Support from the TD Charitable Foundation will help United Way expand financial coaching services throughout Miami-Dade County 

Miami, Fl April 16, 2025 –United Way Miami, one of the leading and longest standing non-profits in South Florida, was recently awarded a $200,000 Housing for Everyone grant from the TD Charitable Foundation, the giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®. United Way Miami is one of 36 nonprofit organizations selected from more than 270 applicants to receive a Housing for Everyone grant as part of the TD Charitable Foundation’s annual, signature program, which has helped support organizations providing affordable housing and affordable housing services since 2005. 

Access to housing remains a major issue for individuals and families across the country. But sustaining homeownership amid the increasing costs of maintenance and other economic pressures is just as prevalent of a challenge. This growing burden has put significant financial strain on many households, particularly those with lower incomes, underscoring the need for the TD Charitable Foundation’s 2025 Housing for Everyone grant program. This year’s focus was on supporting organizations that provide solutions through post-purchase support to help those struggling to maintain homeownership due to rising property taxes, increasing home insurance premiums and expensive repairs, for example.  

To address some of these challenges, United Way Miami will use the Housing for Everyone grant to support homeowners by providing coaching services at our Center for Financial Stability and workforce guidance to promote homeownership stability for low- to middle-income individuals and families.  

“At United Way Miami, we know firsthand the positive impact that comes from elevating the hardworking people in our community. With nearly half a million Miami-Dade families either in poverty or just one emergency away from it, demand for programs that provide financial relief is at an all-time high,” said Symeria Hudson, President and CEO of United Way Miami. “Home ownership is a key indicator of economic mobility and long-term success and grants like Housing for Everyone are crucial to helping families remain in and maintain their homes. We are proud to support an initiative that so perfectly aligns with United Way Miami’s mission of connecting people who need help with people who can help.”   

“Access to support for homeowners who are struggling with a sudden increase in expenses, like repairs or rising property taxes, can make or break a family’s ability to remain in their home,” said Paige Carlson-Heim, Director of the TD Charitable Foundation. “Through the Housing for Everyone grant program, TD is proud to support United Way Miami, which is helping families sustain and maintain long-term homeownership by providing financial coaching and wrap around services. The work they are doing not only helps families stay in their homes, but, hopefully, also helps them to ensure a stable financial position for a long time to come.” 

Through the TD Charitable Foundation’s 19th annual Housing for Everyone grant program, a total of $7.2 million was awarded across the bank’s footprint to help support programming for low- to moderate-income homeowners. Organizations were selected for their programs focused on post-purchase homeownership support, such as foreclosure counseling, agency-owned and/or managed financial assistance funds, legal assistance and/or property tax relief programs, and energy efficiency improvements. Since 2005, more than $63 million has been granted to support more than 620 affordable housing projects and initiatives through the Housing for Everyone program. Learn more about the Housing for Everyone grant program here.  

ABOUT UNITED WAY MIAMI 
United Way Miami has been a leader in Miami-Dade’s nonprofit community for 100 years. Founded in 1924, we work with our network of donors, volunteers and partners to transform the lives of our most vulnerable residents. We leverage our unique position to convene the community and build awareness of Miami-Dade’s needs and potential. Through our Core Four pillars – Health & Wellbeing, Education, Resilient Communities and Economic Mobility – we invest in more than 100 programs at over 60 impact partner agencies and lead 17 initiatives to address local issues and support families and individuals throughout the county. Entering our next century, we’re building on our legacy of future-focused, innovative, collaborative work to continue making a lasting impact today and for generations to come. For more information, visit unitedwaymiami.org. 

About the TD Charitable Foundation 

The TD Charitable Foundation is the giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing more than 10 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,100 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed over $361 million through donations to local nonprofits across the bank’s footprint. Learn more about the TD Charitable Foundation here.  

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Media Contact: 

Sharee Gilbert  

AVP Marketing & Communications, Direct Services Strategy  

United Way Miami 

gilberts@unitedwaymiami.org 

954-305-5444 

Natasha Brown 

Corporate Communications Manager
TD Bank 

Natasha.Brown@td.com 

HCA HEALTHCARE’S EAST FLORIDA DIVISION ANNOUNCES $1.84 MILLION HCA HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION GRANT TO LAUNCH UNITED FOR HEALTHY STARTS

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 3, 2025 – HCA Healthcare’s East Florida Division recently announced that the HCA Healthcare Foundation, through its Healthier Tomorrow Fund, will give $1.84 million to United Way to launch United for Healthy Starts, a national collaboration between four United Ways to help increase access to social, economic and education support services for families. The effort is led by Mile High United Way in Denver and includes United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, United Way Miami and United Way of Greater Nashville.

