Dancing to Tallahassee to Expand Healthcare in Florida

Written by Kamalah Fletcher, Community Prosperity Director

Catalyst Miami’s delegation to Tallahassee is back and red-eyed from a long journey. This was not your regular trip. This was a trip with a family of people working together to create opportunities for advocacy. There is a novel’s worth of information and stories to be told. Countless moments of laughter and unforgettable memories that make this trip stand apart as one of the fond ways our organization “keeps it Catalyst”  even when travelling to meet with our legislators at our state’s capitol hill.

Every human being we came into contact with gave us a “thumbs up” when we shared that we’d travelled on a bus from Miami to Tallahassee in order to make our voices heard on the issues surrounding Medicaid Expansion and comprehensive healthcare reform. We were joined by people unafraid to take risks, advocate on behalf of the one million Floridians who would benefit from Medicaid expansion, and learn from legislators themselves about the issues at hand during the 2013 legislative session.

On our trip were a diverse group people who are passionate about everything from Medicaid expansion and the Parent Trigger Bill to Earned Paid Sick Days. Graduates of our Parent Training Leadership Institute (PLTI), Women in Leadership, Curley’s House, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Connect Familias, and the PTA all joined us for three days at the capital.

There was Maria Christina, a PLTI participant eager to put the advocacy skills she learned in the advocacy training program to work. Up until the day she left for Tallahassee, Maria was unsure if she’d be able to attend since she struggled to secure childcare for her young daughter back in Miami. Right in time, her daughter made a phone call to a close family friend and arranged her own childcare so that her mother, Maria, could join Catalyst Miami and the rest of the advocacy team to speak on behalf of her community in Tallahassee.

I can also tell you about Lavern, who is a tireless worker and advocate for the needs of seniors and those prone to food insecurity in Liberty City. Despite being a shy person, Lavern says she comes to Catalyst Miami because we inspire, empower, and motivate her to share her voice and catalyze change for those often considered underrepresented in our communities. We were joined by others who didn't quite know who we were as an organization.

Some travelers shared stories that gave a face to Medicaid Expansion.  

“As I sit and write you my story I struggle and realize how hard we need to fight for Medicaid Expansion. I find myself thinking about how my daughter's medications are going to get covered after May 2013. She will lose her Medicaid, not entirely forever, but still as a parent of a young adult with a respiratory disease, it really hits hard. Our children and young adults need Medicaid Expansion, especially those who already have medical conditions.”

Stories like these were the impetus behind our trip to Tallahassee. Stories like these kept our group advocating in unique ways. We threw a Disco Party in support of Medicaid Expansion under the premise that “the federal government is throwing a party with our tax dollars,” so why not throw a party that will cover one million uninsured Floridians, create 122,000 jobs and give our state back over $50 billion dollars. Generally speaking, many participants did not know what to expect as our Catalyst staff kept this part of the trip top secret. Once everyone entered the room, heard the disco music, and met staff members with false eyelashes, feather boas, and sequin hats, they knew that this was anything but a “regular trip.” 

A ragtag group of citizens became a family of advocates.

“While the legislature waits to take action, hard-working Floridians without insurance are getting sicker,” said Catalyst Miami’s Community Engagement Director Lori Deus. “This cannot wait another year.”

AmeriCorps VISTA and Housing Services Create Community Buzz

written by Ryan Adams, AmeriCorps VISTA at Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida

Reflections from Let's Invest for Tomorrow held April 27, 2013

The first Let’s Invest for Tomorrow event at Charles Hadley Park sponsored by Wells Fargo was a stunning success. The weeks leading up to the event were hectic, but the hard work paid off. Marketing was carried out through social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter), local papers (The Miami Times, The Miami Herald, and the South Florida Times), and by making phone calls.  The community building department at Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) was very active. Various neighborhood association meetings and events were attended to create a buzz in the community. With the leadership of Neighborhood Housing Services and the Neighborhood Revitalization Collaborative, we made a difference in the community of Liberty City on April 27, 2013.

Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, The NeighborhoodRevitalization Collaborative and other nonprofit organizations were on hand from 11AM to 2PM offering their services and sharing information about programs that focused on housing. Participating organizations were as follows:

Wells Fargo, Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida, The Haitian American    CDC, The Miami Coalition for the Homeless, Habitat for Humanity, The Liberty City Economic Development Corporation, St. John CDC,  The Urban League of Greater Miami, 411 Veterans, Legal Services of Greater Miami, Inc., and The Belafonte TACOLCY Center.

