Fashion and Food Featured at SoMi Talk of the Town Rooftop Party #Parks #MIami-Dade

(MIAMI, November 1, 2011) – South Miami’s favorite fashion boutiques and restaurants are coming together all in one location for another rooftop party – SoMi Talk of the Town, showcasing great food and fine fashion, benefiting the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade and the Million Trees Miami Project. SoMi Talk of the Town will be on Saturday, November 19, from 6:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. on the rooftop deck of the parking garage, located at 5829 SW 73 Street (above RA Sushi and across from Bougainvillea’s). Click here to go to the event on Facebook. 

Guests will enjoy live music by popular local bands the Mojo Scoundrels, Cat Shell and the Vibe, sample some of the finest foods from area restaurants, and enjoy a fashion show by local fashion boutiques competing for “Best of” in four categories – SoMi Chill (Casual), SoMi Style (Chic), SoMi Exclusive (Most Unique), and the coveted “SoMi Talk of the Town” award.

Zoo Miami’s very own Ron Magill returns as master of ceremony for the evening.

Advance ticket costs are $30 general admission per person, $50 general admission per couple, and $50 VIP per person for the VIP Package which includes a special seating area and complementary cocktails, in addition to the samplers and beer and wine. To pre-purchase tickets online, please visit www.mdparks.org. There will be an additional surcharge of $10 at the door the night of the event.

Parks Foundation members can receive one free general admission ticket to the event, or a $30 credit towards an upgrade to a VIP ticket, but must RSVP online at www.mdparks.org and enter their membership code to receive their ticket.

“We are excited to host another great evening event after the overwhelming success of the July 9 SoMi Taste of the Town where restaurants competed for the Taste of the Town award,” said Allison Diego, Executive Director of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade. “This time around the restaurants will be supporting the area merchants that will showcase their latest in fashion and accessories competing for the Talk of the Town award. The evening promises to be bigger and better than the first, and all for a worthwhile cause.”

Sponsors include Big Cheese, Casa Lario’s, Chamber South, Community Newspapers, Fox’s Lounge, Red Sunset Merchants Association, Miami Disc Golf Association, South Miami Hospital, SoMi Magazine, and United HomeCare.

Participating restaurants and retailers include Casa Lario’s and Fox’s Lounge hosting the VIP tent, A Venue Boutique, Aurum Collections, Bougainvillea’s Old Florida Tavern, Cervezas, Co-Sign of the Times, D Find at Sunset, Fresh Beer, Gardner’s Market, Gold Coast Beverage Distributors, Massage Envy, MD Ageless South, Outback Steakhouse, Roaster’s n Toaster’s, Secret Vanity Boutique, Shula’s 347, Si Belle, Sports Grill, Swensen’s, Tastie Treats Café, Teleboro Wireless, The Boston Beer Company, The Irish Times, Wok Master, and more.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade and the Million Trees Miami Project.

About the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade
The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization supporting the Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department’s efforts to further develop Miami-Dade County’s world-class parks system for residents and visitors. Its mission is to create a healthier, more livable and sustainable Miami community by ensuring the implementation of the Parks Open Space Master Plan and the development of year-round park and recreation programs for local children, adults and people with disabilities.

Monies raised through membership and fundraising efforts help fund: scholarships for disadvantaged children to attend after-school and summer camp programs; recreational and community programs, such as disability services and health and wellness initiatives for people of all ages; and Parks Open Space Master Plan initiatives, such as the development of trailways, bikeways and safe access to parks and open spaces throughout Miami. For more information on the Parks Foundation, please visit www.parksfoundationofmiami-dade.com.

About Million Trees Miami Project
Million Trees Miami Project Campaign is a community-wide effort to plant one million trees by 2020 in order to achieve a thirty-percent tree canopy cover for Miami-Dade County. The campaign was developed by the Miami-Dade Community Image Advisory Board and was born of the idea that a healthy and sustainable urban forest provides significant social, economic, and environmental benefits that foster a high-quality, livable, vibrant, and beautiful community. In order to reach our urban tree canopy goal of 30%, everyone needs to participate.

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Come Out For Play! #Miami-Dade #Parks #Green-space #Health #Wellness

Crandon Park 

With the next "Come Out for Play" event set for April 9th at Crandon Park (click here to go to the event page on Facebook), this is a good time to consider supporting your parks system.

Have you ever thought about what life would be without parks? 

