I had been hearing a lot of good things about the Arianna's Center so, out of curiosity I decided…read moreto visit it. Well, the term "center" is somewhat deceiving as it is not really what I would term a center. What is at the actual physical address is little more than a hole in the wall of a tiny office wedged in along a narrow hallway within the Poverello Live Well Center. On the door it has a little paper sign saying "Arianna's Center" along with general information like which bathroom a transgender person should use; a matter of serious importance and concern as doing the wrong thing can end you up in jail or just plain being beaten up. And though I understand there is a person by the name of Arianna, no one I spoke to at Poverello seemed to know who she was or anything about this "center," though it would appear that there is an Arianna that in fact is the founder. And if Arianna ever reads this, thank you for helping the community and keep up the good work. The really good part is that I discovered the activities of the center to generally be a grass roots help movement advocating for the empowerment of the transgender community with an emphasis on South Florida and the Latinx community, along with assistance to the undocumented, the homeless and those living with HIV. Personally, I was thrilled to hear this because I've know it to be needed as many of that community felt uncomfortable with other services such as those offered by the Pride Center at Equality Park and Latinos Salud. Indeed it seems to be that Arianna's is often the first source for those coming into or entering the local area. It also setups or conducts STD testing, arranges other healthcare as well as mental. One of the things they do is hold organizational outreach and other events monthly at the Boardwalk Bar with one of them being Transgender Remembrance Day. And along that line I might add how important this is in that it is no secret the amount of bias and hate that gets directed toward those of the Trans community. In fact in 2018 we had 29 Trans deaths just within the United States directly attributable to the hatred lurking within this bias. So for the good and highly needed works of the Adrianna Center and the help they offer to so many, even though they seem to have no actual "center," I'm a fan it; hence my Yelp Four Stars.

Mario, was a God sent to me.. He's professional, helpful, caring, and does what he can to assist…read morewhatever the job requires.. We need more people like him, because he listens.. Mario deserve whatever recognition because he goes the extra mile.. God bless him.. Great job Mario, your the best person for any job.. Vasi..

Happy to help them whenever we can. Deliver the Dream serving children (and their families) in…read moreour community.

Some friends and I took the opportunity to visit the sea turtle oversight protection program on…read moreFort Lauderdale Beach. This non-profit offers a program where you can schedule an evening to learn about our sea turtles and possibly witness a nest of hatchlings emerge. A small group of us met there after scheduling our time on line and purchasing a ticket. They allow a group of 25 max. We arrived at 7:15 and watched a short presentation. We were then guided to a nesting area roped off on the beach and were hoping to witness the hatchlings as it seemed about the time according to our guides day count. As we waited, and to our surprise the full moon rose from the ocean as an orange ball! It was amazing and we were lucky to see this. As we waited, we learned a lot about how lighting and plastics harm the turtles. Although our nest didn't hatch the tine we were there, another guide allowed us to watch the release of two baby turtles that post hatched from a different nest! All in all, the night was a success and i will return maybe a little earlier next season, as many of the nests have already hatched. Parking is a bit pricey on the beach but all in all worth the experience! We were given all the needed instructions, learned quite a bit and all our questions were answered by this team of volunteers! Thank you for your service to these beautiful creatures!! It is very sad how few of them survive, not only due to nature but now due to us humans mostly :-( ...i hope we can all do better in the future.

The work happening at FISP (acronym for Florida Initiative For Suicide Prevention) is definitely…read morenoteworthy. A stat from a few years prior says every 13 minutes, someone dies by suicide. In the past six months, I've personally known three people that have. In seeking support groups here in South Florida, FISP was the best, if not the only, resource. A note online said to give them a call before attending any scheduled groups, so I did. They wrote down my info, asked about my story, and gave me a little insight into what they do, even putting the executive director, a fellow survivor of suicide loss, on the phone to speak with me. Their ultimate mission is to "prevent suicide through education, support, advocacy and research." Definitely a noble cause. Long story short, if you know someone either suicidal or a survivor of suicide loss in search of a network, FISP is a good resource.

Very warm and welcoming! Jackie encourages people to talk and is very human. What they do is so…read moreimportant. This is a place where you don't have to hide who you are.

I've had the great pleasure of seeing first hand what exactly the RMH does…read more Chances are - you've been to a McDonalds in the last decade and have seen the little boxes to collect any spare change you might have. These donations go to fund the RMH - so what exactly do they do? A LOT. First off - it's actual housing! There are 350 RMHs nationally. Parents with ill children can rent a room (I believe it's $20 a night). This allows parents to stay close to their children (this house is literally across the street from the hospital) and not have to worry about long commutes. The facility includes a living room, kitchen and laundry room. All of them immaculately clean. The actual rooms are spacious and look like any hotel room does - two beds and a sofa (or a crib), bathroom, closet, dressers, etc. The fine folks of RMH try and make it as easy on the parents as possible. They have some great programs such as the Adopt-A-Meal program that allows local members of the community to come in and cook a nice meal for the residents. We got a group together recently and made a lunch for the families - while most of them were at the hospital during the day the staff was so thankful that when they returned back they would have a nice meal waiting for them. They mentioned the fact that that parents don't have to worry about cooking - or even going to buy groceries - is a huge weight off of their shoulders. Everyone I have ever met from RMH has had an ear to ear smile. The folks here genuinely love what they do. The families that stay here become part of their extended family - they see the children grow up - and hopefully get better with time. It's all pretty incredible. I recommend everyone try and make it out the house to volunteer - or at least think twice about dropping some change in those containers next time you are getting a Big Mac (or Filet 'o Fish if you are anything like me....don't judge, they are delicious). Oh and one perk of going in to volunteer (besides the warm and fuzzies of course...) is that they have a Ronald McDonald at the entrance you can snap a cool photo with =D

