Our United Way honors exceptional community volunteers

United Way Board Chair Robert Sanchez and Interim President & CEO Joe Zubizarreta celebrated the extraordinary contributions of outstanding volunteers at the United Way Miami Annual Meeting & Volunteer Awards on June 21, 2022.

Meet our honorees:

Monsignor Walsh Outstanding Human Services Professional Award

Manuel “Manny” Fermin 

Manny Fermin was a devoted, passionate and visionary leader who cared deeply for the women, mothers, infants, and children in Miami-Dade County during his almost 21-year role as Chief Executive Officer of the Health Start Coalition of Miami-Dade. The Coalition is a community-based organization designated by the Florida Department of Health to serve as Miami-Dade County’s prenatal and infant care coalition.

With more than two decades worth of experience in social services, Manny helped provide essential child and maternal health services to more than seven hundred mothers per week. He was responsible for the comprehensive direction of the Healthy Start system of care in Miami-Dade County, representing the organization throughout the community, overseeing the entire operations of the Coalition, and providing crucial direction and support. He served as an officer on both the Executive Committee of the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions (FAHSC), the Healthy Start MomCare Network (HSMN), as well as other advisory committees and governing boards.

Because of many programs and initiatives that were implemented during his tenure and still benefitting families in our community, Manny’s legacy lives on through his family, his team and the community as they continue to honor him and draw inspiration from his passion and commitment.

Essie Silva Community Builder Award

Michael A. Finney 

Michael A. Finney was a visionary leader and bridge-builder that championed collaboration and inspired action. Joining the Miami-Dade Beacon Council as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2017, Michael led the public-private partnership during a time of unprecedented growth and transformation for both Beacon and the community itself. He championed Miami as the diverse global innovation hub he knew it to be, while simultaneously working to create opportunities that were inclusive, equitable and accessible to the most disadvantaged in our community. He consistently collaborated with key stakeholders including Miami-Dade County and other local governments, CareerSource South Florida, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Miami-Dade Coalition of Chambers, and key private sector leaders, building effective coalitions that will be part of this community’s success and Michael’s personal legacy.

In the five years of his tenure, he led the Beacon to break multiple records, most recently in 2021 with 32 companies committing to almost 14,000 new direct and indirect jobs, which translates into almost $1 billion in annual economic impact for Miami-Dade residents and businesses. He also led the organization to develop new, locally focused initiatives that support the most underserved communities and small businesses resulting in the launch of Opportunity Miami. He served on numerous boards including the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Miami Branch, Baptist Health South Florida, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce.

Michael was a friend and great partner to United Way Miami and we will continue to honor his legacy by building a thriving community for all.

PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson

Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson represents the 24th Congressional District of Florida, spanning Miami-Dade and Broward counties. She serves on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Education and Labor, and is the Chair of the new 19-member Commission on the Social Status of Black men and Boys. As one of the principal authors of the bill that created the new Commission in August 2020, Representative Wilson envisioned a first-of-its-kind federal agency dedicated to changing the opportunities and outcomes for twenty million Black males in America.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fisk University, and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Miami, Congresswoman Wilson became the principal of Skyway Elementary School in Miami. She then became a member of the Miami-Dade County School Board, and started the 5,000 Role Models of Excellence, an academic mentoring program to transcend disadvantaged circumstances facing young men in her community by empowering them to attend college or university, and by using their education as a gateway for social mobility and economic prosperity. She was later elected to the Florida Legislature and Senate and built upon the successes of this program to create the Florida Council on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys.

PUBLIC SERVICE LEADERSHIP AWARD

Commissioner Eileen Higgins

Eileen Higgins has served as the County Commissioner for District 5 since 2018, representing portions of the cities of Miami and Miami Beach. Serving a diverse district with stark inequality, Commissioner Higgins is a leading voice for closing existing equity gaps by bringing transportation to underserved neighborhoods, championing increased affordable housing, creating an economic ecosystem to support small minority-owned businesses, defending low-wage workers, seniors and LGTBQ allies, and protecting the waters that surround Miami-Dade.

Commissioner Higgins is an engineer by trade, with an MBA from Cornell University. Her past work as a Country Director in the Peace Corps and as a diplomat in the US State Department gives her the ability to look at local challenges with a unique perspective and in a compassionate manner. She is part of various organizations and boards, including but not limited to the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), People Acting for Community Together (PACT), the Downtown Neighbors Alliance, Miami Climate Alliance, Sierra Club, League of Women Voters of Miami-Dade County, and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Dorothy Shula Outstanding Volunteerism Award

Richard A. Berkowitz

Richard A. Berkowitz is the founding chairman of one of South Florida’s largest advisory and accounting firms – Berkowitz Pollack Brant Advisors + CPAs. As a trusted advisor, Richard provides his clients with a comprehensive approach to income, estate, financial and investment planning. He also works with CEOs on strategy, problem solving, succession planning, corporate culture, leadership development, mergers and acquisitions, areas he also leads for the firm.

More than 40 years ago, Richard had a vision of a firm that hired talented people and created an environment for them to build outstanding careers. Today the firm and its Provenance Wealth Advisors and BayBridge Real Estate Group affiliates continue to operate on these principles.

He is also active in community organizations in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties that focus on community problems and cancer research. A lawyer and accountant, he is a member of the American Arbitration Association and the Florida Academy of Certified Mediators.

Outstanding Youth Award

Larissa Ramirez
Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School, Class of 2023

Larissa is an exemplary community volunteer and promising leader with a passion for organized labor and local politics. She has clocked nearly 1,000 community service hours in a variety of capacities, including volunteering with Unite Here Local 305 and other local organizations to inform her community about local elections and bills. As President of her class, she works with her school’s administration to address student concerns, organize school events and improve school spirit. She is the founder of the Hispanic Student Union Club, where she coordinates events, fundraises, and advocates for minority groups in Miami. She also participated in the Girls of Transformation Mentoring Program – where she acted as lead organizer of the program’s mentors and tutored young girls at risk of expulsion at school. She is passionate about providing opportunities for young girls to explore and discover the STEM field – particularly coding – as women and girls are underrepresented in the industry.

With her grandparents as inspiration, Larissa wishes to pursue a degree in law and medicine to help bridge the gap between adequate healthcare and minority groups in her community.

Outstanding Youth Award

Shawn L. Martinez
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Class of 2023

To say that Shawn Martinez believes in giving back to the older adults in our community would be an understatement. In 2020, he founded AVUS CONNECT, an intergenerational social connectivity program started as a call to action to address isolation and loneliness in older adults. As a means to ensure the program’s success, he was able to integrate the program into United Home Care’s volunteer platform and successfully secured them as a corporate sponsor. In addition to AVUS CONNECT, Shawn has also volunteered with the Office of Senator Rene Garcia through the delivery of over 7,000 hurricane preparedness meals to the elderly living in over ten underserved communities throughout Miami Dade County.

Shawn is a fellow of the United Way Youth Institute (2021-22- Cohort #6) and was chosen as a Bank of America Student Leader representing South Florida as Summer Intern at the YMCA in Allapattah. At school, he is a member of the Belen “Miami White Caps” water polo team, Florida Council on Aging, Mu Alpha Theta (Math Honor Society), Science National Honor Society, National Hispanic Recognition Program, and Key Club.

2022-08-24T09:31:03-04:00 June 16th, 2022|