Approximately 190 residents attended the event and there was plenty of fun for everyone, including the kids. Children jumped around for hours in the bounce house and Home Depot conducted a kid’s workshop. Habitat for Humanity taught six residents how to construct pallet gardens. Now, Charles Hadley Park has pallet gardens.  

A DJ played music throughout the event and collaborating organizations gave away prizes in a raffle. Pedi’s Pastries, Blessed Catering, and Louis Famous Foods provided great food. The phones at NHSSF are still ringing from residents who did not get a chance to make it to the event. Residents want the services that we provide and NHSSF is here to provide them.

Yesterday, a lady named Rosella Davis gave me a call. She explained that she could not attend the event this past Saturday, but needed assistance with home repairs. Her roof is getting ready to collapse. I explained that NHSSF does not offer home repairs. After discussion with Jackie Duran, the director of Home Ownership Promotion, she directed me to Mikal Hamin. He is a homeownership counselor at NHSSF. Through his research, we found a single family housing program with the City of Miami at the Department of Community and Economic Development. The program provides eligible residents with up to $35,000 for home rehabilitation.

Mikal and I gave Mrs. Davis a call yesterday evening to tell her the good news. She was very happy. This morning I dropped off the application to her home. That is what we do to make a difference in the community. We equip residents with the knowledge that they need to create and maintain healthier communities.

Let’s Invest for Tomorrow (Liberty City) was only the beginning of our efforts. We are still feeling the residual effects and making a difference in the lives of residents, like Mrs. Davis.

The next two events will be sponsored by Wells Fargo in the communities of Buena Vista West and Wynwood. The Buena Vista event will take place on June 8, 2013 from 10AM-1PM at Buena Vista Park. The Wynwood event will occur on June 22, 2013 from 11AM-2PM at Roberto Clemente Park. Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida and the Neighborhood Revitalization Collaborative are looking forward to continuing to make a difference in the community and promoting homeownership.

Oxfam Shares Voices on US Poverty

Nearly one-third of Americans live in or near poverty and struggle each day to make ends meet on incomes that are fare far below a livable wage. This problem has exacerbated to an all-time high in the last two generations, leaving 100 million Americans questioning the security of their financial future. 

www.oxfamamerica.org

Since graduating into the adult world, Aaron Capurro has lived among millions others in poverty. At 28-years of age, Aaron has wavered on the edge of financial insecurity holding various odd-jobs doing maintenance work, mowing lawns, and landscaping. He also receives a social security check each month to help make ends meet. In total, Capurro earns $800 per month where he allocates $400 to pay for rent, $100 to cover utilities, and $200 to take care of additional expenses. He’s left with little to no savings at the end.

His story is one of many being shared through Oxfam’s “Voices of US Poverty” project— an effort to stimulate dialogue and give a face to poverty in the United States.

“America has long presented itself to the world as the model of successful, inclusive growth that lifts millions into the middle class,” explains Raymond Offenheiser, President of Oxfam. “While that was true during the decades after World War II, it is simply no longer the case.”

People are living on the brink of financial disaster with almost no savings to fall back on in the event of a job loss, health crisis or other income-depleting emergency. This reality is certainly the case for people living in our own backyards.

In this year’s report released by the Corporation forEnterprise Development (CFED), Florida is ranked 47th in the country for the ability of residents to achieve financial security. In addition, Florida ranks 51st and 48th overall when considering the housing cost burden on renters and homeowners, respectively. People worry about their today as much as their tomorrow. In this state and all across the country, people are facing financial challenges that are both devastating and indicative of uncertain strides toward improvement. Offenheiser argues,

"A government’s budget, like all public policy, should not only reflect our values, but be means to an end. Fiscal policies — public spending and taxes — should focus on investments in broadly shared prosperity. That is why Oxfam — which already has on-the-ground programs with farmworkers and in poor, coastal areas — is becoming more deeply involved in addressing poverty, the working poor, low wage jobs and inequality at the national level."
 

As Oxfam documents the voices of Americans in poverty stories, we stop to ask how we can shift the paradigm not only to fight for the preservation our middle-class, but also to provide the best safety net for those making barely or not enough to sustain their own means of living.

What's your story? Let us know by commenting below and share your voice at voicesofpoverty.org.

