Bright Woman's Club Charitable Foundation raise Scholarship funds

 

Lilly Pulitzer Downtown Delray

celebrated one of the oldest historically Black Woman’s Clubs

by raising monies for student scholarships

On February 28, 2026, the celebrated preppy brand Lilly Pulitzer hosted sips, tastes and shopping at their Downtown Delray Beach location that raised funds for the non-profit Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club’s student scholarships and 12^th grade girls mentorship debutante program.   This is the second year the event was held and co-chaired by Delray Beach native and volunteer Lori J. Durante who was joined this year by junior co-chair Joanne Ulysse-Elie who is a 2005 alumna of the debutante mentorship program of the Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club.  Palermo’s Bakery made some edible treats from Lilly Pulitzer Rousseau’s namesake cookbook Essentially Lilly: A Guide to colorful entertaining co-authored by Jay Mulvaney.  The mood was enlivened with saxophone music by 12^th grader Elijah Holmes who is a member of the Atlantic Comunity High School Eagles War Band.

Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club Charitable Foundation is a non-profit 501c3 100% volunteer community service organization named in honor of Frances J. Bright, a Black educator, who came to Palm Beach County, Florida in year 1899 and was hired in 1900 to teach at ‘colored’ school #4 that was established in year 1895. Mrs. Bright was the first Black woman teacher in Delray Beach.  The school initially operated from a thatched hut built by local Black residents located on historic NW 5th Avenue in Delray Beach. It was the first public school in Delray Beach. The first principal at Colored School #4 in year 1895 was Mr. B.F. James of Miami (Lemon City). The school was a part of the Dade County Public School System at that time because Palm Beach County was not incorporated as a separate county until year 1909.

The leaders of this prestigious organization of the FJBWC, who are also mentors for the 12^th grade debutantes, are esteemed African American educators, professionals, and business owners who are the same composition type as those who established the FJBWC organization. The mission of FJBWC debutante program is to provide mentorship, etiquette training and cultural experiences for 12th grade high school girls who are invited into the program based on their academics and good character status. The FJBWC established a namesake charitable foundation that raises educational scholarship monies. Established in 1959, the Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club is one of the oldest historically Black civic organizations in continuous operation in Palm Beach County, Florida.  In recognition of their 67 years of service, Palm Beach County Commissioner Bobby Powell presented FJBWC with a proclamation during Black History Month 2026.

Bridgerton was the theme for the 56th annual Debutante Cotillion of the Frances J. Bright Women’s Club

 

The Bridgerton British nobility was the theme for the 56^th annual Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club (FJBWC) Debutante Cotillion held at the Woodfield Country Club in Boca Raton on April 27, 2025.  One of the featured corporate sponsors was Stark Arrow Exterminators of Boca Raton.  The cotillion is a time honored tradition of a formal ball that emerged in 18^th-century France that then spread to Great Britain eventually crossing the pond to America and officially began appearing in the Black community in late 19^th century.

 

Debutante alumna Alisson Sealy served as the cotillion chairwoman. The cotillion’s mistress of ceremony was debutante alumna Principal Sandra Edwards of Atlantic Community High School of Delray Beach. The guest speaker was FJBWC debutante alumna and millennial LeChara Pryor who is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate and a Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology at Seattle Pacific University. At the fun evening there were raffle items from Lilly Pulitzer and the Voracious published soul food cookbook The Rise: Black Cooks and Soul of American Food.

 

Ten aspiring 12^th grade girls, all formally gowned in white, were presented to society as debutantes and each were awarded scholarships from the Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club Charitable Foundation.  The students spent a year being mentored, introduced to etiquette, friendship bonding and they embarked on the Taste History Art & Culture Study Tour that led them on their first Brightline Train ride to Historic Overtown Miami and the Perez Art Museum (PAMM).

 

The debutantes from Palm Beach County and Broward County Schools presented at the cotillion are Tramaia Bell, Tiffani Davis, Madison Greene, Phoenix Hart, Kaylee Isen, Maryse Jean-Baptiste, Ludine Lolo, Zana Maddox, Wisdom Pinkney and Nikia White.

Realtor Lori J. Durante was presented with a plaque of appreciation for her volunteer service for co-hosting a shopping fundraiser at the Lilly Pulitzer shop in Downtown Delray Beach.  Plus, Durante coordinated the debutante’s study tour to Miami via Brightline Trains.  Durante’s family has been supporting the debutante program since 1969 when her mother joined the FJBWC board and then chaired the debutante program for two years.  Lori J Durante says of the honor: “I am grateful for the recognition as I make my best efforts to create positive educational experiences for our youth, the future leaders”.

 

The Frances J. Bright Woman’s Club (FJBWC) was established in 1959 and is a 100% volunteer organization named in honor of Frances J. Bright, a Black educator who came to Delray Beach, Florida in year 1899 to teach at ‘colored’ school #4 that was established in year 1895 located on historic NW 5^th Avenue in Delray Beach. It was the first public school in Delray Beach. The first principal at Colored School #4 in year 1895 was Mr. B.F. James of Miami (Lemon City). Mrs. Bright was the first Black public school teacher in Delray Beach.  The school was a part of the Dade County Public School System at that time because Palm Beach County was not incorporated as a separate county until year 1909.  The leaders of this prestigious organization of the FJBWC who mentors the debutantes are also esteemed African American educators, professionals, and business owners which are the same composition type as those who established the FJBWC organization.  The mission of FJBWC debutante program is to provide mentorship and help provide etiquette training and cultural experiences for high school girls who are invited into the program based on their academics and good character status.  The debutante program also raises educational scholarship monies for young ladies to pursue career goals.  https://fjbwc.org/

 

The mission of the non-profit Taste History Art & Culture Study Tours is to offer curriculum based multi-sensory educational experiences for students by providing historical information highlighting multi-cultures, ethnic cuisines, architectural designs, historical places, people, artifacts plus ways of life of the past of the area toured.  The tour program is designed to be a school educational out-of-classroom experience, on the road, that infuses curriculum strands and benchmarks. The Study Tour creates an active, immersive, tangible experience and object-based learning for the students’ journey.  Some of the ways in which the Study Tour helps and enhances the students’ educational learning: curriculum comprehension, memorization and observation skills.  https://tastehistoryculinarytours.blogspot.com/