By any measure, Key Biscayne is a place of abundance. Yet, some of the most meaningful transformations begin when a community looks beyond itself and chooses connection over comfort.
Fifteen years ago, that choice began with a mother, her 12-year-old son and a Thanksgiving trip that would quietly change hundreds of lives.
Key Biscayne resident Inés Lozano, an educator and school director, wanted her son to understand something deeper than textbooks could teach. Lozano wanted him to see that the world is vast, unequal and filled with people whose dignity and potential deserve to be seen.
What Ines and her son encountered in Mirebalais, Haiti, was impossible to forget.
A group of kids with new soccer uniforms courtesy of Flying High 4 Haiti.
FH4H
They saw children whose nutritional health was assessed by measuring their arm circumference, a stark indicator of malnutrition and life expectancy. They met families living without running water or electricity. They watched children walk one to two hours each way just to attend school.
In that moment, Lozano felt a responsibility to act, not as a visitor, but as an educator and a human being.
That first trip Lozano provided her support to a community school in Ile-a-Vache, Haiti, by calling on close friends to sponsor students. What began as a lesson for one child grew into a mission for many.
Ten years ago, that mission formally became Flying High 4 Haiti (FH4H), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit run entirely by volunteers and rooted in one simple belief: education is the strongest foundation for peace, dignity, and long-term well-being.
A school and a community: transformed
When FH4H began its work at École du Village in the community of Cannobert, the school served 90 students in two unsafe classrooms. Today, the impact is visible and measurable:
A young Haitian boy wearing his donated Key Biscayne Soccer Club uniform.
FH4H
• 135 students now attend the school
• Six new classrooms have been built
• Added English, art, and soccer programs
• Safe drinking water tanks and filtration systems
• A fully equipped infirmary, staffed by a full-time nurse, offers first aid and basic health care
• A library and arts room
• Free textbooks and school supplies
Over time, 325 children have received a free, high-quality education. Sixteen local staff members now hold stable, qualified jobs.
Seeing impact through the eyes of a student volunteer
For Guy Fernandes, a Miami native who first traveled to Haiti as a MAST Academy freshman, FH4H was an awakening.
One of the Flying High 4 Haiti kids tying his new cleats.
FH4H
“I went to Haiti five times,” Fernandes recalled. “The first time, I was a freshman in high school. Growing up in Miami, you don’t always realize how different life can be in other parts of the world. When you go to a place like Île-à-Vache, it really opens your eyes. You see the conditions people live in and it makes you deeply grateful for what you have day to day.”
What stayed with him most wasn’t just the contrast, it was the transformation.
“When I first went, the kids were only speaking Creole and French, and the school was just being built,” he explained. “By the fifth time I went, the kids were speaking in English. I remember thinking, wow, this is working. The school Inés built is making a real difference.”
Fernandes described walking through the classrooms, seeing how lessons were taught, and understanding the impact.
A smiling young Haitian girl.
FH4H
“You see the school, you see the teachers, you see the kids learning and you realize this is worth it,” he said. “I can see where the money is going. I can see the impact right in front of me. If you donate online and close your computer, you don’t always know what happens next. With FH4H, I saw it. That’s what made it meaningful.”
Fernandes’ experience reflects what many supporters come to understand: this work changes both the communities being supported and the people who choose to show up.
Beyond the classroom: Standing with Haiti through crisis
FH4H’s work has not been solely education.
A Flying High 4 Haiti collaborator helping a young Haitian girl with her hair.
FH4H
When Hurricane Matthew struck Île-à-Vache in 2016, FH4H rebuilt 10 classrooms and repaired the roofs of 60 more. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they distributed masks and water filters and safely resumed classes as soon as possible.
After a devastating 7.2-magnitude earthquake in 2021, they provided temporary tents, rebuilt classrooms for a school serving 750 children in Les Cayes, installed solar lighting and repaired damaged homes.
Their commitment has included distributing more than 1,000 water filtration systems, 650 solar lights and more than 400 reading glasses and sunglasses. Most notably, from 2021 to 2025, FH4H funded and coordinated cancer treatment for a beloved community member, an effort that helped spark the opening of Saint Peregrin Cancer Clinic, southern Haiti’s first oncology unit, in August 2025.
Why This Matters Now
Haiti is often portrayed through the lens of crisis. In reality, communities like Île-à-Vache are seeking partnerships, stability and the chance to thrive rather than fall into violence and despair.
Education, health, and human connection are preventative forces. They give young people reasons to stay, learn, and lead.
Key Biscayne: A community that leads by example
This story also reflects Key Biscayne itself, a community that consistently shows up when connection, compassion and leadership are needed most.
A smiling young Haitian boy.
FH4H
For years, the Rotary Club of Key Biscayne has been an invaluable partner to FH4H’s mission, thinking globally while acting locally. Through steadfast support, the Rotary Club has helped transform concern into lasting impact.
Their commitment embodies the spirit of Key Biscayne: a village that understands well-being is not confined by geography and that investing in education, dignity and opportunity abroad strengthens the moral fabric of our own community.
As neighbors, parents, professionals, and leaders gather for the 10th annual FH4H gala becomes more than a fundraiser. It becomes a reminder of the quiet power a connected community holds to help others thrive rather than fall into cycles of instability and violence.
Key Biscayne has always believed in showing up. This is another opportunity to do just that.
An invitation to connect and make a difference
On Feb. 27, the community is invited to gather at the Key Biscayne Beach Club for the 10th Annual Flying High 4 Haiti Gala: A Decade of Impact.
The evening will include cocktails, dinner, music and, most importantly, a shared purpose: helping a community in Haiti continue building a future rooted in education, dignity and opportunity for growth.
You can support the mission by attending the gala, purchasing a raffle ticket (no need to attend to win), sponsoring a child or a program or becoming an event sponsor.
Every contribution matters. As Lozano often says, this work was never about charity; it was about education, dignity, and the belief that every child deserves a future.
Together, we fly higher.