Support Adopt-A-Classroom

Outside the home, the teacher is the single greatest influence on the life of a child. They do more than just teach, they are caregivers, guardians, mentors, and role models. In order to succeed at their increasingly demanding job, teachers need more resources and support. According to the National Education Association, public school teachers spend an average $1,200 annually purchasing materials for their classrooms. Without these resources, teachers are unable to do the job they are being asked to perform so it should be no surprise that 50% of teachers leave the profession within the first five years. As the Mayor of the City of Miami, I believe the time has come for all citizens to begin taking a vested interest in the future of the children of our City.

I have partnered with Adopt-A-Classroom and Miami-Dade County Public Schools to work toward its mission of matching every teacher in Miami with a community partner. Through Adopt-A-Classroom, anyone can partner with and make a donation of any size to any classroom in Miami. 100% of the donation goes directly to the teacher so the teacher can purchase the resources necessary to meet student needs. Donors receive personal feedback from the teacher and students. In addition, Adopt-A-Classroom sends donors Impact Reports that details exactly what teacher purchased with the donation, providing full accountability and transparency in the process.

The teacher would have the resources necessary to maximize student achievement, and the students would have the knowledge that others in the community care about their success and are rooting for them. We want to expand this initiative for the 2008-2009 school year to adopt all classrooms within the City of Miami. We are calling on you to become a part of this plan. A contribution of as little as $500.00 could make an enormous difference. Please consider this as an opportunity to contribute to the City’s future. You can make a donation directly to a school and teacher of your choice by going to Adopt-A-Classroom’s website – http://www.adoptaclassroom.org/ or for information, please contact Vivianne Bohorques, from my office, at 305-250-5317.

- Manny

Miami Art Week and Re-Designing Simpson Park

Miami is alive with art during Miami Art Week, coinciding with the world-renowned art fair, Art Basel. Headed by Design Miami/, an official Art Basel activity, hundreds or art-related events will be happening throughout the city, including gallery openings, art festivals, and a plethora of exhibitions.
One of these wonderful events was today’s celebration of the first phase of ‘re:design Simpson Park’, a public-private partnership to revitalize this historic park and return it to the community. I would personally like to thank Audi of America, landscape designer Enzo Enea and Miami-based green architect Chad Oppenheim for their donation and their hard work to make this project happen during the week of Design Miami/.
The first phase of the re-design of Simpson Park is a step towards the realization for my vision of what Miami’s green spaces will be, and I remain committed to achieving this vision, with a park within half a mile of every resident, and no net loss of park land. Already the city has doubled its park funding and is starting to acquire more park land.
Don’t miss any of the other great art-related events in our city. Some of the highlights of Miami Art Week include: Design Miami/, the official Art Basel event in the City of Miami, in our own Design district, Design Miami/ brings together a mixture of upcoming designers, influential dealers, collectors and curators that celebrate the past, present and future of design. Several other galleries will also showcase work. Midtown Miami: This trendy Miami center has an unprecedented number of satellite art fairs during the week of Art Basel, including Art Miami, the GREEN Art Fair, and Scope Miami. Wynwood: The MOCA, the Margulies Collection, Pulse Miami and dozens of other galleries and events will be going on in this artistic neighborhood throughout the whole week. MiMo District: Several galleries in this historic neighborhood will be open, as well as in Little Havana, Coconut Grove, Overtown and Downtown.
Download a map of these activities HERE.

- Manny

Our World AIDS Day Commemoration

Yesterday we commemorated the 20th World AIDS Day at the city of Miami with a candlelight memorial and tree lighting ceremony. I would like to thank everyone who participated, and who made this event possible, including our sponsor, Walgreens Corporation, the Miami-Dade County Health Department, the South Florida Aids Network, Jackson Health System, my staff and a special thanks to my good friend Mayor Kevin Burns of North Miami, for donating the Christmas tree.
This year’s international theme is a call for leadership - “Stop AIDS. Keep the promise.”
Whether you are here honoring the memory of a loved one, raising awareness about this disease, or simply because you care about others, it is important that we all lead in stopping this disease.
HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. It does care about age, race, or gender. It destroys lives, families and communities, and it will continue to do so unless we lead the way to stop the spread of AIDS.
Our Christmas tree has 175 cards in memory of loved ones who have left us and gone to rest after their battle with HIV/AIDS. These are the names of people, just like you and me, who brought us joy and laughter, who brought us smiles and tears, people who faced great odds with great courage.
Let us not forget them – let us keep the promise so that each year the roll call will become smaller and smaller.
You can help by donating canned food to the Girl Scout Tropical South Florida Troop 95. You can drop off your canned goods at the MRC building, on 444 SW 2 Avenue until December 5. The Girl Scout troops will donate the food to the Food for Life Network.

