09 May HISTORYMIAMI MUSEUM AND THE MIAMI FOUNDATION PARTNER TO COLLECT MIAMI STORIES

HistoryMiami Museum, the premier cultural institution committed to gathering, organizing, preserving and celebrating Miami’s history, has partnered with The Miami Foundation with the shared mission to continue preserving the legacy of Miamians.

In honor of its 50^th anniversary, The Miami Foundation has invited the entire community to share how they got here, why they live here and what they value most about Greater Miami. Their hope is that by sharing and amplifying those stories, the foundation can build deeper connections between residents and their community, inspiring them to take ownership of its future by investing today in what matters to them. As part of this effort to celebrate Miamians and their impact in South Florida, HistoryMiami Museum will collect the stories submitted throughout the year to the foundation and preserve them in their archives.

The partnership with The Miami Foundation marks the museum’s latest effort in support of its Miami Stories program. Since 2009, HistoryMiami Museum has been collecting stories from Miamians, allowing current and former Miami-Dade County residents to share their unique Miami-related experiences. The program serves to disseminate personal accounts as a way to illuminate the past and enlighten the future.

“For many years we have been collecting stories to document life in South Florida,” said HistoryMiami Museum Director, Jorge Zamanillo. “With the community’s involvement, and collaborations with The Miami Foundation, we hope to continue capturing, safeguarding, and sharing the images that define our city and connect us to one another.”

“Your Miami story defines your connection to this community,” said Javier Alberto Soto, president and CEO of The Miami Foundation. “It doesn’t matter if you grew up here or moved to Miami-Dade only months ago; we are all linked to this place. The more we share our stories, the better we understand our community and what each of us can do to improve it.”

Select stories submitted through HistoryMiami Museum’s website are also published in the “Neighbors” section of Sunday’s Miami Herald. They are also sometimes published in el Nuevo Herald or broadcasted on radio at WLRN-Miami Herald News. Miami Stories project is a partnership between HistoryMiami Museum, Miami Herald Media Company, WLRN and Michael Weiser, chairman of the National Conference on Citizenship.

For more information and to submit your story to The Miami Foundation or explore fellow residents’ stories, please visit miamifoundation.org/50 or historymiami.org/miamistories.