When I began my Miami Fellows journey, I went into it with a mission: learn how I could use my skills and talents to bring about a better Miami. What I didn’t expect was the extent to which the Miami Fellows program would transform me...
A couple of months ago, I attended a story slam at Biscayne National Park. The event, supported by a Knight Arts Challenge grant, was part of a series of events celebrating the park’s 50th anniversary. I’d visited Biscayne Park before, but never at night. We...
Armed with a small grill from home – and as many hot dogs, potato chip bags and water bottles as she could get her hands on two days after Hurricane Irma pummeled Miami – Valencia Gunder headed straight into the heart of Liberty City to...
Jose "Pepe" Antonio Ortega left behind a legacy of love, integrity, determination and generosity. Born in Havana, Cuba in 1929, he moved to Puerto Rico before settling in Miami with his wife, Lucila, and children Maria Elena and Pepe Jr., in 1976....
Adam Old was tired of seeing the plastic bags, water bottles and other garbage clogging up his neighborhood’s waterways – not only creating a major eyesore, but also endangering the animals that call it home. So when The Miami Foundation launched the 2018 Public Space...
Last year, I had the opportunity to visit a local prison through Exchange for Change, a Miami-based nonprofit that teaches writing in prisons and runs letter exchanges between incarcerated students and classes at local high schools and universities. They hosted a talent showcase featuring more...
In the days after Hurricane Maria swept through Puerto Rico, leaving the island crippled and in the dark, San Juan-native Karla Peña, faced her own bleak reality. “My husband lost his job. The nonprofit pet rescue I ran was essentially out of business. And our...
Editor’s Note: The Miami Foundation's Emerging Philanthropist Award annually celebrates a 40-or-under donor who uses charitable giving to drive measurable results around a local cause, broadly improve the lives of Miamians and encourage others to give. The hope is that the award inspires other rising philanthropic leaders...
Editor’s note: We are pleased to honor Michele King Soffer, a great Miamian, for her selfless dedication to help those who need it most, as our 2018 Donor Next Door honoree. Below is the short piece that appeared in the Donor Next Door Family Album. Michele...
Editor’s Note: Nadege Green, WLRN’s social justice reporter, is the 2018 Ruth Shack Leadership Award honoree. Here, Ryan Pontier shares why he submitted the nomination for her. I remember Nadege weaving a story and dialogue that was so raw and real that I could hear a...