Denise
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
I belong to a group called Miami Made, which is a group of conscious Miami entrepreneurs. I like to go to events at the Venture Cafe, which is a community for innovators and entrepreneurs. There's a great organization called Code Fever, which my friend Felicia Hatcher runs, which helps to turn urban youth into digital creators and not just digital consumers. They teach urban kids coding and software development skills.
Lucas
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
This past weekend I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. We helped landscape a house that they're building for lower income individuals. I find it very important to try to give back as much as you can, especially to those that are less fortunate.
Stephen
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
Big Brother, Big Sister is an organization that I've been involved with for six or seven years at this point. You get paired with a kid and have the opportunity to mentor them, spend time with them, and teach them some things that maybe they didn't have the opportunity to learn on their own. I help out sometimes at the Chapman Partnership. They help the homelessness. And, there's a legal organization that I go to every now and again called Lawyers to the Rescue. I go to give free legal advice to people who can't afford an attorney.
Ben
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
We do a lot with United Way. Kim's very involved. We think they do a phenomenal job evaluating and dispersing money within the community. Previously, I've been on community impact councils, which are subcommittees established with members of the community to score and evaluate the different nonprofits that they fund. You go through a training process to understand the rubric and grading system. You get to interview the CEO and CFO and visit the organizations and it's interesting. Another one is Big brothers, Big sisters. We both, at one point in time, were a big brother and big sister for kids in the program. I think they're doing an excellent job with mentorship for kids in the community.
Barbara & Steven
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
I do dozens of PBS fund raisers across the country each year. My shows are on PBS and it’s a nice way to thank them. Public television is largely supported by the public. Some congressman demonize PBS — giving the impression that it consumes as much of our national budget as the Defense Department – while it’s actually only a minuscule amount. So, the rest has to be made up by the viewing public and fund raisers.
Jane
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
The Center for Great Apes. They now have 23 orangutans and 31 chimpanzees. Also, there's Ocean Conservancy - You can clean up any day of the week and earn volunteer hours - it's perfect for students. And, Blue Scholars Initiative - - It's is a free educational program with a focus on Marine Science and Marine Biology.
Joann
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
Right now, I'm running a Pilates reformer class that is a fundraiser for The Barnyard, which is an organization in the Grove that helps provide aftercare activities to children in the Grove. That has been very fun for me and I'm just starting to get more involved with them.
Don
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
I'm a big one for Wounded Warrior. I'm a veteran, so I try to stay in touch with what they are doing and help out if I can.
Aymee
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
I go to most of the events at the Fruit and Spice Park. I like to go there and see the farmers. I like the event in October and the one in the summer. I get some of my trees from them. I try to help local people. I think with the dollar that we buy stuff; we can vote and support a lot of local people. That's what I try to do.
Jose
Are there any community events or groups that are important to you and your family?
My wife does a lot with Jewish causes, helping older people, delivering medicine and food items, and a lot of her time to our temple, Temple Beth Am. For me, there's a local charity called Sebastian Strong. The mission of the charity is to try to find alternative and more cures for childhood cancer. Traditional methods, which are really invasive, make your hair fall out and wreak havoc on young children's bodies.