- Manny

World AIDS Day is December 1st

World AIDS Day is this Monday, December 1, 2008. For the last twenty years, people have been marking this important day with memorial services, rallies and community gatherings. Today, there are 40 million people living with HIV around the world. In support of these individuals and the families of those we have lost, please join me in wearing a red ribbon - the international symbol of hope and commitment to stopping the spread of HIV - this Monday.

This is more than an international tradition. It is an opportunity to mark our commitment to stopping the spread of AIDS worldwide.

In honor of World AIDS Day and its 20th Anniversary, the City of Miami would like to invite the community to a candlelight memorial and tree lighting ceremony.

Please join me, the City of Miami Commission, the Miami-Dade County Health Department and Walgreens, Co. in commemorating World AIDS Day on Monday at 5:00pm at the Miami Riverside Center on 444 SW 2nd Avenue.

A Thanksgiving Message

Today we celebrate Thanksgiving, an opportunity to spend time with our families and reflect on the many blessings in our lives. This is also a time to think about those less fortunate than ourselves. The City of Miami, with the help of community and corporate partners, has provided over a thousand Thanksgiving meals for Miami families this week.
This is the time to consider offering our time to volunteer in our community or making a donation to our favorite charity. There are many volunteering opportunities right here in our city. The Miami Rescue Mission and Camillus House are just two of the organizations in Miami that will be holding Thanksgiving Day events for the homeless and those less fortunate. I will be participating in these efforts this Thanksgiving Day.
I encourage you to also think about our community's needs and find the time, or the money, to give back.
I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, and wish you and your families all the best during this holiday season.







- Manny

Thoughts on Leadership

I was honored to participate in a panel discussion about leadership with some of the country’s best leaders during a reception hosted by U.S. News & World Report at The National Press Club in Washington, DC. Those of us who participated in the panel yesterday were named one of America’s Top Leaders in 2008 by U.S. News and the Center for Public Leadership (CPL) at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
During the lively discussion, led by David Gergen, editor-at-Large of U.S. News and director of the CPL, I was pleased to see that leadership is alive and well in our country.
Participating in the discussion were 14 of the 24 honorees chosen by the center, including myself. The other 13 participants were Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic; Benjamin Carson, M.D., director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital; Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund; Anthony Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin, co-founders of the KIPP Foundation; Fiona Anne Harrison, Ph.D., professor of Physics and Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology; David Baltimore, Ph.D., R. A. Millikan Professor of Biology, California Institute of Technology; Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; Amory B. Lovins, co-founder, chairman and chief Scientist of the Rocky Mountain Institute; Linda Rottenberg, co-founder and CEO of Endeavor; Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University; and Maria T. Zuber, Ph.D., E. A. Griswold professor of Geophysics at MA Institute of Technology.
One theme that continued to come up in the discussion is the need to invest in our future and in our children. A large part of the discussion centered on educating our children and giving them the tools they need to succeed. Many of the panelists were involved in education and the sciences, and they shared inspiring stories of times when they have seen children become inspired to do great things, as well as heart-breaking stories of children who cannot succeed because they are born in the wrong place or in the wrong economic class.
There was consensus among us: our country cannot afford to lose so many of our children to crime, poverty and lack of education. We must invest in our children now if we are to become the great nation that we deserve to be.

To read the U.S. News 2008 edition of America’s Best Leaders, please visit www.usnews.com/leaders.

- Manny

Miami's Condo Market Still Strong

Miami’s real estate market continues to thrive in spite of the difficult economic conditions being experienced all around the nation. As reported in The Miami Herald, the closings at downtown Miami condos have continued despite the slow-down in the economy.
The article reads:
“Since 2003, 17,299 condos have been finished and 12,169 have closed at an average price of $405,966 per unit, adding up to total sales of nearly $5 billion in the greater downtown Miami area, which includes the Brickell, central business district and Midtown neighborhoods.”
More than 12,000 units have closed in downtonwn, a large number of units for any local economy to absorb, even in robust economic times. The fact that all of these units have closed despite the current economic climate speaks volumes about the city’s stability and ability to attract buyers. This is a testament that Miami continues to grow and prosper, and will continue to be a source of prosperity for its residents.
It is also a testament to how far the city has come in creating an urban core to live, work and play in. Not too long ago, Miami had no urban core to speak of. Now, downtown has been completely transformed. The residents who will live in these 12,000 that have closed will help create a new urban environment and a brand new sustainable city. These closings also create an opportunity for renters to live in the urban core, renters who are likely to become buyers once the lending market improves.
This is why the City of Miami will continue to invest in projects such as the Miami World Center, and continue to work towards implementing the new zoning code, Miami 21. These investments are necessary to build the city we all want to live in, and create a sustainable home for our children.

- Manny

Read The Miami Herald story.