A school yearbook is important. Yearbooks are cherished. They are tradition.

Excitement builds throughout the school year especially before the big reveal. And then, when books are in hand, students quickly search for their photos and those of their friends. They celebrate.

At Richmond Heights Middle School, students have not experienced this for seven years.

But this year, the yearbook is back with support of the Motivate Miami Team from Leadership Miami, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and The Children’s Trust-funded Be Strong International program.

It all started with a conversation between the school’s Be Strong Youth Enrichment Director Celida Hernandez and Principal Larhonda Donaldson.

“Ms. Donaldson told us that the kids had done a survey and that many of the students were interested in taking photography lessons,” Hernandez said. “She told us that the school had not had a yearbook in the past seven years. So it all started on that day. We had a dream!”

Be Strong was invited to share their club members’ dream with several Leadership Miami teams, all of whom were looking for a project, Hernandez said.

“Motivate Miami selected Be Strong, adopting the Be Strong club members’ dream to give all the RHM students a yearbook. The Motivate Miami team members fund-raised throughout the year, paid for printing costs and helped the kids learn and operate the software,” Hernandez said.

“The school was able to hire a professional photography teacher and lend many hands to help the Be Strong club RHM members produce their own yearbook. And with the help of our outside sponsors, Be Strong purchased high quality cameras and computers.”

Beginning in August 2018, club members learned about photography and took photos. For the second semester, between January and April, the students learned what it means to produce a yearbook.

They received guidance from their photography teacher, Sasha Jordan, who worked with club members many hours over many weeks and the Motivate Miami team.

“Our students were the ones who put it together, selecting and editing from thousands of pictures, those that made it to the final proof,” Hernandez said. The mission also involved copy editing and meeting production deadlines. 

At a special ceremony May 3, the 2018-19 Be Strong club presented the yearbook to all the students at Richmond Heights Middle.

​Miami-Dade Public School Board Member Lawrence Feldman, members of MDCPS District 7, and Bevone Ritchie, The Children’s Trust senior program manager, were in attendance.

“It’s been an amazing experience for everyone,” Hernandez said. “It was a dream come true!”

​MIAMI, FL – March 29, 2019 – Miami-Dade County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava honored Be Strong International with a proclamation recognizing March 23, 2019 as "Have a Heart Day."

Commissioner Cava issued the proclamation as a symbol and reminder of all the good that youth organizations, like Be Strong International, Inc., do by providing guidance and mentorship to underprivileged communities. The proclamation recognizes the lasting impact that youth programs like Be Strong International have on young people and their communities.

“Teaching heart skills to young people fundamentally changes how they think about themselves and their future,” said Michelle Shirley, Executive Director of Be Strong International. “We consider ourselves very lucky to enlighten youth and families on how to develop and sustain healthy relationships, and I am so honored to be a part of this special day!” Shirley said.

Be Strong International is a non-profit organization that focuses on educating young people through positive youth development practices. In its 25th year, the organization uses an evidence- based curriculum to teach adolescents about healthy relationships, financial literacy, and educational and career success. We were nominated for best practices in addressing risky behaviors, and we deliver educational programming to more than 1,500 students within Miami-Dade and Broward County Public Schools each year.
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​TD Bank celebrated the grand opening of a new location at 14395 S. Dixie Hwy. in Palmetto Bay on Saturday, Oct. 20.

Participating in the grand opening were several members of TD Bank’s upper management as well as Palmetto Bay officials, including Mayor Eugene Flinn and Council-member Karyn Cunningham, both candidates for village mayor.

One of the activities during the event was hosted by Citizens for a Better South Florida, which taught the children and their parents in attendance how to properly plant and water seeds to grow their own food.

Just before the grand opening, everyone was invited inside to witness the ribbon cutting for the bank with TD Bank officials, accompanied by the Girl Scouts of Palmetto Bay, and Mayor Flinn.

In addition to the ceremonial ribbon cutting, a check for $10,000 was presented to Be Strong International on behalf of the TD Charitable Foundation, the charitable giving arm of TD Bank.

The donation was apart of the foundation’s commitment to giving back to the community.

Be Strong International is a non-profit that helps young people create healthy relationships by educating them using positive youth development practices and social emotional learning. The funds from the TD Charitable Foundation will fund the Be Strong Club Program, providing educational services and resources to children, young adults and families about healthy relationships, career success and financial literacy.

​In one of our Project Image surveys, we asked a diverse panel to rate how Americans approach relationships, marriage, and sex. Is the divorce rate too high? Are families breaking apart before trying to work out their issues?