Protecting the children of Miami-Dade County is and has always been a main priority of mine. Last summer, there was a rise in violence throughout Miami-Dade County and specifically, South Dade. I immediately knew I had to get to work and figure out a way to keep our most vulnerable children safe and off the streets for the summer. Together with my team, we developed a program idea and reviewed our office budget to determine what resources could be allocated to help this idea come to life—in a matter of weeks, SafeSummers came to fruition.

I am extremely proud to say that SafeSummers was funded with a record-breaking $250k allocation directly from my District 8 office budget and was put in place right in time for the summer of 2021. With the help of wonderful community partners, over 400 children received full-time summer programming where they played sports, learned robotics, received tutoring assistance, and so much more. As highlighted on Good Morning America, some of the children that received assistance were the siblings of gun-violence victims from the South Dade community; being able to give back to these parents that have already lost so much was a true honor.

Since then, we have expanded the concept and launched SafeSpaces which provides after school programming to children in need so that they can participate in athletics or receive homework assistance. I am happy to say that SafeSpaces was a great success and will continue to be offered annually so that the children of District 8 continue to have a ‘safespace’ to turn to year-round. As we head into the summer months, I am thrilled to say that SafeSummers 2022 has officially been launched and partners have been selected to provide the same great experiences that we did the first time around.

As a mother myself, I firmly believe that we must invest in the leaders of tomorrow. I look forward to continue being an avid advocate for our County’s children and creating spaces where they are able to learn, play, and feel safe.

Hurricane Season is from June 1 to November 30. Be sure to plan and prepare ahead of time. Read a list of commonly used hurricane terms and learn about the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

On Thursday, May 5, 2022, the Interfaith Advisory Board (IAB) participated in the National Day of Prayer observance. Board members joined Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and other community leaders for a unity gathering where religious leaders from different faiths prayed together for our nation. The National Day of Prayer, established in 1952, is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May each year.

In observance of Older Americans Month, the Elder Affairs Advisory Board (EAAB) hosted its first annual Elder Resource Fair on Tuesday, May 17 at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center. There were representatives from the Library, AARP, Miami-Dade Police Special Victim’s Bureau, Miami-Dade Fire Department, FIU’s Aging Study, Senator Marco Rubio’s office, USCIS, and more. If you missed this one, another one is planned soon.

The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women has 6 vacancies, one in each of the following districts: 2, 3, 9, 10, 12, and 13. There is an open call for community members interested in serving. Please send your bio and resumé to monica.skoko@miamidade.gov to be considered. 

The Miami-Dade County Commission for Women (CFW) held its general monthly meeting to discuss with detectives from the MDPD Special Victims Unit about their ongoing work to support survivors of gender-based violence.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts 1 in 3 women, but immigrant and undocumented women are particularly vulnerable to intimate partner violence as abusers often use their undocumented partner’s immigration status as a means of control. Abuse rates among immigrant women are as high as 49.8%. This is almost three times the national average. 

For more information and updates on COVID-19, visit the following sites:

Miami-Dade County COVID-19 General Information:

https://www.miamidade.gov/global/initiatives/coronavirus/home.page

Miami-Dade County COVID-19 Assistance:

https://www.miamidade.gov/global/initiatives/coronavirus/assistance/home.page

United Way of Miami-Dade COVID-19 Resource Center:

https://unitedwaymiami.org/coronavirusresources/

Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Updates:

https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/

CDC COVID-19 Information:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html