“At HCA Healthcare, we are deeply committed to the care and improvement of human life, and our partnership with the United Way allows us to extend that mission beyond our hospital walls,” said Charles Gressle, HCA Healthcare East Florida Division president. “We are proud to stand alongside them in making a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals and families in our community.”

United for Healthy Starts aims to increase access to services to improve social, economic and overall health outcomes for families. Through this new grant, the initiative is designed to help families have strong, healthy starts through home visitation and wrap-around services tailored to the needs of each family supported. By establishing a national, collaborative learning community, United for Healthy Starts will also work to help create new nonprofit partnerships, with the intention of strengthening service delivery and innovation and achieving a scalable impact beyond the grant.

“At United Way Miami, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to succeed—and that begins with early education,” said Symeria Hudson, president and CEO of United Way Miami. “For the families we serve struggling with rising costs, access to quality early education and wraparound services is critical. Thanks to the HCA Healthcare Foundation’s support, we will continue expanding our services at The Center for Excellence in Early Education, the Demonstration School and our Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership sites—helping more families build a stronger future. Each year, we impact more than 7,000 children, ensuring they have the resources and support needed to thrive.”

HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation have a long history of working with and supporting United Way. In 1981, HCA Healthcare co-founder Dr. Thomas Frist Jr. co-founded the first chapter of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society in Nashville, Tennessee and later received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012. Over the last 30 years, HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation have given more than $17 million in support of United Way’s work to help improve communities nationwide.

The HCA Healthcare Foundation’s Healthier Tomorrow Fund supports evidence-informed programs that address high-priority needs and advance community health by supporting efforts to pilot, replicate and scale meaningful, measurable initiatives in communities where HCA Healthcare has a presence. Since its inception, the fund has committed more than $17 million in grants to nonprofits across the country.

At United Way Miami, we know that real opportunity starts with access—the chance to learn, grow, and take control of your future. That’s why we’re excited to partner with Verizon’s Skill Forward Program, offering free, accessible training to help individuals advance their careers in today’s ever-evolving job market. 

Through Skill Forward, participants receive one year of free access to more than 250 online courses and 84 professional certificate programs in high-demand fields like artificial intelligence, IT, business, and finance. Whether you’re exploring a new career or sharpening your current skillset, these self-paced courses are designed to fit into your schedule—making it easy to learn whenever and wherever it’s most convenient. 

Courses are hosted on edX and taught by instructors from more than 260 world-class universities and companies, including Harvard, Columbia University, IBM, and more. No degree or prior experience is required—just the motivation to take the next step. Open to U.S. residents ages 17 and up, the program also offers many courses in Spanish, expanding access across our community. 

Whether it’s strengthening technical abilities or enhancing essential soft skills, these programs offer valuable resources to help individuals grow professionally and build a more secure future. 

Enrollment is open now through September 30, 2025. 

Ready to explore what’s next? Visit edx.org/verizon to learn more and enroll today. 

This summer, United Way Miami hosted our annual Back-to-School Drive to ensure that students in need across Miami-Dade have the tools they require to succeed. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community, we collected and distributed essential school supplies to more than 1,000 children, helping them start the school year on the right foot.

With more than 330 volunteer hours dedicated to this effort, the impact on underserved children is truly inspiring. Your contributions, whether through supplies or monetary donations, have benefited low-income children and families associated with the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education, United Way Center for Financial Stability, MISSION UNITED, Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership and various other partners throughout Miami-Dade County.

We extend a special thank you to our sponsors: Graduate Sponsors Bermont Gold, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, as well as Senior Sponsors BB Americas Bank, Duane Morris LLP, PepsiCo/FritoLay and Shutts & Bowen LLP. Your support is making a lasting impact on young minds, helping to build a #StrongerMiami.

VIEW PHOTOS HERE

MIAMI-DADE (July 9, 2024) – On Tuesday, July 9th, a collaborative group of Miami-Dade County’s top public and private sector organizations held a news conference at Marva Y. Bannerman Park Pool in Brownsville to unveil the Zero Drownings Miami-Dade initiative, a large-scale swim safety program aimed at teaching four-year-old children enrolled in public and private early learning centers and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) kindergarteners essential water safety lessons.