I can't think of enough good things to say about this wonderful charity…read more For those who don't know, the Ronald McDonald House provides housing for families with critically ill children, so they can spend as much time as possible with their child. It offers a warm homelike environment to people who who need as much support as they can get. Families may be there for one night, weeks, months or even years, depending on the condition of the child. While the House asks for a $20 donation, if the parents can't pay, they are not turned away. The rooms here, both the common and private areas, are beautifully decorated. We were there on Christmas Eve and every room was decorated for the holidays, with trees, snowmen, miniature villages, etc. The bedroom we saw had two cushy beds, a comfy arm chair, and a dresser. There were fresh towels laid out on the bed and a gift bag with snack items and small toiletries. It was warm and inviting. There are common areas where families can gather and children can play. We were there to cook a lunch meal for the families, there were a total of 24 people staying at the House. The kitchen was huge, with three ovens, shared pantry items, big fridges and a small locked cabinet for each family. That being said, they really need some new equipment and some repair on some appliances. We tried one of the ovens, which didn't heat properly, so it took a long time to cook things that should have been fairly quick to prepare. There was a shortage of decent cutlery and other cooking essentials. There is also a big laundry where residents can do their laundry, with all the necessary items being supplied. We met several of the staff members, they were all truly caring, loving people who do a very stressful job with the best of attitudes. It's the kind of place that, if I were younger, I would love to work. So, let's dispel a myth. With the McDonald's name on this house, one is led to believe that they are supported by the huge McDonald's corporation. Such is not the case. Regionally, only about 10% of the operating money comes from McDonalds. This leaves a huge hole that has to be filled by public donations and fundraisers. We went to their holiday fund raiser a couple of weeks ago. It was a nice event, with lots of food and entertainment. But the fundraising was inadequate. The silent auction and raffle didn't make nearly as much money as they could have. After looking at the financial statements online, we found that my daughters school district used to make much more at their annual auction than this wonderful charity. So, they need all kinds of things that you might not have considered - things like kitchen basics (such as rolls of aluminum foil), laundry and cleaning supplies, personal items like soaps and lotions, bath towels, etc. They also love to have donations of fresh fruit and vegetables to augment the things in the pantry. There are so many ways to donate! Everyone should make some time and fix a meal for this harried and haggard parents. Or find a different way to help them out, there are plenty listed on their website. Think how you would feel if you had a critical ill child and take it from there.

This organization has been a game changer for me. As a social worker, I come across so many…read moreunder-served people who have lost their homes, their lives and their dignity. With each division of my work, from the homeless to the hospitalized, I have been able to call on Thomas and TSOMB to assist with clothing, toiletries and even household appliances that ease the burden so many face during times of adversity. He has been professional, kind and caring. I could not recommend a better place to donate your gently used clothing and household items or a better person to call on for help.

I can't express in words what this 30-day period has done to help our family and to clarify the…read moreissues. We didn't have such clarity from a previous seven-month residential program.... which is a good program for kids who want to please adults and fit in.... that program didn't have enough limits for a teen like my teenager. His mom has said "if he doesn't behave, I'll just put him in a smaller box until he gets the message." Your program is the perfect smaller box. We just need to learn how to continue this work and the conditions at Lippman Youth Shelter when he returns home Your program has the phrase "ungovernable." We never saw that word in the websites of other residential programs... yet, that is the key word that helps us now....to find counseling for our teenager. I can't believe that my post is the first for this shelter on yelp. L.s.y. should be better known. ====== For readers who want an example of the shelter's limits.... the shelter has a rule about "no contraband" [no cell phones or tablets, for example]. My teenager tried to sneak in a cellphone. I assume my teenager just wanted to see if he could play an online game while in the bathroom or at night... or text another friend from school. Always testing limits... a useful skill if he is fighting an enemy [he wants to serve as a military guy] but annoying to adults and civilized society Lippman handled the situation calmly and gave the teen a consequence of "loss of privileges" for 3 days. Perfect. This kid has virtually no current desire to delay gratification, so the response needs to be a loss of immediate access to t.v. and devices and small freedoms. Zero freedoms. A good calm response to the teenager's choice. Lippman's staff members are patient, wonderful and calm. I've learned much by watching how their counselors maintain their peace while talking with upset or irritated or deceitful teenagers. I am a disciple of Lippman's methods. I want to thank the staff at Lippman Youth shelter for their time and guidance and patience. I'm very very thankful.