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

Catalyst Miami Hosts the Southeastern Premiere of "MASKED" at GableStage

By: Cheryl Mizell, Communications Director

Just 3 days until Catalyst Miami's 11th Annual Theatre Event!

The Southeastern premiere of “Masked” is scheduled for 7:30 pm, Friday, July 8th at GableStage at the Biltmore.

MASKED, "an explosive Israeli play about three Palestinian brothers locked in a life-and-death struggle over issues of deception and betrayal," sparks an insightful dialogue between Jewish and Muslim communities.

 The opening reception features two faith leaders from the South Florida community at center stage, Rabbi Mitch Chefitz, Scholar-in-Residence at Temple Israel and Imam Dr. Nasir Ahmad of Mosque Masjid Al-Ansar, offering inter-denominational prayers that ground the audience's emotions and passion soon to be stirred by the play.

 This eleven year tradition between Catalyst Miami and GableStage attracts and pays tribute to South Florida's finest philanthropic and civic leaders such as John Anzivino, this year's honoree, while engaging the audience in thought provoking entertainment

A cocktail reception with invited cast members immediately follows at the piano bar in the adjacent Biltmore Hotel.

For ticket information or sponsorships, contact Monica Matteo-Salinas at 305.576.5001x22, monicas@hscdade.org  or visit www.hscdade.org

Interns for Impact: VIVIANA MAURI

Good afternoon Catalyst Miami blog readers! I hope you celebrated a beautiful 4th of July weekend with your loved ones!



VIVIANA MAURI

My name is Viviana Mauri, and I serve Catalyst Miami as their Communications Intern, one of my main duties being as Editor and Intern Liaison for this blog. Each day, I work closely with Communications Director, Cheryl Mizell, to ensure that all of the organization's incredible accomplishments, advancements, and hot news reach the South Florida community in the most exciting and effective ways.

During my internship, I have taken on projects I feel confident will prepare me for all types of future professional endeavors. During my experience thus far, I have learned to write press releases, researched Catalyst Miami's history in the media, assisted meetings regarding the re-branding and transition of Catalyst Miami from Human Services Coalition, video-taped two full days of Public Allies' Presentations of Learning, all while always making sure that Catalyst Miami's official social media pages are not only up to date, but in perfect sync. In my experience at Catalyst Miami, I have truly covered all grounds of communications.

A graduate of Young Women's Preparatory Academy's Class of 2010, I became a Posse Foundation Scholar to Mount Holyoke College. Currently a rising sophomore at MHC, I major in Romance Languages and Cultures, concentrating in Italian and French, and minor in Journalism, Media, and Public Discourse. During my freshman year at Mount Holyoke, I launched an on-campus radio show with good friend, aspiring sex-therapist and talk show host, Crystal Reed, called, "Crystal and Vivi After Dark." I plan to continue working with WMHC 91.5 FM South Hadley, as a Radio Host and as their new Promotions Director for 2011-2012.

Learning about the steps to re-branding Catalyst Miami is currently undertaking is knowledge I will apply to my new position at the station, as I hope to re-introduce WMHC to the Mount Holyoke student body in a more new, bold, and modern way this school year. I am also involved with my campus' newspaper, The MHNews, where I work as Assistant Editor to the Arts and Entertainment Section. One of my most exciting articles this past year as Staff Writer was a detailed coverage of the pop culture moment of year: The Royal Wedding.

I aspire to become a Broadcast Journalist, and envision myself pursuing a Masters in Television and Radio Broadcasting.

I would love to hear your feedback on the Catalyst Miami official blog, so please, do not hesitate to comment below or let me know what you're thinking via Twitter! Tweet me personally @VivianaMauri and if you haven't already done so, please FOLLOW Catalyst Miami on Twitter @CatalystMiami and LIKE the organization on Facebook for the latest updates!

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.