Date: November 15, 2012
Contact Information:
Kathleen Murphy
MBF
(305) 379-7070, Ext. 204
The MBF recently announced a gift of $50,000 to Breakthrough Miami, an award-winning organization that provides a tuition-free, eight-year academic enrichment program serving motivated students from disadvantaged communities in 5th to 12th grade. The funds will be allocated over the course of five years, $10,000 per year, to programs located in the City of Miami and benefiting the organization’s City of Miami minority students.
Founded in 1986, the MBF seeks to stimulate economic development in the City of Miami and provide educational opportunities for minorities who live in the City of Miami. As part of its mission, the recent gift will provide talented students within the city the resources needed to pursue their academic goals.
Recently, the Foundation has made contributions benefiting students at local institutions of higher education such as Miami Dade College, Florida International University and Florida Memorial University. This gift is a first for the organization – as it focuses on college preparatory education.
“Education is one of the most important elements of our mission,” said Nathan Kurland, Chairman. “The foundation of any strong educational policy is to make improvements starting at the primary school level. We are very excited to announce that this gift will help those young students achieve their most ambitious life goals by ensuring the tools they need to move forward.”
Formerly known as Summerbridge Miami, Breakthrough Miami is the largest and most dynamic affiliate of San Francisco-based Breakthrough Collaborative, which has 33 sites nationwide. Today, Breakthrough Miami serves more than 1,000 students from across Miami-Dade County on sites located at five independent schools and one public charter school. Last year, 100 percent of the program’s senior class graduated and 98 percent went on to a competitive 2 or 4 year college or university.
“This generous gift and multi-year commitment to our program by MBF makes an important statement about investing in the future of our community,” said Alicia Rodriguez Bower, Executive Director of Breakthrough Miami. “We are truly grateful for their leadership and their support.”
For more information on the MBF, please call (305) 379-7070, email info@192.186.227.164 or visit www.miamibaysidefoundation.org.