'Tis the Season to Give Back

'Tis the season to give back!  Join the YMCA Young Professionals Group for their Annual Toy Drive & Holiday Social tomorrow, December 19, 2013 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the Soho Beach House, 4385 Collins Avenue.

Suggested donation of $20 or a toy gets you a 2 hour open bar and hors d'oeuvres.  Special Holiday Raffle for a chance to wine a Royal Caribbean Cruise for Two to Europe!  RSVP to rsvp@ymcamiami.org or 305-357-6635.

Proceeds will benefit the Y and Boystown Miami http://www.boystown.org/what-we-do. The YMCA Young Professionals will visit and spread the spirit of giving to Boystown on December 28^th.

Thank you to all who make the commitment to help your community!

Tomorrow, December 19th Problem Kids will be hosting their first annual Toy Drive to benefit Amigos Near Foundation.

They will be performing at Avenue D, 8 S Miami Avenue at 8pm.  Tickets are $10 or $5 with a toy donation.  Join them for a night of giving back, music and family!

Happy Holidays!

Best Buddies

Best Buddies is excited to announce the Best Buddies Gulfstream Park “Day at the Races” event, set to benefit Best  Buddies Broward Chapter, this Saturday, December 14th from noon to 5p.m.  at the Ten Palms Restaurant inside Gulfstream Park in Hallandale. This event is designed to engage Best Buddies members, Corporate Supporters, Young Professionals and the Horse Racing Community in Dade and Broward County, to share and enjoy a fun filled day while sharing their mission and creating awareness for their various programs serving those individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

A single admission ticket is $25 and includes food, drinks, three drink tickets for the bars, access to activities – such as live music, kids crafts, cigar rolling, etc. – and of course, a view of the races!

Musicians, AmeriCorps and Radio Lollipop

Musicians On Call is honoring three volunteers this Tuesday December 10th at 6pm at The News Lounge, 5580 Northeast 4th Court.  These musical honorees have donated their time to play and bring smiles to patients in local hospitals. Musicians On Call is a national non-profit whose mission is to bring live and recorded music to the bedside of patients in health care facilities. They currently have weekly programs at two Miami hospitals and one in Broward.

Come support the local music scene as well as a great cause!  Your support helps them bring more music to more patients. $10 donation gets you a complimentary cocktail. To purchase tickets here: http://www.stayclassy.org/miami/events/miami-volunteer-spotlight-series/e28542 

The Florida ServiceNation coalition, led by local national service programs including Catalyst Miami, AmeriCorps Alums Miami, and Daughters2Mothers invites you to Stand for Service Miami this Wednesday, December 11th from 6:30 to 8:30pm at Catalyst Miami office located at 1900 Biscayne Blvd.  The goal of this event is to showcase the broad and diverse support national service enjoys in Florida and highlight the numerous ways AmeriCorps and Senior Corps produce enormous value to our state and the nation as a whole.

This FREE event is open to the public and will feature special guest speakers, free food, give aways and more. RSVP: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/stand-for-service-miami-registration-9404937421
 
 

Switch up your typical happy hour routine!  Join Identity Media Co. this Wednesday December 11th as they host their monthly mixer benefiting Radio Lollipop at Miami Children's Hospital at Segafredo Brickell.  Each month they showcase a different philanthropic cause in Miami and we are lucky that they show RL!  Guests are encouraged to bring a toy.  Hope to see you there! 

 

Still want to Basel?

Not done enjoying Art Basel?  Good!  Come out tonight and check out Pop Up Piano's Hyde and Seek FREE Concert Series at 8PM at 31st and Biscayne right on the Bay.  The Celebrity Jam Sesh will be led by Grammy Award-Winning Keyboardist from the Foo Fighters Rami Jaffee, along with Jessy Greene and surprise guests at the site of Paraiso Bay.

Besides musical performances, you'll be greeted by KIND Healthy Snacks and ONLI Beverages will be on site serving refreshments. Food and other refreshments will be available for purchase, with a percentage of proceeds also going to the project and beneficiary Guitars Over Guns. Participants include Perry Ellis, Miami Events Group, Monster Energy, Vita Coco Coconut Water, Popsicleta, and BnB Joint Food Truck.

Stardom Up

What we missed?  On November 26th  students from Shenandoah Middle School arrived at The LABMiami for a day-long bootcamp. The students were split into two-teams led by local Tech Entrepreneurs Xavier Gonzalez, Executive Director of Technology of the Americas, and Carlos Curbelo, Miami-Dade School Board Member and US Congressional Candidate.  The program consisted of 3 separate sessions: Inspire, Inform and Involve to provide overviews of Web Development, Web Design and Pitching solutions.

