December is upon us. It is a time to be with family and loved ones. It is a time to be grateful for all that we have. Most importantly, it is a time to reach out to others
who may need a helping hand -- who may not have a family or very much to feel grateful for. This time of the year is when our mission is so clear: We must always reach
out to homeless, runaway and at-risk youth.
StandUp For Kids Miami has grown in a number of ways since I last wrote to you all. We now mentor kids every week at a shelter, helping them learn life-skills so they
one day they'll have what they need to stay off the street. Our street outreaches have expanded to new neighborhoods and we receive calls from many parts of the County
from kids and adults who care about their well-being. New organizations are expressing that they want to partner with us to tackle this large social problem. And many
of you have given the greatest gift of all: your commitment to help, whether it is by volunteering your time or helping us get some of the items on our Wish List.
Despite the recession, people have reached deeper into their reserves more now to help us than we've seen in the past few years. (And how important this is --
homelessness goes up as job and housing opportunities goes down!) For these acts of kindness, I am humbled. We can only be as effective as the supporters we have.
As you inch closer to the holidays, please consider helping us with a small donation by
clicking here and mentioning MIAMI in the designation field. If you'd prefer
to give an item, we are in need of gift-cards to various stores....please read more below.
With warm wishes during the holidays, Eddy Ameen
Announcing Our Holiday Gift Card Drive
When we help kids on the street, we can offer them bags of donated food, clothing and hygiene products. But what if a kid has no underwear? Or they need a blanket to
keep warm? Or if their last hot meal was 4 days ago? These requests happen so often, and we are limited in our ability to help because we have so few Gift Cards to stores
like Publix, Winn-Dixie, Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, McDonalds, Burger King, etc. Therefore, we ask that you donate a gift-card in $5, $10 or even $20 dollars to the
store of your choice. ALL DONATIONS THROUGH JANUARY 5TH WILL BE MATCHED! The next time you are out shopping, please remember us, and know that any amount you give will be
doubled by a few generous donors. You can mail the Gift-Card directly to us by standard mail at StandUp For Kids, P.O. Box 012503, Miami, FL 33101.
The County Proclaims November 9 as Homeless and Runaway Youth Day
Recognizing the impact our work has had on the vulnerable youth in Miami, Mayor Alvarez and County Commissioner Chairman Barreiro declared that November 9 would be commemorated as
Homeless and Runaway Youth Day. Please read excerpts from the proclamation below.
....More than 1.5 million children, ages 12 to 17, run away from home or become homeless in America each year due to home environments that are unsafe for them, or foster
care transitions that fail.... As one of the only organizations that works specifically with homeless and runaway youth, StandUp For Kids works to increase the visibility of youth
homelessness, while advocating for the rights of this specific demographic, while stressing the importance of prevention....I call upon the good people of Miami-Dade County to join
me in saluting all those who participate in the observation of this special occasion, wishing them continued success as they work diligently to safeguard the lives of our future
generations.
First Walkathon a Success
Miami's first annual Walkathon at Tropical Park was held on November 9! Together with the Fort Lauderdale chapter, we raised over $2500 to support our intervention and prevention programs.
Special thanks to all of our walkers and donors, and especially to our proud sponsor, Nevaeh Wireless, who donated the rental fees for us to use the park. We could not have made such a big
impact without the support of our top fundraiser, Harley Weinstein. At age 13, she selected StandUp For Kids for a Mitzvah project, raised well over $1000, and brought many family and friends
to support her on this day. We can't wait until next year to do it again.
40 participants gather after a 2+ mile walk
Through the Eyes of a Teen
Throughout the month of November, students in Miami Dade public schools worked on pieces of art that represented a view of the world if they were homeless teens. Our contest to
raise awareness and celebrate socially progressive creativity allowed us to collect photography, paintings, drawings and other forms of art from dozens of talented youth. And
with the support of a local gallery, we plan to host this student artwork on display. Details and contest winners will be forthcoming. For students interested in video or song,
we'd like to mention another contest opportunity offered by the Miami Coalition for the Homeless. Winners will receive fantastic prizes.
Read more here.
StandUp For Kids Wins Media Representation
Our local chapter was invited to apply for a pro-bono year of professional public relations and media relations services from a well-known local company, Ad2. From a competitive
pool of applicants, StandUp For Kids was selected to as their charitable campaign for 2009. We look forward to seeing our name in lights, in the papers, and on TV. By increasing the
visibility of youth homelessness, we are on the way to fixing the problem.
Making Prevention a Priority in 2009
The Florida Department of Education reported that schools are seeing a huge increase in the number of homeless students. During the 2007-08 school year, Florida school districts reported
a total of 34,376 enrolled homeless students, an 11 percent increase from 2006-07. Statistically, a kid runs away from an abusive or neglectful home every minute, and 1 out of every 7 kids
has run away at some point in their young lives. Prevention is perhaps the best measure we can take to help out kids who may consider running away. In 2009, we'd like to kick off Don't Run Away,
our workshop-style program that teaches kids the signs of abuse and the resources to deal with it. We are seeking schools to support us, and volunteer speakers to make the commitment to
get the word out. We also plan to increase prevention by getting our resources out to hundreds of guidance counselors, juvenile probation officers, police officers, and many others who
interact daily with teens in need.
Other News
We are helping some great people to our south start a StandUp For Kids chapter in the Florida Keys. If you would like to get involved, please email us.
Thanks to Ydania Peralta, our director of community resource development, you may have seen us in the news recently. We were interviewed on two radio stations
(Coast FM, and Vida AM) and featured on Channel 10's CareForce segment. Thanks to this exposure, many people have called and offered their support.
On November 20, we partnered with The Children's Hope Miami, a fantastic organization for runaway girls, to put together a youth sleepover lock-in at the Redlands
Christian Academy in Homestead. A great group turned out to spend the night playing games, connecting with each other, and learning about the issue of homelessness.
On November 23, we participated in Dadeland Mall's Evening of Giving, an event that brought together private shopping, store discounts, and entertainers like Tito Puente
Jr., all for charities like ours. Many thanks to Charity Support Central for including us in ticket sales!
YOUTHNOISE
Do you want to read more about youth homelessness and care to get involved with a web community of people with inspiration and great ideas?
Check out Youth Noise.
DONATE ONLINE
Make a donation to STANDUP FOR KIDS and help us make a difference in the lives of kids who believe that no one cares about them! We DO care and we need your help
to keep showing these young people that they make a difference in our lives. Click the link below and indicate “MIAMI CHAPTER” under the space for “designation”.
$20 a month will help us feed ten kids! Click here!
THE SEARCH IS ON: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We are an all volunteer program, so for us to be there for our homeless kids, we need your help! If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved ,
email us: miami@standupforkids.org
START A DON'T RUN AWAY CLUB IN YOUR SCHOOL
We are looking for teachers and students to serve as resources to students who are contemplating running away. Email us for more information.
WE SHARE in the problem of up to 2800 homeless kids in Miami-Dade county...but we also share in the solution!