Remember your family barbecues at Matheson? Or your child’s enthusiasm when he came home after his first day at summer camp or after-school program? How about the memories of your child’s first home-run at his first little league game? Or memories of the long afternoons of golf with your dad on the public course? Do you remember taking your boat out at Haulover marina and going fishing, or spending summers with your family at the beach at Crandon with dad grilling some burgers for lunch? These are just some examples of the countless ways in which parks are a part of everyone’s life in Miami-Dade County.

Continue your memories, sustain the legacy! 

There are many opportunities to help support your parks and its programs. By becoming a member of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade (click here and join the fan page on Facebook), you not only receive great discounts and benefits but you also become part of a “Park Champion” social group that values parks and its benefits and wants to preserve them for future generations.

The value of a membership far outweighs the cost of a membership. An individual membership is $99 and a family membership costs $149. For your purchase you receive discounted services and programs and even get free admission to special events throughout the year.

Want to find out more? Then join us at our next event. Beautiful Crandon Beach at sunset will be the backdrop of The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade’s second “Come Out for Play” FUNdraiser & Facebook Social, scheduled for Saturday, April 9, at 5:30 p.m. at Crandon Park Beach Cabanas, located at 6747 Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, FL (click here to go to the invitation on Facebook).

This second event promises to be bigger and better than the first! Head to www.mdparks.org to purchase tickets and get ready for one awesome evening of great live music by The Mojo Scoundrels (click here and become a fan on Facebook); dancing; raffles for great prizes; Disc Golf demonstration; and free drinks and appetizers courtesy of Ale House, Novecento Restaurant, and Polar Beer. The cost is $25 for advance wristband tickets purchased online at www.mdparks.org, or $30 at the door the day of the event. Parks Foundation members enter for free but must RSVP at www.mdparks.org to receive their free wristband ticket.

Please take a moment to read more about the value of parks, the Parks Foundation, and membership options:

Why help support Miami-Dade’s 263 parks on 12,848 acres? Let’s count the reasons. 

Reason #1: Parks Help Kids 

One of the greatest healthcare challenges Americans are facing now is the alarming number of kids suffering from obesity.

Not only do parks offer places to play and exercise, your Parks Department’s Fit-to-Play: Health, Wellness, and Obesity Prevention Out-of-School Program helps kids stay safe and adopt healthy lifestyles through education. Children learn about good nutrition habits, stress management, safety, and citizenship, while getting involved in regular physical activity that is actually fun!

Reason #2: And Adults, Too

A significant percentage of our adult population is suffering from stress, anxiety, and high blood pressure. Fortunately, time spent at one of your parks can help people of all ages avoid these potential issues. So if you thought a stroll in the park was just to get some fresh air, think again. It does the body, mind, and soul good.

Reason #3: Mother Nature Likes It 

Parks reduce the impact of pollution, help keep the temperature a bit cooler, improve air quality, and help keep your drinking water cleaner.

Reason #4: Your Wallet Thickens 

Your parks play a large role in your community’s economy. The parks system creates jobs, with more than half belonging to private companies. Additionally, quality parks attract tourists and new residents and help maintain home values in your community.

Reason #5: You Get to Party 

On February 26, a group of park-loving locals gathered at the Ocean Grill at Black Point Marina for the first ever "Come Out For Play" event (click here to see the video). There was great food, fantastic live music, exciting raffle prizes, and beautiful South Florida weather. Did you know Park Foundation members get in free?

Reason #6: Still Growing

Miami-Dade County continues to grow, as do the needs of residents and visitors for a world-class park system. Traditional government funding sources are not adequate to keep pace with the growing demands of our expanding community.


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Founded in 2004, the Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the primary purpose of supporting the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department to ensure your parks are here for generations to come.

We also offer the Park Champion Donor Circle at the Bronze Level ($249), Silver Level ($499), or Gold Level ($749). Prefer to make a one-time gift that will have residual effect? Want to adopt a park or sponsor a tree or park bench? The Foundation makes these meaningful gifts possible as well.

Are you a business owner? Did you know your company can receive recognition, showcase community commitment, and achieve significant return on investment by becoming a corporate sponsor of our Adopt-a-Park Program? There are unlimited opportunities to sponsor special events, programs, benches, marquees, facilities, or trailways.

To become a member or make a tax deductable donation, learn more about the Foundation and what it does for your local parks, and how your membership and donations will make a difference today and tomorrow, then please visit www.parksfoundationofmiami-dade.com. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook to get exclusive news. See you at the Park!!

