On December 7, Voices For Children Foundation and Marlin’s Ayudan joined forces to make this holiday season a little brighter for youth who have aged out or are aging out of Foster Care. Volunteers surprised these teens with a $500 shopping spree at Target in Midtown, acting as their personal shopping assistants, helping them select appropriate items.

As these youth transition into adulthood, they encounter many challenges, including finding new living arrangements, becoming financially responsible and adjusting to the emotional weight of becoming an independent. Most of the time these children lack the family support available to other adolescents, leaving them on their own to learn how to manage adult responsibilities like work, housing, relationships and self sufficiency.

In addition to picking out brand new items for the very first time, this event provided these adolescents an opportunity to bond with an adult in a positive, fun way.

This experience also made a difference in the lives of the Volunteers, who spent all day giving back to the community through the “Marlins Ayudan” front office community service program. After carefully selecting items he needed, one of the participating youth arrived at the checkout counter beaming with excitement from his shopping spree. With his goodies all rung up, the cashier notified him that he had $20 left and asked if there was anything else he wished to add to his cart. “I’ll be right back,” he replied, “I’m going to go get a gift card.” A few minutes later, he returned, not with the gift card everyone expected, but with a Thank You greeting Card for the team of volunteers who spent the time with him.

“We are extremely grateful to the Marlins organization and employees for their generosity,” said Nelson F. Hincapie, Voices For Children’s President & CEO. “These children are among the most at-risk in the Foster Care system, this has made a tremendous difference in their lives”.

For more photos from the event, visit our Facebook Page here: http://on.fb.me/Vip8Ac

THANK YOU MIAMI MARLINS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!

We are very excited to announce that Harry Winston, Inc., the American fine diamond jeweler and watchmaker, has selected Voices For Children Foundation to be a recipient of the new Harry Winston Hope Collection™ bracelet. This beautiful piece of fine jewelry was developed to support leading charitable organizations throughout the United States like A Better Chicago, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital of Orange County just to name a few.

As part of the Harry Winston Brilliant Futures Charitable program, Harry Winston, Inc. will donate 100% of the retail sales price* from each bracelet to seven organizations including Voices for Children.

Launching this Fall, the limited edition bracelet features a sleek white gold and engraved mother-of-pearl design set with a delicate Winston diamond at the center. Retailing for $2,500, the bracelet will be sold exclusively at Harry Winston retail salons with 200 bracelets available throughout the U.S.

Support from sales of the bracelet in the Miami Harry Winston Salon will support our Children’s Needs Fund which provides for emergency needs such as food or rent, educational needs including school uniforms and tutoring, as well as enrichment programs such as after school activities, summer camp, or artistic workshops.

The Harry Winston Brilliant Futures Charitable program is dedicated to supporting leading organizations that strive to remove barriers for disadvantaged youth to obtain a quality education and the skills necessary to be successful in life; provide access to cultural and artistic enrichment; and enable healthy futures.
We are excited to be a part of this special campaign and look forward to sharing more details with you soon!

* Retail Sales Prices means monies actually collected from Harry Winston or credited to its account from the sale of the bracelet less returns, taxes and delivery costs.

Voices For Children Foundation partnered with Mercantil Commercebank to host its most successful Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament in history, raising just over $21,500 to support abused, neglected and abandoned children in Miami-Dade County. On September 19, more than 300 supporters of Voices For Children Foundation showed up ready to battle it out for the title of Champion and enjoy a fun evening at Splitsville Luxury Lanes & Dinner Lounge. Teams enjoyed complimentary shoe rental, food and a complimentary beverage throughout the night, all for a good cause.
There are over 3,000 children in Foster Care in Miami Dade County as a result of abuse, abandonment or neglect. Each of these children is required by law to be appointed a Guardian ad Litem representative to advocate for their best interests while they maneuver through the system. Currently, fewer than 2,000 of these children actually have Guardians.
Voices For Children Foundation is trying to change that.

