Our connections are an investment in Miami’s future.
Last week, we lost our incredible matriarch, Ruth Shack. She asked for no memorial, and we honored that wish – but we did pause, because some losses ask for stillness. Ruth spent her life doing what many wouldn’t: crossing divides, advocating for those who needed a voice, and proving that real connection is never passive. It is only fitting that this newsletter, arriving a little late, carries on in that spirit. And in May, we saw the power of connection that Ruth modeled for us everywhere.
For the 10th straight year, we made connection a daily practice during the 10 Days of Connection, a community-wide movement led by Radical Partners where 2,500+ participants boldly and lovingly built bridges throught 47 experiences across topics we are often taught to avoid: faith, politics, race and ethnicity, age, ability, gender, income, and more.
Miami came together to intentionally and collectively invest in our future. New partnerships advanced child water safety through Zero Drownings Miami-Dade. We celebrated the impact for Miami’s Black diaspora, recognized the nonprofits doing vital work for our community, and honored its leaders at the 11th annual State of Black Philanthropy.
Hundreds of Miami’s nonprofit and philanthropic leaders connected in service of our shared resilience at the IGNITE! Annual Conference, Impact Catalysts and Mission Movers among them. And when it came time for us to share knowledge about the nonprofit sector’s disaster resilience, those leaders answered our call, equipping The Miami Foundation with the insights we need to inform our communities and decision-making as hurricane season begins (we’ll be sharing more soon).
Time and again this past month, our community connected and invested in our future. If that reminds us that connection is a commitment, and more than a feeling, the question worth answering is: how will you keep connecting to invest in a stronger Miami?
At The Foundation
The 11th Annual State of Black Philanthropy:
A Night to Celebrate Miami’s Black Diaspora
This year’s State of Black Philanthropy shone a light on the soul of Miami as more than 300 of us celebrated the generations of Black diaspora leaders, families, artists, entrepreneurs, and changemakers who have built Miami. We honored Community Champions Gepsie Metellus, the co-founder and executive director of Sant La, Haitian Neighborhood Center; and Rosie Gordon-Wallace, the founder of the Diaspora Vibe Culture Arts Incubator (DVCAI).
With art, music, stories, and dancing taking center stage, the evening was grounded in a shared truth about what makes Miami singular. “Our signature is diaspora,” said The Miami Foundation’s President and CEO, Rebecca Fishman Lipsey. “We have the power of 128 languages in our homes … of a population who chose to be here, and who brought with them the brilliance, the love, the history, the values and the driving etiquette of so many other places – and that has made us multi-talented, magnetic, cultured, memorable.”
Visit our digital space to listen to audio interviews with our honorees and learn more about the history and power of Miami’s Black immigrant community.
Zero Drownings Miami-Dade Gains Powerful New Partners
Drowning remains the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1-14 in Miami-Dade, but this month, we took a major step toward changing that. Zero Drownings Miami-Dade announced $350,000 in new support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Griffin Catalyst to expand free swim lessons and water safety education countywide, with a goal of reaching 20,000 children annually. These commitments are a powerful reminder that when we connect around a common purpose, we can protect our future.
Zero Drownings Miami-Dade is a public-private partnership among The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the American Red Cross, The Miami Foundation, and United Way Miami, along with several private foundations and corporate funders. Since launching in spring 2024, Zero Drownings has already served more than 5,100 children, partnered with 130 schools and childcare centers, and helped children collectively build more than 30,000 swim safety skills.
10 Days of Connection: A Conversation on Belonging with Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
Did you know that lacking social connection can increase the risk of premature death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day?
The Miami Foundation was a proud sponsor of this year’s 10 Days of Connection, including a May 1 conversation at Sanctuary of the Arts with former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Knight Foundation President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth on what it means to build belonging in America.
Dr. Murthy — a Miami native, Miami Palmetto Senior High School graduate, founder of The Together Project, and a guest of honor this year — spoke intimately about his own experience with loneliness and his concerns and hopes as a parent and community member. “Social connection is as essential as basic needs like food and water,” he said. His national leadership helped spark the identification of loneliness as a public health epidemic, a reminder that investing in our connections is essential to Miami’s well-being.
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