 |
Putting Food on Families' Tables
|
 |
|
|
Local families lined up
for free holiday turkeys.
|
With support from The Children's Trust,
Voice of Love Training & Development
was able to expand its usual food pantry service and provide 300 local families with a frozen turkey for their holiday meal. Visitors to the "Bringing Families Together" event in Hialeah also enjoyed face painting, a bounce house, game and toy raffles, live music and free health screenings.
|
Helping Youth Create a Better Tomorrow
|
|
|
|
|
Trust YAC-ers at the Miami PeaceJam SLAM
|
|
Members of The Trust's
Youth Advisory Committee
(YAC) connected with other local high school students and youth groups at the 2016 PeaceJam SLAM, held at
Miami Dade College InterAmerican
campus. Participants were introduced to the core concepts of
PeaceJam
- an international youth empowerment program that connects youth to the peace-building efforts of Nobel Peace Prize winners and their work - and attended workshops on global issues with local impact, including the alleviation of extreme poverty, human rights, environmental sustainability and conflict resolution.
Vocalist Francesca Winer, winner of The Trust's
2016 Young Talent Big Dreams
competition, and bass player Elijah Martin delighted attendees with an inspired concert.
|
|
Celebrating New Forever Families
|
|
|
|
Families welcomed new members into the fold on National Adoption Day.
|
Sixty newly formed families were made whole on National Adoption Day in Miami-Dade County in mock courtrooms at the Miami Children's Museum. The annual event is hosted by Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe and sponsored by The Children's Trust.
"Society underestimates the power that a loving, committed parent can have on the life of a child," says Denise Beeman Sasiain, president of the South Florida Foster & Adoptive Parent Association. "You would be amazed at what these children have been able to overcome."
There are approximately 14,000 children in foster care in South Florida searching for a place to call home - meet some of them today at
www.miamiheartgallery.org
.
|
|
Forging Partnerships to Boost Early Learning
|
|
Promoting Literacy through Family & Fun
|
|
|
|
|
A stilt walker ushers eventgoers to The Trust stage at Children's Alley.
|
|
Children's Alley, the colorful, kid-friendly thoroughfare of the annual
Miami Book Fair at Miami Dade College
, again saw hundreds of families traverse its path to discover musical stage performances, beloved book characters, theatrical storytelling and more, all designed to encourage reading and instill a love of the written word. Sponsored in part by The Trust, Children's Alley is just one of the many literacy-boosting events we support in the community.
|
|
Supporting Greater Opportunities for Students
|
|
|
|
Trust staffers celebrate the
youth internship program.
|
Students and local businesses who participated in the inaugural Summer Youth Internship Program reunited to celebrate its success. The five-week program, a history-making collaboration between The Children's Trust,
Miami-Dade County
and
Miami-Dade Public Schools
, delivered on-the-job professional training, high school or college credit, community service hours and a $1,200 stipend to the 1,441 students who participated, Roxana Valdo among them.
"I chose to intern at The Children's Trust because I was involved in many of their funded activities when I was in elementary school," says Vado. "They provided for me when I had nothing and I wanted to give back."
|
|
Spending Time in the Community
|
|
|
|
|
James R. Haj at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
|
|
"Seeing our funding in action is amazing," says Haj. "Organizations like Lighthouse play a big role in making Miami-Dade what it is."
The Blind Babies Program at Miami Lighthouse for the Blind was named a Program of the Year at The Trust's Champions for Children Awards in August.
|
|
Coming Together to Increase Our Impact
|
|
|
|
CBS4's Jim Berry and gold medalist Brianna Rollins with Trust Board Chair Laurie Weiss Nuell and President/CEO James R. Haj
|
The Children's Trust joined
Concerned African Women
and
Miami-Dade County
to host Synergy Symposium, a free daylong conference for funders, practitioners and local stakeholders that examined how collaborative solutions can lead to positive, long-lasting changes for our community. 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist Brianna Rollins, a Liberty City native and former recipient of the kinds of supports Trust-funded programming provides, was on hand for a one-on-one interview with CBS4's Jim Berry, a highlight of the event.
|
|
No Tricks, All Treats for Miami-Dade Children & Families
|
|
|
|
The Trust facilitated several free, family-friendly Halloween events.
|
Hundreds of children donned masks and costumes to enjoy Halloween events held at parks supported by The Trust's community revitalization efforts, including Concrete Park in Liberty City and East Little Havana's Riverside Park. Mask making, pumpkin decorating, pie eating and costume contests filled the air at green spaces that were once crime-riddled blights on their neighborhoods.
At the same time, thousands of children and families streamed into the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts for two ghoulish performances of spooky music underwritten by The Trust and performed by the Alhambra Orchestra and the Greater Miami Youth Symphony.
|
|
|
|
Trust Insider
is a monthly newsletter created to keep the Miami-Dade community in the know about the programs, initiatives, events and outreach efforts The Children's Trust takes part in that benefit children and families.
|
|
Copyright © 2016. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
