Interns for Impact: BIANCA MIJARES

My name is Bianca Mijares. I am one semester away from graduating from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s in Anthropology. I was born and raised here in Miami. My parents instilled in me the importance of giving back. Consequently, from a young age I always envisioned a life and career of service. I started college wanting to study Environmental Science and it was my major for three years before I admitted to myself that my real passion was people and their stories and understanding what molded their beliefs and influenced their actions. I took my first Anthropology class last year and realized that I had found the perfect vehicle to find the answer to all my questions and to ask questions I didn’t have the information or the tools to consider asking before. 

I decided I wanted to spend this summer exploring my passions for storytelling and people. So I applied for the “Story Archivist” position at Catalyst Miami. I got the internship and worked in the Communications Department interviewing different people from Catalyst Miami and other organizations and really getting a feel for what they do and how other people’s lives are affected by their work. It was a great experience and I gained a lot of valuable knowledge speaking to people, being inspired by them, writing about them, and seeing how a non-profit operates. 

I am going to start applying for Graduate school within the next couple of months and continue studying Anthropology. I don’t know exactly what I want to do, but do know that I want to serve people in my community. My experience at Catalyst has helped confirm that desire.

Live Entertainment Rocks Saturday's Birthday Bash

By:  Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Communications Intern
       Viviana Mauri, Communications Intern
       Cheryl Mizell, Communications Director

The Patxi Pastor Allstar Band promises to "lively up" the birthday party for Daniella Levine and Laura Levey this upcoming Saturday.  

Alto Reed's most recognizable performances include the intro to the song, "Turn the Page" and his saxophone solo in "Old Time Rock 'n Roll."  Reed was inducted to the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame with the Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in 2004.  The Ventures, also known as, "Rock & Roll's Greatest Guitar Band," invited him to perform on one of TV's Greatest Theme Songs, "Hawaii 50", for their induction ceremony into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  He has worked during his career with artists including George Thorogood, Otis Rush, Grand Funk, Spencer Davis, and Foghat.

Leroy Romans is an owner at LSR production, music producer at Fuller Sound Mastering, and musician for The Original Wailers and Maxi Priest.  He has created music, samples and tracks for today's popular artists like P.Diddy, Rihanna, and Pitbull.  He has collaborated on a number of successful albums, among them, the Grammy-nominated, "Third World." 

Other special guests include Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Co-Founder of The Bob Seger Silver Bullet Band Alto Reed on saxophone and Multi-Grammy Nominated Producer & Keyboardist Leroy Romans.

Leroy has aligned a team of professional partners including Artists, Musicians, Film Makers, Marketing Professionals, and I.T. Specialists with the purpose of creating and forming a series of companies that will promote his brand and services to a continually larger audience.  These companies have advanced the thing he loves most about the music industry: the ability to advocate a strong voice within communities, give back, and making a difference through his music.

Join the Catalyst Miami staff along with the Patxi Pastor AllStar Band on Saturday to celebrate the birthdays of  Daniella Levine and Laura Levey from  6 - 11pm  at the home of Laura and Lewis Levey, 4777 Pinetree Drive, Miami Beach. Come and enjoy great paella, drinks and music on Saturday -- July 16th!  In lieu of a birthday present, Daniella and Laura appreciate your gifts to Catalyst Miami:  NICE gifts of $50, GREAT gifts of $75 and AWESOME gifts of $100.  Please RSVP and make your GIFT donations online NOW at www.hscdade.org

A PLTI Graduation

By: Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Intern

The Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI)'s graduation took place this week on Tuesday evening at the Miami Beach Community Church. The Institute graduated a total of sixteen parents and eighteen children this year.

PLTI is a twenty week program for parents and children that includes a ten week course on leadership and a ten week civics program with a corresponding community project for parents. The children who participate go through a similar process as their parents with similar themes about leadership and community engagement and their ability to affect change in a kid-friendly way.

Raquel Regalado, a school board member from District 6, was the guest speaker at this year's graduation. She told a personal story of when she learned to step up to lead when she saw something she did not think is fair. She encourages others to do the same, and congratulated us on our leadership program for children alongside their parents. In fact, she will be presenting a certificate of recognition to Catalyst Miami for this program at the next School Board meeting on July 13.

Gretchen Beesing, Vice President for Civic Life at Catalyst Miami, as well as one of the facilitators for the second phase of the PLTI program, called this year's graduating class, "outstanding and passionate," and one of the "best groups that she has worked with." She shared that she was tremendously moved as she witnessed the powerful bonding of the group.