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Why support the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade?

March 4, 2011 

Dear Friends of Our Parks, 

Every great community has a great park system: Boston, Chicago, New York, Seattle and Miami-Dade. We are lucky to have one of the most unique and diverse park and recreation systems in the world and I would like to share some of those features that make ours unique: 

The accredited Miami-Dade Park & Recreation Department is the third largest county park system in the country: 263 parks; 12,848 acres of land; serving 2.5 million residents; and 10 million annual visitors. The quality of its facilities, programs and services have been recognized with the NRPA's National Gold Medal Award and the Florida Governor's Sterling Award for excellence in management and operations. Crandon and Haulover parks and their beaches, Greynolds and Amelia Earhart parks, Zoo Miami, the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, and Deering Estate at Cutler are just a few of Miami's gems comprising this impressive system. 

The Parks Department is improving the quality of life in Miami-Dade, transforming it into a more livable, enjoyable and sustainable place to live. Parks play a vital role in the community's health, environment, social well-being, and economic prosperity, daily. Everyone has a memory of a great experience in a park from the last family picnic to the "big game" that created bragging rights, and even the good times spent at the beach building sand castles. 

Here are some of the ways our parks and recreational programs are essential to this community: 

Health and Social Benefits for Kids and Adults: Over the last two decades overweight adolescence nationwide has doubled according to the Center for Disease Control (Miami Herald, Feb. 2, 2010). According to research by the Miami-Dade County Children's Trust, local students trail the nation in physical exercise. The Parks Department aggressively addresses this problem, offering its Fit To Play Program, after school and in summer at 50 recreation centers throughout the county, that teaches kids about healthy nutrition and gets them physically active. We create healthy habits. 

While working parents aren't home to supervise their kids, Miami-Dade Parks programs provide juveniles with fun, wholesome activities to participate in during the critical 3-6 p.m. hours, when school-age kids are most likely to commit or be victimized by crime; to smoke, drink or use drugs; or to get involved in gang-related activity. According to the Census Bureau, at least 7 million children go home to an empty house after school, because their communities do not offer affordable out-of-school programs. 

As Marjory Stoneman Douglas properly observed: "Child welfare ought really to cover all sorts of topics, such as better water and sanitation and good roads, and clean streets and public parks and playgrounds". 

Adults need recreation, social interaction and relaxation to counteract the stresses of life and work. All three lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, control weight, anxiety and depression, according to a Curtin University of Australia survey. Benefits are amplified by safe, natural, tranquil settings like parks. 

Economic Benefits: Park and recreation facilities and associated operations in Miami-Dade County are responsible for creating nearly 10,000 jobs annually. Employment associated with park operations is expected to grow to 12,400 jobs by 2017, with 61 percent of those positions created in the private market, as the benefits of having an expanded park network come to fruition and population grows. 

· In 2009, local, state and national parks, including Miami-Dade's, pumped more than $200 million in operating expenditure into the community. This is projected to grow to almost $300 million by 2017. Local businesses from landscaping companies to sporting goods stores, and architectural firms to construction companies, benefit from this investment made in the County's facilities and programs. 

· Investing in residential area parks and open spaces leads to increased neighborhood property values. A recent study of the economic impacts of parks in Philadelphia estimated that there was a 5% increase (5% value multiplier) for homes within 500 feet of parks that were one acre or larger. 

The Parks Department receives 3.51% of the County budget and spends the majority funding local jobs and providing services to residents. 

Stay tuned for more important information about your Park System. Meanwhile, go to our website to learn more about all of these great activities and more at miamidade.gov/parks. We guarantee you'll find something fun and exciting to experience and explore.


Please join us for our next "Come out for Play" social and fundraiser. Click here to visit the invitation on Facebook. 

Warmest regards, 

Jorge Luis Lopez

Founding Chairman

The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade 


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Parks for Recreation #Miami-Dade and why they are important to you!

Matheson Hammock Park, Miami, FL

Why Miami-Dade County parks are important to you

From childhood, Dan Levine has treated Miami-Dade County’s parks like extensions of his backyard. Growing up within walking distance of Miller Drive Park, Dan didn’t think twice about running down to the park every chance he got. Especially in the summer, Dan learned sports skills from coaches and caring locals who wanted to pass their knowledge to the next generation. It was also where Dan made some lifelong friends.

