2013 Annual Meeting and Volunteer Awards
UnitedWay of Miami-Dade honors pillars of the community
United Way of Miami-Dade honored four community leaders and one outstanding young person whose works have had real and lasting impact in our community at its recent Annual Meeting and Volunteer Awards Ceremony. Also at the meeting a new slate of officers, directors and trustees were elected. Gene Schaefer, president of Bank of America for the Miami-Dade and Monroe County markets, was elected as board chair and Jayne Harris Abess concluded her two-year term as chair. The event took place at the Jungle Island Treetop Ballroom and was attended by almost 500 guests.
This year’s honorees included Eduardo J. Padron, Ph.D., one of the top educational leaders for his work in making quality higher education accessible to all students; Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Moise, D.O., a successful Haitian-American physician and business leader who has given back numerous ways, particularly as a champion for the Haitian people; Judith Lieber, a licensed mental health professional who dedicated her entire professional career to the nonprofit social services sector; Rep. Erik Fresen, who was responsible for securing an additional $5.1 million in funding for school readiness programs in Florida; and Sophia Pereira, an outstanding young woman who volunteers at the Friendship Circle, where she assists children with special needs through a series of social and respite programs.