Stardom Up was founded by Dr. Adrienne Celaya, a Sociology Professor at the University of Miami, and Luis F. Martinez, an attorney and local entrepreneur. Stardom Up's mission is to introduce Tech Entrepreneurship to Middle School students in a language they easily understand. 

This program is intended to show students, at a very young age, that there's a different pathway to "Stardom": Tech Entrepreneurship. The goal is to inspire students to enthusiastically join all of the more intensive programs being created throughout the Technology ecosystem.

Art Basel 2013

Give your walls something to talk about!

 

 

 

Create Collect has officially launched and they are celebrating with an inaugural cocktail party this Friday, December 6th in Miami's Wynwood Arts District at 2305 N. Miami Ave. at 7pm.  Hope to see you there! 

Deck the Halls with Young Professionals

 

 

Come kick off Art Basel with some of your favorite Miami Young Professionals groups at the Second Annual Holiday Happy Hour this Tuesday December 3rd at 6:30pm at the Stage!

Featuring local artists Scott M. DubhGhaill, Kareem Piper and Andrew Scoria. 

Presale tickets $5 or $10 at the door

100% of the proceeds will benefit the Overtown Youth Center.  The OYC delivers enrichment services that foster hope and promote life-long learning and success for our inner-city youth and citizens. OYC's goal is to build a community of resilient leaders that can live in an environment with risk factors, including drugs and crime/violence, yet still grow into competent and productive members of society.

 

Participating Young Professionals Groups:  Dade County Bar Young Lawyer's Section, Fairchild Palms Young Professionals of the Garden,  Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami Young Professionals,  History Miami Flagler Street Society Young Professionals,  HYPE Miami of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce,  Junior Chamber International (JCI) Miami, Miami Children's Hospital Foundation Young Ambassadors,  NextGen for Chapman Partnership, Ponce Society of Young Professionals (PSYP),  Miami Pulse for the American Heart Association,  The Seals of Easter Seals South Florida,  United Way Young Leaders,  Young Associates of the Coral Gables Museum,  Young Professionals for the Lighthouse for the Blind,  Young Professionals Network of the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce.

 

 

 

4th Annual PhilantroGuia Awards

PhilantroGuia is seeking nominations for its 2014 awards.  Last year I was fortunate enough to receive the award in the Sembrando Semillas category and I encourage all of you to apply!

These awards seek to recognize Latin American Individuals who, through consistent acts of kindness, generosity and dedication, are making a difference in the lives of people in South Florida. 

The two categories are:

Lider Latinoamericano en Filantropia which recognizes a Latin American, who supports philanthropic causes with time, talent and treasure and should be someone who has been making a difference in South Florida for a consecutive number of years.

Sembrando Semillas recognizes a Latin American person with very limited resources who is dedicated to philanthropic causes.  It should be someone who through volunteerism, impacts the lives of those in need in the community. 

To apply please contact info@philantroguia.com and the deadline is December 27, 2013.  Good luck!!

 

 

 

Weekend Events

For the Active Philanthropist -  On Saturday November 23rd the Children's Bereavement Center will be hosting the Steps For Healing 5K at Zoo Miami at 8:00AM . Steps for Healing is a community wide event offering runners/walkers of all levels the opportunity to support the Children's Bereavement Center through participation, awareness and sponsorship.  Register here: http://www.childbereavement.org/CBC5kRun.html

After your 5K head over and join the Miami Beach Rotary Club at Panizza Bistro at 3:00PM for their Turkey Crawl!  $10 includes a donation, happy hour specials and free appetizers.  Proceeds will go towards the Miami Beach Rotary Club Scholarship Fund.  RSVP: sandra@miamibeachrotary.org

Still have energy after your long Philanthropy filled day?  Good!  Head over and support the HighPlace Foundation at their 1st Annual Domino Tournament.  The HighPlace Foundation focuses on empowering young Nicaraguan women to rise above their means.  $75 includes the Domino Tournament, cocktails courtesy of Flor de Cana, food and music.  RSVP: johnson.ed@gmail.com

No weekend is complete without a Sunday Funday!  So make it an extra special one and do it for charity.  The 3rd Annual Making Miracles Happy Hour Event will be on Sunday November, 24 at 5:00PM at Blue Martini Kendall.  This event is hosted by the South Florida Aphon Chapter (Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses). They work year-round to raise money and awareness for children battling cancer and blood disorders.  Tickets are $15 pre-sale and $20 at the door, buy your tickets here :  www.southfloridaaphon.wix.com/hh

You will receive TWO free drinks, happy hour prices on food and drinks, great raffle prizes!  100% of the proceeds will go directly to the children/families RIGHT HERE in South Florida.

