{"id":234767,"date":"2026-04-16T21:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/234767\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:18:08","slug":"miami-programs-and-teens-recognized-for-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/234767\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami programs and teens recognized for service"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Evangelina<\/p>\n

Evangelina Gonzalez, a 6-year-old kindergartner, covers her left eye as she reads a row of letters on the Snellen chart during an eyesight exam performed by school nurse Ruby Ramirez during a follow-up consultation at the school clinic at Spanish Lake Elementary School at 7940 NW 194 St. in Hialeah, Florida, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026.<\/p>\n

SAM NAVARRO<\/p>\n

Special for the Miami Herald<\/p>\n

The Children\u2019s Trust\u2019s Champions for Children Awards event on Thursday honored local programs and individuals dedicated to improving the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who need your help most are often right in your backyard,\u201d said Andrea Cabrera-Elguezabal, one of this year\u2019s honorees.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to know about the 2026 Champions for Children award winners:<\/p>\n

sThe Children\u2019s Trust Parent Club – FIU Center for Children and Families<\/p>\n

Program of the year: This free program provides free parenting workshops in multiple languages to families throughout Miami-Dade County. The program offers free childcare in addition to support for parents.<\/p>\n

Andrea Cabrera-Elguezabal<\/p>\n

Excellence in Youth Leadership Award: The high school senior at Young Women\u2019s Preparatory Academy founded Bridge to Prep, a weekly tutoring and mentoring program, to help support students with their literacy and English-speaking skills.<\/p>\n

Alexis Calatayud<\/p>\n

Excellence in Advocacy Award: The Florida state senator is an education advocate and a graduate of Florida International University.<\/p>\n

\"Sen. Sen. Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, attends the first day of the legislative session at the Florida State Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Tallahassee, Fla. Photo by Matias J. Ocner mocner@miamiherald.com Twala Kelly<\/p>\n

Excellence in Direct Service Award: Kelly is a social worker and part of the University of Miami School Health Initiative.<\/p>\n

Gepsie Metellus<\/p>\n

David Lawrence Jr. Champion for Children Award: Metellus is the cofounder of Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, a community organization with a focus on uplifting Miami\u2019s Haitian community.<\/p>\n

Families First Program – UHealth Mailman Center for Child Development<\/p>\n

Program of the Year: This center supports people with developmental challenges and children with learning disabilities.<\/p>\n

Little SEALS Program – UM Linda Ray Intervention Center<\/p>\n

Program of the Year: This organization offers services to help children develop school readiness and sharpen future student achievement.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 1:44 PM.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Michael Butler<\/a><\/p>\n

Miami Herald<\/p>\n

Michael Butler writes about minority business and trends that affect marginalized professionals in South Florida. As a business reporter for the Miami Herald, he tells inclusive stories that reflect South Florida\u2019s diversity. Just like Miami\u2019s diverse population, Butler, a Temple University graduate, has both local roots and a Panamanian heritage.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Evangelina Gonzalez, a 6-year-old kindergartner, covers her left eye as she reads a row of letters on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234768,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-234767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234767"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234767\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}