Through community volunteers, fancy black-tie affairs and fun social events, Voices For Children Foundation works to secure additional funding to help close that gap of representation. This year, Mercantil Commercebank signed on to become the first ever Presenting Sponsor of the Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament, making the 2012 Tournament the most successful tournament to date.

“We are very excited to extend our partnership with Voices For Children and become the Presenting Sponsor of the Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament in benefit of abused and neglected children in Miami-Dade County,” said Mariola Sanchez, General Counsel of Mercantil Commercebank. “At Mercantil Commercebank, we have a long history of community involvement. A fundamental part of our corporate culture is to encourage and support the organizations that positively impact the cities we serve. We are honored to participate in this great event that brings local business professionals together for a good cause.”

The Strike Out Child Abuse Bowling Tournament garnered the support of Appelrouth Farah & Co, EFG Capital International, The Geller Law Group, Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust, The Miami Foundation, Popular Community Bank, Swire Properties, Wells Fargo Insurance Services among many others. Also in attendance to show their support was Judge Victoria Del Pino, Judge Michaelle Gonzalez-Paulson, Judge Rosa Figarola and State Representative Jose Felix Diaz.

Are you ready to show off your bowling skills and help Strike Out Child Abuse?

Music, Food, Fun & Bowling to benefit Voices For Children Foundation. Gather your friends and family for an exciting night at Splitsville Lanes in Sunset Place and show off your bowling & billiards skills for a good cause!

Bowling: $400 Team / 8 Players
Individual Bowlers*: $50 each Player

Billiards: $100 Team / 2 Players
Individual Billiards Player*: $50 each Player

Individual Bowler & Billiards Player: $75 each Player

*Individual Players will be grouped with teams.

WHEN: Wednesday September 19, 2012 - 6:00 – 10:00 P.M.

WHERE: Splitsville Lanes , Sunset Place

This year, we are MORE than excited to have partnered with Mercantil Commercebank who is our Presenting Sponsor for this fun evening.

Mercantil Commercebank is one of the largest banks in Florida, serving its community for 30 years. Headquartered in Coral Gables, the Bank has 17 Banking Centers - 15 located in South Florida; one in Manhattan, New York; and one in Houston, Texas. The Bank offers a wide variety of domestic, international, personal and commercial banking services, including investment, trust, and estate planning through its subsidiaries, Mercantil Commercebank Investment Services, Inc. and Mercantil Commercebank Trust Company, N.A.

Mercantil Commercebank is proud to call itself a community bank, working with many local organizations through sponsorship support and participation of its employees. The Bank has a long history of caring for the communities in which it serves and supporting initiatives that positively impact the wellbeing of their residents.

For more information, please visit www.mercantilcb.com.

Register Online Here

INFO: For more information please contact:

Tania Rodriguez; trodriguez@voices4.org, 305.324.5678, ext. 16

Crowds gather outside Old Navy at Shoppes at Dadeland, excited for their private shopping spree to prepare for the new school year.

Members of the Miami-Dade community came together on August 15 to prepare 350 children in Foster Care for the new school year. Thanks to a partnership with Old Navy and Office Depot Foundation, the Old Navy at the Shoppes at Dadeland closed to the public from 6p.m. to 9p.m. to allow Miami-Dade foster children a chance to shop privately for $75 worth of clothes for the new school year.

Additionally, Elevation Burger, Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, Dominoes and Thierry’s Catering handed out meals to the more than 600 individuals that turned out for this event.

Children participating in this event are part of the Kinship Care Program and the Transitioning Youth Project.

TYP program participant Angelica picks out shirts for the new school year.

Angelica, a participating teen from the TYP project, expressed her gratitude to Voices For Children Foundation for putting together this special event for her and her peers. The Transitioning Youth Project works to ensure youth leaving the Foster Care system have the adult relationships, education and skills they need to become successful adults. “I am so excited to have some new outfits and a pair of shoes to wear to school and work”, she said. “I’ve been working and going to school for almost two years now and sometimes it can get rough. I really appreciate Voices For Children Foundation for helping me and other kids in my situation.”