THE CATALYST BUZZ: The Tuesday Runoff Election

By: Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Intern

The mood around the office concerning the Mayoral Election on Tuesday is an apprehensive one. People are conflicted on how they feel about the positions held by the candidates. Whether or not there should have been a recall in the first place is also a contentious issue, considering the $15 million price tag of the three subsequent special elections. The issues that are important to some members of Catalyst Miami include property taxes, the environment, transportation and urban sprawl. Certain members of Catalyst Miami think property taxes should be raised to support funding for vital services, but are concerned that neither candidate shares their viewpoint.

Inefficient transportation is another issue some members of staff are concerned about. They worry these issues will not be addressed properly, as evidenced by the allocation of funds to build a tunnel to the Port of Miami. Budget cuts are another concern, specifically the inevitable cuts that will be made towards our communities' vital health and human services.

On another note, many are hoping that the new mayor will maintain the current Urban Development Boundary. This kind of general dissatisfaction towards politicians is expressed statewide and members of Catalyst Miami are hopeful the upcoming election brings about a tide of consciousness and a call to reform.

Public Allies' Presentations of Learning

By: Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Intern
Cheryl Mizell, Communications Director

Yesterday June 16^th 2011 was the first of two days of Presentations of Learning put on by the Public Allies to illustrate what their experiences with the program have been in the past 10 months. Eleven Public Allies presented. Their presentations ranged from performance pieces to singing to dancing. All were extremely moving and insightful.

Laselve Harrison, Communications Coordinator with Catalyst Miami, launched the day by presenting his Public Ally learning experience through the template of the Voice, the e-newsletter, drawing parallels to the organization’s values while highlighting a transformative path to finding his own voice. Anne-Valerie Pierre-Canel gave a stellar performance worthy of an Oscar by spotlighting her star experiences and allies in best supporting roles in award winning films. Autumn Romer from Take in Stock Children, a scholarship program that pairs children with a mentor and an advocate and gives them the opportunity to receive a scholarship for college upon completing a set of requirements, did a performance piece about her personal transformation, growth, and discovery. She is a Leader! Jalyssa Whitaker spoke emotionally about her professional and personal growth and later expressed the same feelings through a choreographed dance to “Pieces of Me” by Ledisi. Diana Pena Rojas wrote a letter to her fellow allies detailing the struggles of her troubled life and everything the program has done for her. Then she had everyone plant their very own peanut plant.

All of the allies who presented spoke about one or more of these things: adapting difficult sometimes chaotic situations, realizing you are a leader, learning from experiences no matter the outcome, redefining success, and finding happiness. The event was inspiring and provided an opportunity to spotlight these wonderful people and to reflect on oneself and on the value of service.

Democracy Summer: Advocacy is in Season

By Bianca Mijares, Catalyst Miami Intern

 

Catalyst Miami’s “Democracy Summer” is an advocacy training designed to strengthen the understanding, commitment and skills of nonprofit staff and board. We will help nonprofits meet their missions by incorporating advocacy and policy analysis into their strategic planning. Participants will leave understanding the importance of engaging constituents and clients in leadership development, capacity building and strategic planning. Participants will leave with tools to protect services and organizations through client engagement. Democracy Summer is an 8-part training series taking place July 7 through September 1, 2011. We will enroll up to 25 advocates. Be on the look out as Catalyst Miami will begin contacting potential organizations this week!

ANN KIMBLE: Catalyst Miami Champion for People Living with Disabilities

By Bianca Mijares

Ann Kimble has been a volunteer at Catalyst Miami since 2000. She found out about Catalyst Miami, then known as the Human Services Coalition, through an event flyer forwarded to her by the Center for Independent Living. At the event, Ann discovered that Catalyst Miami was looking for volunteers, so she signed up, and from there a wonderful symbiotic relationship bloomed. She served as a “secret shopper” for them, making sure that people living with disabilities were not victims of housing discrimination. Ann also attended the Catalyst Miami Parent Leadership Training Institute. There she participated in sessions on how to speak to politicians about personal and community issues and writing grant proposals. The information she gathered at these trainings would later serve to help her start her own non-profit organization, Cross Disability Transportation Issues Committee (CDTIC). Through CDTIC Ann worked directly with citizens, the county, and company owners to edit the Para-transit contract and get pay raises and benefits for drivers. Ann is grateful for how Catalyst Miami has empowered her and taught her how to take initiative and make real changes in her community. She is back in Miami after living in Atlanta for five years and is excited to be able to work with Catalyst Miami again.