VeigaMilton: Family Style Philanthropy
This Thanksgiving, the co-founder of the Cecil & Ana Milton Family Foundation is grateful to those who've served in the military to protect the country.
This Thanksgiving – as well as through the year – I’m grateful for the Veterans, and wanted to honor and recognize the courage, commitment, and sacrifices of those who have served in our nation’s armed forces. The ability to freely participate in our democracy is a right that veterans and our active military have safeguarded, often at great personal cost. With deep gratitude, my family, the José Milton Foundation, and the Cecil & Ana Milton Family Foundation were honored to have sponsored the Annual Police Veterans & Military Appreciation Luncheon: Honoring our Bravest.
For the fourth year, my family sponsors and hosts this gathering of police from Miami-Dade and other municipal police departments to thank our military heroes, veterans, and police. This year, we also had the honor to host active military personnel from the Homestead Air Reserve Base. Two Constitutional Officers made their first public appearance after election day, Sheriff-elect Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Clerk of the Courts and Comptroller Juan Fernandez-Barquin.
After the Presentation of Colors by the Multi-Agency Honor Guard, we heard Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who easily won re-election in the primary, express her gratitude to first responders and military personnel. She noted how many of our police officers serve active duty in the military or are veterans. She was also very gracious in thanking my family for our support of police and military. She mentioned our remodeling of the police lounges at MDPD HQ and our refurbishing of the dilapidated stables at Tropical Park, home to the MDPD and Coral Gables Mounted Patrol units. She stated that without our donation of labor, supplies, and equipment, the Mounted Police Unit would not have been possible. City of Sweetwater Mayor Pepe Diaz invited us and the community to celebrate Veteran’s Day at ValorFest, a street party with music and tributes to our veterans, which my family also sponsors. I took the podium and remarked on the honor of celebrating our bravest with the Sheriff-elect, noting that Rosie has attended this annual event since its inception. I expressed my family’s gratitude and committed to continuing our support of police, military personnel, and our veterans.
We also had the privilege to hear from Colonel Travis Powell from the 482nd Fighter Wing at Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB). The 482nd Fighter Wing is the host unit and maintains and operates HARB – fully combat-ready and capable of providing F-16C multi-purpose fighter aircraft.
After a buffet lunch, Sheriff-elect Rosie Cordero-Stutz invited Police Director Stephanie Daniels to present the Eagle Award to MDPD Sgt and US Army Sgt Major Manny Quesada for his honorable service to our community and in the United States Army Special Forces – a hero who has served on combat deployments in the Middle East and on overseas embassy teams.
We come together to celebrate the strength and sacrifices of our veterans who have always stood for the ideals we hold dear. Without support for a strong military to secure our borders, fight terrorism and cyber threats, and safeguard our interests abroad, our freedom, economy, and lifestyle would undoubtedly be at risk. Additionally, our military provides humanitarian aid in times of disaster, upholding democracy, human rights, and liberty around the globe.
I hope their work inspires the community to be intentional in honoring and thanking our veterans and those who serve our local communities or the global quest for peace and democracy.
Ana VeigaMilton directs Corporate Social Responsibility for United Property Management, owners and managers of almost 9000 residential units in Florida. She also presides over the José Milton Foundation, striving to close the opportunity gap in South Florida, primarily through access to quality healthcare, research, and education opportunities. As co-founder of the Cecil & Ana Milton Family Foundation, she supports a healthy and clean environment through conservation efforts, our military, and first responders. Ana holds leadership positions and serves on various philanthropic boards, including Jackson Health Foundation (past-Chair), Red Cross Miami (Secretary), University of Miami Citizens Boards (past-President), Zoo Miami Foundation (past-Chair & emeritus director), and United Way Miami (Campaign co-chair). Most recently, Ana became a board member of Girl Scouts Tropical Florida. As an engineering and law alumna, she is incredibly proud and honored to serve as a University of Miami Trustee, working to accelerate UM’s impressive upward trajectory. Ana is passionate about encouraging women and minorities to enter STEM fields and provides scholarships to graduates of the 5000 Role Models and Girl Scout Gold Awardees who choose STEM majors. Ana and her family have been recognized for their philanthropy, community engagement, and volunteerism. She was recently tapped into Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor attained at the University of Miami, was awarded the Power & Influencer Award by the Global Innovative Foundation and named the Latina Pioneer of the Year 2022 by Hispanic Women of Distinction. The community celebrated the first anniversary of the José Milton Memorial Hospital at Jackson West, Top 5 percent of all US hospitals. The Milton Family’s commitment to South Florida runs deep. Ana and her husband Cecil are blessed with three community-engaged adult children, Alec, Eric, and Diana. The Milton Family resides in Coral Gables.