"The Story We Never Told"

Contributed by Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story


View Video Here

In Latin American there is an estimated 150 million people of African descent. Of that population, 92% live in extreme poverty and 70% are women and children.

Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story is a documentary television series independently produced by Creador Pictures, LLC. Afrolatinos is a seven part series in English and Spanish that shows the rich culture and shares the contributions of the enslaved Africans who arrived to the Caribbean, Central and South America. This history is often omitted when talking about these regions of the world. Our mission is to teach the uninformed and initiate social change throughout Latin America while sharing an important part of our history we hope never to be forgotten.

We are inviting you to Un Llamado y Respuesta! A Call and Response! This is a call to you, nuestra comunidad, for help in bringing these stories, nuestra historia, to the world! With your contribution we will be able to continue to put the blood, sweat, and tears into the last legs of production for the film. In addition, we’ve also started an Afrolatinos: The Untaught Story petition to get 100,000 signatures to show major networks that people want and need to hear this story.

Vigils Honor Florida's Uninsured and Deliver Urgent Messages to Legislators

Credit to The Florida Medical Campaign

As scores of nurses and healthcare workers made their voices heard this week through lobby visits and press conferences in the Capitol, groups of Floridians held four vigils in four cities across the state to draw attention to the healthcare crisis in our state.

“I don’t have the basic human right of health coverage, so when I got sick last year, I ignored the symptoms until I passed out in class,” explained Daniela Gonzalez, a senior at University of Central Florida who became uninsured when her mom lost her job at Disney. “I woke up in the hospital and now I owe $22,000 in medical bills. My mom is a cancer survivor and she owes the hospital $70,000 for her treatments. I go to school full time and work two jobs to help pay our medical bills,” explained Gonzalez.

Today, you can call Tallahassee and ask that they expand healthcare to one million more Floridians. Call (866) 443-1844 and ask your representative to support Medicaid Expansion.

Students Network for Internships

It's no secret that Catalyst Miami loves interns. We know that energetic and passionate students are our future leaders. That's why we engage graduates of our high school SoundOut program as summer interns, we recruit high school graduates and others to our ten-month apprenticeship program, Public Allies (apply by May 24!), and it's why we developed the Connect for Good Internship program with Florida International University.

Rebecca Garcia, an undergraduate at the University of Miami, studied Catalyst as a civic change platform. The student team wanted to do something that could help Catalyst as part of their project and decided to promote the internship network--a win-win-win for students, the network and Catalyst Miami. Rebecca and her peers developed this catchy flyer to promote the internships.

Jaheera White is Catalyst Miami's AmeriCorps VISTA Community Learning Coordinator pulling this all together. She's working hard to expand the program to Florida Memorial  University and has already built relationships with Barry University and Miam-Dade College.

Get on board now with these fantastic opportunities to build a better Miami and a better you!

Organizations to Watch: Florida Nonprofit Alliance

Written by Elmasei Antoine, Nonprofit Leadership Coordinator 

Is a nonprofit you care about facing funding or infrastructure challenges? Are you wondering who is advocating for the needs of these organizations? Then you should know about the Florida Nonprofit Alliance!
Nonprofit organizations are facing increasing pressures to deliver quality services and high-impact programs with less money. In the midst of a chaotic political and economic environment, the Florida Nonprofit Alliance (FNA) formed to take a comprehensive approach to weathering the financial storm.

Student Leaders Urge Others to Stay Involved

On Tuesday, April 9, Jill Gideon and Mnar Muhareb, facilitators of the SoundOut youth engagement program, congratulated the second class of SoundOut participants at a graduation ceremony held at Booker T. Washington High School. It was a time to reflect on all that the students learned over 22 weeks and commend them for their participation and implementation of three sustainable community projects: a community garden, a mentoring program, and a bullying awareness campaign. 

The SoundOut Program is geared towards youth who are interested in developing personal ownership of school improvement, learning the skills necessary to affect change in their lives and the lives of others, and becoming youth leaders by utilizing youth voice. Students learned effective strategies to advocate in and for the communities where they live and attend school. 


Class of 2013 SoundOut Graduates and Program Facilitators
at Booker T. Washington High School

“I’m glad I got to discover everyone’s learning talents,” said one graduate of the program. “This program enabled everyone to grow together.”

