Voices for Children Foundation Secures Historic Fundraise of Over $1.1 Million at 26th Annual "Be A Voice" Gala
The black-tie philanthropy event included a live and silent auction of items which featured local artists, businesses, and service providers, as well as luxurious items for sale.
MIAMI-DADE – Jan. 11, 2023 – Voices For Children Foundation (VFC) hosted its 26th Annual “Be A Voice Gala” at Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Saturday, Jan. 7 with support from its honorary chair sponsor, Shipley Foundation, Inc. This year’s signature fundraiser saw a record-breaking raise of over $1.1 Million with the participation of more than 400 Miami-Dade County elected officials, community leaders, philanthropists and citizens.
Stan Mckay and his family
Copyright © Voices For Children
CLICK HERE to see the Photo Gallery (credit Voices For Children).
“It is my honor to lead Voices For Children Foundation and continue the organization’s legacy in Miami-Dade County. At our gala, community leaders, volunteers and champions mobilized to support the 1,500 children in care,” said VFC President and CEO Kadie Black. “We are thankful for the unwavering support from the Miami-Dade community. It is because of their generosity that we can continue the critical work of raising awareness and providing resources for children in foster care.”
During the gala, participants learned the impact that Voices For Children (VFC) makes in the lives of many in and out of the foster care system by listening to inspirational stories told by allies and people formerly affected by the system. Foster parent Stan Mckay delivered a touching story about the experiences and obstacles he faced in foster care and now as a foster parent that inspired many during the Give from the Heart part of the night. Miami-Dade County Mayor and VFC co-founder Daniella Levine Cava also delivered a moving speech about the life-changing work VFC does and the organization’s important origin story.
Throughout the night, professional auctioneer Jason Alpert conducted a live and silent auction that mobilized participants to contribute to VFC’s purpose by bidding on unique items and experiences that were donated by local members of the community.
True to the night’s theme, "Making Dreams Come True," VFC and its supporters work to grant the dreams of children in the dependency system and their caregivers by funding assistance to the necessities and experience that provide children with a sense of normalcy and stability during this difficult period of their lives.
Chief among these, VFC works to fulfill its core mission of enabling 100% Guardian ad Litem (GAL) representation of children in foster care to serve as the child’s voice in court. These funds help to recruit, train and support GAL court-appointed volunteers and staff who serve as advocates for the best interests of foster children in vulnerable situations. Additionally, VFC works to provide children and their caregivers with access to dignity items that every child needs such as clothing, school supplies, bikes, laptops and gifts for their birthdays or holidays in addition to basic necessities like food and housing assistance. Funds also allow VFC to help grant life experiences such as prom, birthday parties, summer camp, college tours and more.
Additional sponsors for this year’s gala included Stearns Weaver Miller, Yolanda and Jeff Berkowitz, Senator Rene Garcia, Bertha and Paul Pino, Akumen, Fort Family Foundation, Galleria Farms, Grossman, Lemontang, De la Fuente, Kaufman Rossin, Take Five Oil Change, Ziff Family Foundation, Amazon, Ellen & Ronald Block Family Foundation, Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgens, FPL, Kandall, Kandell & Petrie, KPMG, Nomi Health, Maria Maloof and Marile Lopez, Two Roads Development, USI Insurance Services, Mandarin Oriental, Brickell Magazine and Alto.
To continue to stay engaged and committed to VFC’s mission, individuals can find out more about how they can donate or contribute here.
About Voices For Children Foundation
Voices For Children Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that raises funds to help ensure that abused, abandoned, and neglected children in Miami-Dade County each have a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their health, educational, and social needs. Guardian ad Litem volunteers are trained, court-appointed adults who serve as a child’s representative voice in dependency court proceedings. Currently, 100% of Miami-Dade’s 1,500 children in foster care have representation through a Guardian ad Litem. For more information, please visit www.BeAVoice.org.