Gentleman & Guardians

 

MIAMI Magazine has officially launched the 2014's Modern Hispanic Gentlemen which celebrates the 4 good looking, well-connected, and philanthropic gentlemen who are competing.  Cast your vote and learn about the charities each gentleman is representing.  Just visit http://ketelone.modernluxury.com/ The race is on!

 

 

On Thursday November 21st the Guardian ad Litem program is hosting an event at 6:00pm at Duffy's in Coconut Grove for anyone who might be interested in becoming a Guardian.  A Guardian ad Litem is an individual who is appointed by the court to advocate for children who come into the court system primarily as a result of alleged abuse or neglect.  To RSVP and learn more email: Patricia.Abaroa@gal.fl.gov

Give Miami Day

 

You can help make history on November 19 at 11:00pm, one hour prior to the start of Give Miami Day. The Miami Foundation, Miami Fellows and local change-agents will be hosting a Twitter party.  Follow @miamifoundation and use the #GiveMiamiDay hashtag to help make a difference! 

What is Give Miami Day? On 12/12/12, the inaugural Give Miami Day sparked a movement that had never been tested in our community before. Five thousand donors gave more than $1.2 million to 300 nonprofit organizations. In 2013, we will take that spark and reignite the new, philanthropic Miami.

On November 20, we will again encourage 24 hours of charitable giving through our innovative website, givemiamiday.org. Individuals may view online profiles of more than 400 nonprofit organizations serving Greater Miami, and make a charitable gift right on the site. The profile will allow existing and potential donors to see the mission, work and impact of each organization, making it easy to support the causes most important to them.

With the support of Knight Foundation, Marlins Foundation, Miami HEAT Charitable Fund and The Miami Foundation Board of Trustees, every donation received through our Give Miami Day website on that day will have a percentage of it matched by The Miami Foundation.*

 

Give Miami Day puts the power of philanthropy in anyone’s hands. Everyone with a passion for Miami can invest in our bright future. Together with a thriving and engaged community, we will fire up Miami to make Give Miami Day 2013 another milestone for our city.

*Only gifts between $25 and $10,000 are eligible to be percentage matched by the Foundation.

 

Weekend Events

In Miami on Saturday night?  Come out for a great cause to Haven at 6pm to support ONE.  A grassroots advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, by raising awareness to support smart policies that are improving futures. ONE was co-founded by Bono.  At ONE, 'we're not asking for your money, we're asking for your voice.'  Give them a voice on Saturday night! 

In Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night?  Survivors' Pathway invites you to a Happy Hour & Silent Auction Event benefiting survivors of gender violence.  The event is as Asia Bay Restaurant in on Las Olas Blvd. at 2pm.  Tickets are $40 at the door and include sushi, hors d'oeuvres, and one drink ticket. 

Fashion For Charity TONIGHT!

No plans tonight?  Well now you do!  Fashion for Charity and Ella Bell Rozio Couture have joined forces for an evening benfitting children who are pursuing careers in the fasion and art industry.  Enjoy a Havana inspired night filled with Fashion, Art by Humbero Benitez, music, OPEN BAR, Food and Cigar Rolling.

The event will be at the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue at 6:30pm.  For my readers use discount code ROZIO for 20% off tickets!  Purchase here. 

Weekend Recap

On Friday, November 8, 2013 the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba hosted their annual Noche Tropical Event.  This was by far the best one yet with over 700 guests!  Bacardi graciously sponsored the beverages and Willy Chirino gave life to a crowded dance floor.  For all the pictures of the event check out the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba on Facebook. 

On Saturday November 9, 2013 I was fortunate to have been honored at the 3rd Annual Carrollton Alumnae Awards Lunch with the Spirit of Sophie in the World Award. "This award is given to a graduate of Carrollton School ofthe Sacred Heart whose very life is an eloquent lesson to the world of the values of Sacred Heart education. A woman of faith, who embraces the vision of Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat in her everyday life, the recipient of the Alumnae Award has contributed beyond the norm to the building of community by demonstrating active concern for the dignity of others. The recipient is well-known and respected in the community as a woman of compassion and hope. She has brought the spirit of Sophie into the world.”

Thank you to my classmates who came to support me and to Carrollton who made me the woman I am today!