Aaron Cervantes, a senior at Booker T. Washington High School, was selecteed as the SoundOut Class speaker. This emerging trailblazer demonstrated exceptional leadership traits throughout the program and his remarks at graduation did not disappoint. He urged his peers to remain involved in their communities and advocate for issues that directly impact teenage youth. He shared a statement that resonated with his fellow graduates. "I'm here to destroy ephebiphobia. I believe in our youth."

Ephebiphobia, the fear of youth, is a concept Aaron and his classmates have a newfound passion to combat. As part of SoundOut, they spent several weeks addressing this and other discriminatory messages about teenage youth. Lessons in community service, advocacy, and academic achievement helped to frame their thoughts for facing such challenges moving forward in their student and adult lives. Aaron, who is committed to teaching others about ephebiphobia and advocating on behalf of youth in the future, explained in his keynote address, “None of us are the same as when we came here. Every single one of us is a leader in our own right... I

Aaron Cervantes, SoundOut graduate (12th grade) pictured with
facilitators Mnar Muhareb (L), Jill Gedeon (M), & Lizabeth Verano (R).

believe in all of us.”

The students completed an average of eighty community service hours through the SoundOut program, showing that youth are committed to their communities.

Congratulations to all the SoundOut graduates! Catalyst Miami wishes you the best as you strive for excellence in the next chapter of your lives.

A Letter to Disney: There's Nothing Magical about Losing a Day's Pay

Your organization can send this to Disney President Robert Iger:

SENT VIA FAX: 818-560-1930; DELIVERED TO WALT DISNEY STORE

Robert A. Iger

President and CEO

Walt Disney Company

500 S. Buena Vista Street

Burbank, CA 91521

RE: SB 726, HB 655, SB 1216/HB 1125

Dear Robert Iger,

There is absolutely nothing magical about getting fired or losing a day’s pay because you got sick. So, it’s no surprise that momentum for earned sick time is growing. In just the last few months, City Councils in Portland, Oregon, and Philadelphia have passed earned sick time bills and New York City is poised to do the same. Families, the backbone of your business, understand how important access to earned sick time is and that’s why residents around the state want Walt Disney to stop putting profits over people and stop working to block earned sick time initiatives in Florida!

Further, we know how important basic workers’ rights and benefits are to mothers, fathers, and the families that they love and support and we urge you to reject legislative efforts to strip away local control from communities that have enacted or wish to enact local Living Wage, Earned Sick Time, Equal Benefits, anti-Wage Theft or other ordinances.

A recent poll of Florida voters showed that 80% of voters support laws that would ensure workers have a right to earn sick time to care for themselves or a family member, 60% support local governments’ rights to enact their own laws, 72% support laws that require businesses with public contracts to pay their workers living wages, and 83% feel that the Florida Legislature's attempt to deny local governments and citizens the right to vote on local laws is part of a larger effort to take away access to voting and deprive citizens of their right to vote.

We want Walt Disney to stop putting profits over people and stop working with legislators to block earned sick time initiatives in Florida. We want Walt Disney to urge legislators to vote no on bills that will harm families by lessening wages and removing local protections against wage theft. We want Walt Disney to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Sincerely, 

President/CEO 

St. Thomas University presents Ethical Issues in Nonprofit Agencies

The STU Center for Ethics invites you to attend a conference on:

 “ETHICAL ISSUES IN NONPROFIT AGENCIES”

 Friday, April 26^th from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to be held at Convocation Hall on the St. Thomas University campus, 16401 NW 37^th Avenue, Miami Gardens, FL.  Conference activities include a keynote speaker and three featured panels on the following topics:

            Ethical Aspects of Fundraising and Donor Relations

            Avoiding Board Member and Staff Conflicts of Interest

            Equitable Distribution of Resources:  Overhead vs. Programming

 

We are fortunate to have attracted some distinguished panelists and speakers for this event.  Invited speakers include:

 
            -Modesto Abety-Gutierrez, President/CEO, The Childrens’ Trust

            -Angel Aloma, Executive Director, Food for the Poor

            -Daniella Levine, President/CEO, Catalyst Miami

            -Professor Ronald Nyhan, Florida Atlantic University

           - Javier Soto, President/CEO, Miami Foundation

The registration fee of $50 covers breakfast and lunch and four hours of stimulating and thought-provoking discussions.  Due to limited seating, those wishing to attend should register no later than Monday, April 22^nd.  For registration information, please contact the Center for Ethics at (305) 628-6581 or by e-mail: rmeyers@stu.edu.