Drownings have become the leading cause of death in Miami-Dade County for children ages one to nine, but studies show that participation in formal swim lessons can reduce that risk by 88%.

Zero Drownings Miami-Dade is a comprehensive and collaborative effort between The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the American Red Cross – South Florida Region, The Miami Foundation, United Way Miami, Edu Foundation, and the Templeton Family Foundation to reduce and ultimately prevent childhood drownings by providing swim lessons for young children, water safety education for families, and a communitywide water safety campaign. Both public and private funding is supporting the initiative.

The countywide swim safety program will facilitate free swim lessons, using American Red Cross-certified curriculum, for cohorts of four and five-year-olds during the school day at public or private water safety swim provider locations. Participating children will come from the County’s Head Start program, The Children’s Trust-funded Thrive by 5 private childcare centers in high-poverty neighborhoods, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools kindergarten classrooms. Each participating program and classroom will be pre-selected by M-DCPS, The Children’s Trust, and County staff. There is no general registration for this program.

The children will be transported to the nearest participating swim provider as a daily school field trip over the course of two weeks. Each student will be offered 10, 30-minute, group swim lessons with a maximum instructor-to-student ratio of one to six.

The program also includes a water safety curriculum to teach them to be smart in and around water, and a digital water safety course for their families. Providing free transportation and facilitating the free program during school hours ensures access to open and available facilities and increases the likelihood of children completing the program.

Under this initiative, an Office of Drowning Prevention was created and is housed at Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Department. The office will serve as a logistics hub for coordinating the evidence-based Zero Drownings Miami-Dade program.

The program is scaling up quickly over the next three years. A total of 4,000 children are expected to complete the program in the 2024-2025 school year, 10,000 children in the 2025-2026 school year, and 20,000 children in 2026-2027. The intent is to reach a minimum of 20,000 children each year following, in perpetuity.

The initiative will also offer family engagement and community education components to ensure a broader understanding of swim safety within the children’s homes and in their communities. It is a long-term, sustainable, multi-component drowning prevention and water education program for young children and their families across the county.

“Through education, resources, and heightened awareness, drownings are preventable, and we know that teaching children at this young age is preparing them for life,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “This vital program is a testament to our community’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our children. Together, we can make our Miami-Dade a place where families can enjoy our beautiful waters without fear, and make zero drownings not just a goal, but a reality.”

“I am extremely proud to be part of this initiative,” said Miami-Dade County District 3 Commissioner Keon Hardemon. “We as community leaders needed to come together to create a uniform program that would reach some of our youngest and most vulnerable children, who may not otherwise have the means, or the opportunity to attend a learn-to-swim program. Zero Drownings Miami-Dade is that program.”

“Collaborating with partners to help children learn to swim is a vital initiative that can save lives and foster confidence,” said Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres. “Together we can create a positive change, ensuring that more children gain access to swim lessons and the confidence that comes with being skilled swimmers.”

“The Children’s Trust is proud to be a leader and primary funder of the Zero Drownings Miami-Dade initiative. Together, we are building a game-changing program to make generations of children safer when around pools and other bodies of water,” says The Children’s Trust President & CEO James R. Haj.

“For more than 100 years, the Red Cross has helped millions of children and adults learn how to swim, become lifeguards and swim instructors so the water can be a safer place for everyone,” said American Red Cross Greater Miami & The Keys Executive Director, Deborah Koch. “We are proud to be part of Zero Drownings Miami-Dade as the lead for education materials and swim safety certifications for students, families, educators, participating water safety instructors and pool safety personnel.”

“At The Miami Foundation, we envision a Greater Miami where safety and thriving go hand in hand. Protecting our children through essential swim lessons is not just a step towards preventing drownings—it’s a step towards ensuring every member of our community can flourish. True progress demands bold, collective action, and we are honored to support Miami-Dade County Public Schools, The Children’s Trust, Miami-Dade County, the American Red Cross, Edu Foundation, Templeton Family Foundation, and United Way Miami in this transformational initiative. Together, we can build a safer, more vibrant Miami for all.”

“Through this partnership, United Way Miami is addressing the significant local swimming disparity. Reports show that 70% of Black, 60% of Hispanic, and 40% of White children are unable to swim. Every child, regardless of background, deserves access to water safety training,” said Symeria Hudson, President and CEO of United Way Miami. “The Zero Drownings Initiative aligns perfectly with United Way Miami’s mission, and we are proud to help make this life-saving skill accessible to our community.”

For more information, please visit www.zerodrowningsmiamidade.org.