Team Nat Foundation hosted their Second Annual Fundraiser on Saturday November 9, 2013 to raise money for NeuroEndocrine Cancer Research.  Not only is Natalie a sister of the Sacred Heart but she is one of my heroes.  Please help her fight by visiting Team Nat Foundation and making a donation today!

 

On Sunday November 10, 2013 The Young Associates of the Coral Gables Museum attended and volunteered at Gala in the Garden graciously hosted by Adrienne Arsht at Villa Serena.  Gala in the Garden boasted a 1913 theme with guests including the Young Associates dressed the part.  We can't wait until next year! 

For the Art Enthusiast

Already have Art Basel on the brain?  Sign up at CreateCollect.com to find out about their upcoming launch party.  What is Create Collect?  It is a platform for emerging artists, artisans and designers to sell their handmade, one-of-a-kind creations within the framework of a curated and sophisticated online marketplace.  Refer a friend and receive a $5 store credit for each friend that registers. 

The launch will be THE place to be during Art Basel, so make sure to Save The Date : December 6th! 

Young Associates Third Annual Party on the Plaza

What is Party on the Plaza?  If you don't know the answer to that question, we're probably not friends on Facebook.  Party on the Plaza was created as a way to bring young professionals into Coral Gables and promote local artists. Our first year, we only sold one ticket the week before the event ... but the night of the event, the community came together with more than 500 young professionals rushing through the door to attend.  After about eight liquor runs and a lot of excitement, our first ever Party on the Plaza was a huge success. We raised $25,000 for the Coral Gables Museum that night and started a tradition that has carried me through my tenure as president for the Young Associates. 

On Friday November 1, 2013 the Young Associates of the Coral Gables Museum hosted their Third Annual Party on the Plaza Masquerade. This was our most successful event to date, with more than 700 guests in attendance, raising over $37,000.  This year, we featured local artists Miguel Paredes, Ruben Millares, Victor Alarcon, Gaudi Castro, Michael Halley, Alsonso Villagram, Cynthia Fleishmann and Natessa Amin. 

Local restaurant favorites Sushi Samba, Bulla, Swine, Morton's Steakhouse, El Novillo, John Martin's, Books and Books and Green Gables Cafe provided guests with bites and a real taste of Coral Gables fare.  Drinks were provided by Bacardi, Hatuey, Jojo Tea and Vita Coco.  Guests tore up the dance floor thanks to the wonderful sounds of DJ Blaze and enchanting dance and drum performance by Stephanie Mas, Carlos Saballos and Javier Rosales.   

This year was extremely special for me since it was my last as President of the Young Associates.  After three years of hard work, it is time to give someone else a chance to take the group to the next level and I am confident that Zak Mann will do an incredible job.  Go get 'em Tiger! 

Special thanks to Coral Gables TV for coming out to cover the event : http://bit.ly/19HgFhc

Young Professionals are the FUTURE!

For all those non-profit organizations in the community: it's time to recognize that Young Professionals (a.k.a. Millennials) are your FUTURE! You may not be ready to accept it, but things are changing. Direct mail is dead and we are in a completely different time. So get up! Stand up! And make a change...

Check out this inspiring article on the topic: http://huff.to/1fk1b45

Who is Cristina Isabel Mas?

Who is Cristina Isabel Mas?  Good question.  If you live in Miami, you might already know because you receive all my Facebook event invites ... and then subsequently unfriend me  (no feelings hurt ...well maybe a little). That or I have somehow obtained your email address and added you to my e-blast list.  No need to thank me.  You're welcome.

But on a more serious note: I was born and raised in Miami, went to a private Catholic all-girls school (yes, just like Britney Spears in her first music video), and currently work at the University of Miami. Three years ago, I founded the Young Associates of the Coral Gables Museum, which is a non-profit, young professionals organization that raises awareness and support in the Miami community. Since I started this group, my fabulous committee and I have been able to raise close to $100,000 for the Museum.

I am fortunate to have found my passion for affecting change at a young age and am still amazed at how fast I have been able to make an impact in my community.  Every day, I challenge other young professionals to do the same.

In my spare time, I volunteer for a variety of different organizations; but my favorite cause is Radio Lollipop at Miami Children's Hospital (a.k.a. the best place to spend your time).  It is by far the most touching organization I have been affiliated with. Radio Lollipop is a completely volunteer-run, non-profit radio station bringing joy to critically ill children. We host a live radio show that runs three nights a week for patients at the hospital.  Not only are the volunteers some of the best people I have ever met, but we get to make children smile -- children who sometimes don't have very much to smile about. And that is the best feeling in the world.

Why do I do it?  I'm just a girl trying to make a difference. And you can too.