“Back when I was a kid, Miller Park was the place we would go to learn sports skills or just hang out,” Dan recalls. “Now, there is a sports league around every corner, but you couldn’t get that kind of training anywhere else back then. My friends and I were fortunate to have had access to such a great park and the people who worked there.”


Moving Up

Once he entered Southwest Miami Senior High School, Dan frequented Tropical Park for high school football games, running the cross-country course or playing 3-on-3 basketball. Dan painfully recalls climbing and descending the infamous “Hill”—a part of Tropical Park’s cross country track that is climbed by practically every local student athlete at one time or another.

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After high school, Dan earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida and his Master’s at Florida International University. He is now a certified public accountant (CPA) and President of High Road Management, LLC—a business in which Dan says “accounting and consulting meet real estate and construction.”


Reliving the Dream 

Whenever possible, Dan can be found enjoying the outdoors—often at a local park. To give his kids the same opportunities he had to enjoy parks, Dan and his wife often take the kids to the park. And yes, their home is so close they get to visit whenever they want.

“We live in a place where in the middle of the winter, it’s in the 70s. So the parks are something we get to enjoy year-round,” Dan says. “It’s great to get the kids on their bikes and scooters, ride to the park, and spend an afternoon playing. Some parks allow dogs, too.”

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At other times, Dan gathers the scouts in his Cub Scout pack at various parks for meetings and learning opportunities. No matter why he’s visiting a local park, Dan insists they enhance residents’ quality of life.

“Miami-Dade County’s parks are the reason to get off your computer, turn off the cell phone, and put down the XBOX controller,” Dan says. “Whether you want to relax and chill out or be active, all you have to do is get outside and head to a park. It’s all there for you!”


Your Turn

Have a story similar to Dan’s? You’re not alone. Celebrate your love of Miami-Dade County’s parks or become familiar with the parks for the first time during Come Out For Play, a FUNdraiser for the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade County. Scheduled for Saturday, February 26, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., Come Out For Play will include live music by The Fire Brigade, dancing, raffle prizes, food and drink, and more fun than you’ll ever have sitting in your living room. It all takes place at Ocean Grille at Black Point, and you don’t want to miss it! Click here to go to the invite on Facebook.

The Parks Foundation supports the Miami-Dade County Park and Recreation Department, which offers sports leagues for children and adults, disability services, arts and culture programs, golf courses, marinas, pristine beaches, natural areas, the renowned Zoo Miami and the Deering Estate at Cutler, and countless other parks and services. And now you can ensure our local parks remain for future generations through your support of the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade County.

A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Parks Foundation is reaching out to individuals who value the preservation and promotion of parks in Miami-Dade County to become members of the Parks Foundation. Membership opportunities range from $99 for individual memberships to Donor Circle memberships priced at $249 for Bronze, $499 for Silver, and $749 for Gold memberships. Click here to join today, and if you become a member your ticket to the event at Black Point on Feb. 26th is included!

Click here to find and "like" the Parks Foundation page on Facebook.

This article was written by Daniel Brantley exclusively for The Club, please follow along on Twitter and Facebook. Daniel Brantley is a freelance writer who is a firm believer in all things park related. Email Daniel or find him online at danielkbrantley.com or go to twitter.com/danielkbrantley to follow his park-loving life.


Dan Levine can be reached via email by clicking here.

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About the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade!

The Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade is a 501(c)3 organization which supports the Miami-Dade Park and Recreation Department and its mission to help build a world-class parks system for Miami-Dade County residents and visitors, by creating a healthier, more livable and sustainable community by supporting the Open Space Master Plan vision and principles and year-round local park and recreation programs.

Monies raised through membership and fundraising efforts help fund scholarships for disadvantaged children to attend after-school and summer camp programs; recreational and community programs, such as disability services, and health and wellness initiatives for people of all ages, from the very young to senior citizens; and Open Space Master Plan initiatives, such as the development of Trailways, Bikeways and safe access to parks and open spaces.

We invite you to support our cause and ensure that parks remain for future generations. The Parks Foundation is reaching out to persons who share the same fundamental values of preserving and promoting parks in Miami-Dade County to become members of the Parks Foundation. Membership opportunities range from $99 individual memberships to Donor Circle memberships priced at $249 for Bronze, $499 for Silver and $749 for Gold memberships. Click here for more information or to purchase your memberships.

Please join the Parks Foundation fan page on Facebook by clicking here.

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