Sisters Eva & Celita both excitedly reach for the same shirt during their private shopping spree at Old Navy.

Celita & Eva, young sisters who participated in the Kinship Care Program were grateful for their new clothes as well exclaiming “I love my sparkly shoes!” The Kinship Care Project, where children are placed with family members rather than licensed foster homes, works to ensure these families receive appropriate services like access to financial assistance, educational support and medical resources.

With difficult economic times for families, as well as businesses, these partnerships demonstrated the impact that can be made when communities band together.

Voices For Children President & CEO Nelson Hincapie and Chairman of the Board of Directors Gail Appelrouth pose with two participating children and their bag full of brand new clothes for the upcoming school year.

“We strongly believe that it takes a community’s effort to help children break the cycle of abuse & neglect,” says Nelson Hincapie, President & CEO of Voices For Children Foundation. “We are thrilled that members of our community have stepped forward for our event to help these students start off the school year with pride and confidence.”
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You can still make a difference! Click below to Donate Now!

Miami, FL - August 9, 2012 - Members of the Miami-Dade community are coming together to demonstrate teamwork and help about 500 children in Foster Care get ready for the new school year. Thanks to a partnership with Old Navy and the Office Depot Foundation, these children and their families will get the chance to shop privately like celebrities at the Old Navy in the Shoppes at Dadeland location, which will close to the public just for this event. Children will receive $75 in new school uniforms as well as sackpacks with some school supplies.

Inspired 2 in collaboration with the Zoological Society of Florida has donated 2 Family Annual Passes to Zoo Miami to be raffled off to two lucky families in support of providing a positive, safe and educational environment where families can strengthen their bond.

Foster Children who are part of the Guardian ad Litem’s Kinship Care Program and the Transitioning Youth Project will begin arriving at 6pm with their families, where they will be greeted by volunteers and staff from Old Navy for check-in. Delicious snacks will be provided by Lime Fresh Mexican Grill and Elevation Burger for the more than 800 individuals expected to turn out for this event.

“We strongly believe that it takes a community’s effort to help children break the cycle of abuse & neglect,” says Nelson Hincapie, President & CEO of Voices For Children Foundation. “We are thrilled that members of our community have stepped forward for our event to help these students start off the school year with pride and confidence.”

Last year was a tremendous success and Voices For Children Foundation provided 350 children with new uniforms, sackpacks and school supplies collected by event organizers.

This year the need is greater.

The Transitioning Youth Project works to ensure youth leaving the Foster Care system have the adult relationships, education and skills they need to become successful adults. The Kinship Care Project, where children are placed with family members rather than licensed foster homes, works to ensure these families receive appropriate services like access to financial assistance, educational support and medical resources. However, sometimes it just isn’t enough.

“There are numerous benefits to placing a child with a Family member after being removed from their parent’s care,” says Dorothy Marin, Children’s Needs Program Manager with Voices For Children Foundation, “But it remains a financial challenge for these families to take on this responsibility when they are already at, or below poverty level. We are thankful for our community partners that allow us to relieve some of the financial burden on these families during an already stressful time.”

The event will take place on August 15, 2012, from 6pm-9pm at the Old Navy at 7220 N Kendall Drive; Miami, FL 33156. Guests are pre-registered and the event is not open to the public.

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Voices For Children Foundation is a not for profit organization that raises funds to ensure that every abused, abandoned, and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court appointed Guardian ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their accompanying health, educational, and social needs. Guardians ad Litem are trained, court-appointed adults who serve as the representative voice for abused, abandoned, and neglected children involved in dependency court proceedings. There are over 3,000 children in Miami-Dade County’s Foster Care system and currently 1,184 children are unrepresented by Guardians ad Litem.

For more information please visit www.BeAVoice.org.

We need your help! Click below to show your support today!

