As a second-generation Miamian, born in Coconut Grove to a family of “givers,” I learned the importance of helping a community thrive. My grandmother, Areta Kaufman, who moved here from Ohio at a young age, was well-known in Miami social circles for serving on the...
I am a woman. I am an immigrant. I am Hispanic … born and raised in Mexico. I am a proud mother of two and, for the past 10 years, an entrepreneur. All of these titles together would make my success story a statistical anomaly...
Editor’s note: This op-ed by Foundation President and CEO Javier Alberto Soto originally ran in the Miami Herald on March 2, 2018, celebrating the close of the Foundation’s 50th anniversary year. “It may seem strange to you, but it is the dream of my life to see...
Keith T. Ward is founder of Quality Management North America, Inc. a real-estate investment and management firm. Today, he serves as chair of Our Kids, a nonprofit that creates safe havens for Miami-Dade’s and Monroe County’s children through foster care and adoptions, and dedicates his...
I first heard of LEAP while incarcerated at Hernando Correctional Institution. They came to recruit new people for their program, and though I wasn’t selected at first, that didn’t stop me. I went straight to the higher-ups and to the assistant warden to get a...
I’ve lived in Miami for almost 25 years, and it wasn’t until I found a sense of community that I discovered not only myself but also my city....
When I characterize people as strong, I typically think of their character or physicality. Bold and steadfast or muscular and powerful, I contemplate feats that separate these champions from the daily actions of typical folk – wake, rise, eat, work, sleep and repeat. As a child,...
Sam Ludington is deputy director, program development and policy of the nonprofit Children of Inmates, which coordinates care and family reunification for Florida children whose parents are incarcerated. As a Miami Fellows alum, he stepped up to host a My Miami Story conversation at the...
Miami. We live in “Mi ami” Not “Mi amigo” or “Mon ami.” But “Mi ami.” About a month ago, I found myself sitting in Carl Juste’s studio in Little Haiti. I was there on a walking tour of the neighborhood to plan an upcoming community-based project. Carl, who...
Editor’s Note: This blog post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Miami Herald. On Tuesday, October 17th, this community made history as more than 3,000 Miamians gathered at hundreds of My Miami Story conversations across the county. Small and large groups of residents came together...