Press Room

Monday, February 25, 2008

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Eloise E. Rodriguez
Bristol Public Relations
Cell. 786-326-2221
Tel. 305-447-6300

MIAMI, FL – February 25, 2008 – Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation’s Hugs & Kisses Co-Chair Norma Quintero is to be credited with the creation of the Foundation’s "I Make a Difference" concept as a way to celebrate philanthropy in our youth as well as to showcase them for others to emulate. The first annual award ceremony, where eight exemplary students will be honored, will take place on Sunday, March 2nd, beginning at 10:30 a.m., at the Village of Merrick Park’s courtyard.

The special award program will be hosted by CBS4’s Emmy-Winning Entertainment Reporter Lisa Petrillo. The Junior Committee Chairs are Cristofer Fernandez, Zachary Kerr, I. Nicholas Lopez-Morillo and Alessandra Quintero, who will also be on hand to present the awards.

Miami Children's Hospital Foundation (MCHF) is proud to introduce and celebrate philanthropy in younger community members. The objective is to recognize those students who give back to their community and who genuinely understand the value that their time and energy provides to those in need. The "I Make a Difference" honorees were selected by their schools for the contributions to entities of their own choosing and in no way limited to initiatives undertaken for Miami Children's Hospital Foundation or Miami Children's Hospital (MCH).

"I Make a Difference" is intended to be an annual program for the education to young members of our community and eventually state and nation-wide which, under the guidance of Miami Children's Hospital Foundation, will promote the benefits of giving – time and resources – starting with our youth.

"The initiative will feature some of the most amazing students in our community and ‘I Make a Difference’ will help show other children that when they put their mind to a project and have a passion about that project – anything is possible. MCHF worked with many local schools, teachers, Directors, Principals, and Development Officers, who recognized and embraced the potential power of this program," stated Lucy Morillo, President, Miami Children's Hospital Foundation.

For more information on the "I Make a Difference" program, please contact Jamie Holt, VP Marketing & PR, Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation at 786-268-1822 or ^{jholt@mchf.org.}

Miami Children's Hospital Foundation (MCHF) is a non-profit 501 (C) (3) organization whose sole mission is to create awareness and generate funds for Miami Children's Hospital (MCH), the only licensed specialty hospital in South Florida exclusively for children. The Foundation's guiding principle is that children’s health care is the primary concern of all and that children are precious like diamonds and thus must have access to state-of-the-art pediatric care. MCH, a 275-bed freestanding facility, is Florida's only pediatric hospital to be included in U.S. News & World Report's 2007 listing of "America's Best Children's Hospitals."

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Lauren Monzon - Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart
Lauren, an 11th grader, is President of the Carrollton Chapter of Best Buddies International, an organization that pairs people with intellectual disabilities in one-to-one friendships with adults, college and high school students. Under her leadership, the Carrollton Best Buddies Chapter was recognized as the "Best Chapter" in Miami Dade County. Lauren is also a member of the Best Buddies Miami Advisory Board and she has contributed 200 hours to this organization.

Sydney Iadarola - The Cushman School
Sydney is a member of the Honey Shine Mentoring Program. Tracy Mourning founded Honey Shine to help girls who are less fortunate than most and who have not had the same opportunities as others to become responsible young women. Many of the girls devote their weekends to participating in the workshops at Honey Shine. Sydney’s philosophy is that "every person makes a difference" and Sydney you do.

Elena Zapata - The Fisher Island School
Elena, an eight-year-old second grader is already involved in volunteering. The children at Elena's school make sandwiches once a month for a small homeless assistance center in downtown Miami where she goes with her mother to make the deliveries. Elena also recycles her old toys by donating them to shelters so other children can play. She earns money washing dishes, cleaning her room and walking her dog so that she can contribute to a fund for poor children in Columbia.

Samantha Reetz - The Gulliver School
A senior, Sam is a true optimist even through much adversity in her young life. An avid self-starter, Sam was awarded The Mt. Sinai Outstanding Youth Award for her service work in raising $25,000 for Juvenile Diabetes research and volunteering at Mt. Sinai’s Medical Center in the maternity, ambulatory and oncology units. Sam hopes to become a doctor and is a board member of HISA (Health Interested Students of America) and she is also active with Doctors without Borders. Sam is one of seven Gulliver Prep Students who received the "Silver Knight Award" given by The Miami Herald for leadership in community service. Sam is also a Sunday School Teacher and Aid at her church and plans to pursue her love of music in college.

Alessia Bacharach - Palmer Trinity School
Alessia, a senior, has lived in London, Buenos Aires and now Florida. Growing up, Alessia had opportunities to join community service groups and has been involved with an orphanage in Peru. Alessia was determined to "make a difference" and she did by founding the Students Against Cruelty club at Palmer Trinity during her junior year. The club produced a talent showcase at the Studio Theatre at Miami’s Carnival Center for the Performing Arts which raised over $8,400 for The Florida Panther Society, Inc. Alessia is already planning the next event while she volunteers at a veterinarian’s office.

Jack Davis - St.Thomas Episcopal Parish
Jack, an 11 year old, currently attends Ransom Everglades Middle School having graduated from St. Thomas Episcopal Parish School. At St. Thomas, Jack was a recipient of the DAANS Star Award and was selected to represent the school at the Junior National Young Leaders’ Conference in Washington, D.C. Last summer, Jack discovered that many hotels and restaurants throw away leftover food from banquets instead of donating it for fear of litigation. Jack set out on a mission which has taken him to Florida legislators to propose a new bill that would allow the donation of leftover food to shelters. The Jack Davis Florida Lending a Helping Hand Act, sponsored by Representative Ari Porth and Senator Nan Rich. Named Person of the Week by ABC News, Jack has been a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and invited to be a page during the Legislative Session in Tallahassee and he will lobby for his bill.

John Michael Holtmann - St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School
A third grader at St. Stephen’s, John Michael chooses to use his tennis talent to help children in need. That was his dream when he joined the Andy Roddick Foundation and helped to raise funds and awareness for Kids in Distress. When two of his friends were diagnosed with diabetes, he donated his year savings to the Research Institute for Diabetes to help find a cure. John Michael also spends time with an elderly neighbor.

Ethan Bortnick – Honorary Recipient
Ethan, all of seven years old, has been able to share his musical talents to make many people happy. Last October, Ethan chose to entertain at Miami Children's Hospital Foundation’s Inaugural Diamond Ball over opening for Mariah Carey in LA. The Foundation has been blessed with a deep relationship with the Bortnick family as Ethan’s little brother Nathan suffered from a serious heart condition which has been successfully treated at Miami Children’s Hospital by the Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery team. Ethan’s performances on behalf of the Foundation have been his way, and indeed all of the Bortnick’s contribution to supporting Miami Children’s Hospital.