In its first ever Back to School Voices For Children, together with Old Navy and the Office Depot Foundation, gave children served by the Guardian ad Litem Program a reason to smile with style. On August 10, 350 children descended upon Old Navy in the Shoppes at Dadeland for their chance to get ready for the upcoming school year with new uniforms, sackpacks and supplies donated by event organizers.

From 6 - 9 p.m., the Old Navy Dadeland store closed to the public to allow families to shop for their foster children. Each child received $75 to spend on new clothing at Old Navy as well as a discount on khakis and polo shirts for school uniforms. In addition to new clothing, Office Depot donated 7,500 sackpacks in five different and colorful designs for the children to choose from.

The children participating were selected from the Guardian ad Litem’s Kinship Care Project, which provides representation to children who are placed with family members other than their parents as well as ensures that they receive appropriate services, including access to financial assistance and educational and medical resources.

Please join us at Baru Urbano this Thursday from 6pm to 10pm to celebrate the upcoming 2^nd Be A Voice Soccer Tournament. 1001 South Miami Avenue.  Help us Kick Child Abuse by enjoying $5 well drinks, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting Voices For Children Foundation.

Voices is doing it again! Presented by Global Development Consultants, Voices For Children is hosting its 2nd Be A Voice Soccer Tournament on Saturday & Sunday, June 25-26, 2011. Join Voices For Children from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. each day and enjoy an exciting weekend of soccer-mania. Come with your family and learn about how you can BE A VOICE for an abused, abandoned or neglected child. Currently there are approximately 3,000 children in Miami-Dade County who are in foster care.  Admission to the tournament is free.

Create a team with your colleagues, friends or family, and together we can help KICK CHILD ABUSE TO THE CURB.

If you are interested in forming a soccer team:

Team Cost: $1,000 per Team
Team consists of 8 people
Cost includes team uniform with logo or name of sponsor on the uniform and food.

Photos from our 1st Be A Voice Soccer Tournament can be found on Voices’ Shutterfly page.

The 2nd Be A Voice Soccer Tournament is Presented by:

Global Development Consultants, Inc. is a consulting company dedicated to the development of urban housing, real estate, design, construction, financing, development and promotion of housing developments.

Our company has an agreement with the City of Miami, FL, the city of Port-au-Prince in Haiti, and in Cundinamarca, Columbia, for the construction of affordable and accessible housing for low income families, made from recycle materials.

Global DC staff has 40 years of development and more than 100,000 houses built, as well as office, hotels, and Commercial projects.

The combined years of experience of Global Development Consultants Inc.’s core team provides the necessary capabilities and management skills to successfully execute on their vision of delivering a project provide business, social, economic and environmental benefits.

And in partnership with 

Click here to Register  (REGISTRATION FORM)

Click here to see Event Flyer (EVENT FLYER)

For more information or to sign up, please contact:
Name: Julian Otero
Phone: 305-726-4032
Email: oterojulian@hotmail.com

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:

Name: Nelson Hincapie

Phone: 305-281-4473
Email: nhincapie@voices4.org 

On Wednesday, June 1, 2011, you have the opportunity to help strike out child abuse.  Join Voices for Children on June 1 from 6:00-10:00pm for a game of bowling and to learn more about how you can BE A VOICE for an abused, abandoned or neglected child. Currently there are approximately 3,000 children in Miami-Dade County who are in foster care.  Your participation in this event could make all the difference.

Create a team with your colleagues, friends or family, and together we can help STRIKE OUT CHILD ABUSE in Miami.

Cost: $400 per Team
Team consists of 8 people
Cost includes one game of bowling, shoes, tons food and a complimentary drink. There will also be a cash bar available.

Love to bowl and want to support the cause, but can’t get together 8 folks? No problem! For a donation of $50 we will pair you with other enthusiasts.

Click here to Register  (REGISTRATION FORM)

For more information or to sign up, please contact:
Name: Andrea Steinacker
Phone: 305-376-8585
Email: andrea.steinacker@mssb.com

Splitsville Lanes, 5701 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143