I grew up in rural Michigan, where I would spend hours playing outside. I would climb trees, explore deep in the woods and collect frogs and fireflies during the summer. I loved learning about nature and simply being in nature. I also developed a sense...
In the midst of a crisis that looms larger than life, what seems minor can make a major difference. Take, for instance, the Puerto Rico high school senior who, last fall, found herself attending Miami Edison Senior High School. One of the hundreds of students forced...
For me, books open up a whole world of creativity, imagination and learning. I can be in my room reading and the next thing I know, I’m on Mars eating S’mores with aliens. So, when I was visiting the Bahamas with my parents and I...
How’d you get to Miami? What keeps you here? What do you care about in our community? What can we do to improve it? Simple questions that give a window into your life in Miami-Dade and connection to this place we call home. Every one...
You wouldn’t start watching a football game in the third quarter, so why would you wait until November to vote? Most of the decisions that affect residents’ lives happen at the local level. And voters will have a chance to make their voice heard on...
Millennials – those born between 1980 and 2000 – are changing the philanthropic landscape. These young adults are oriented toward the future, with a strong sense of familial and social responsibility. They have shown a strong drive to bring about social change. They are generous...
They did whatever needed doing. In the days after two Category 5 hurricanes slammed into the U.S. Virgin Islands—first Hurricane Irma, which tore off roofs and busted windows; then, Hurricane Maria, which brought storm surge and weeks of heavy rain—the local nonprofit, My Brother’s Workshop,...
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...