Participants in last year's health fair and children's cooking competition. This year's event is Saturday, February 8, 2014, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Nathan B. Young Elementary School, 14120 NW 24th Avenue, Opa-Locka, FL.

To increase awareness and heighten understanding surrounding the issues that contribute to obesity in African-American children, the Miami Cluster of The Links, Incorporated, will present their second annual Health Fair and Short “Iron” Chef cook-off on Saturday, February 8, 2014 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at Nathan B. Young Elementary, 14120 NW 24th Avenue, Opa-Locka, FL 33054. This is a great community event with the cooking competition, lead by local favorite Short Chef, featuring students from Dr. Robert Ingram Elementary; Golden Glades Elementary; and Nathan B. Young Elementary.

There will also be opportunities for health exams and other healthy lifestyle information as well as aerobic activity through various styles of dance. This is an awesome family activity and the price is right because it’s free. All parents and children in the City of Opa-Locka and the entire South Florida community are invited to attend. 

Partners and sponsors of the event include: Hispanic Coalition; Short Chef; Florida Blue; and War On Poverty.

The Miami Cluster is comprised of the Dade County; Greater Miami and Miami-Biscayne Bay Chapters of The Links, Incorporated. You can follow this event on Twitter and connect on Facebook.

June 28, 2013 - September 08, 2013

Courtesy of University of Miami Libraries, Special Collections Division, Bernhardt Muller Collection.

Curated by Jose R. Vazquez, Associate Professor of Architecture at Miami Dade College. Presented in conjunction with the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives at Miami Dade College and the University of Miami Libraries, Special Collections. 

Exhibition Opening, 6/27

Overview of public art planned for Opa-locka

One of Miami’s most historic, yet distressed neighborhoods – Opa-locka – is in the midst of a major revitalization.  Funded by a blend of public and private investment, including grants by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC) is working to transform a city stigmatized by decades of crime and adversity into a Community of Choice with art.

Photos of ribbon cutting ceremony for Maria Esperanza and Melanio Rojas, new homeowners through the joint efforts of local nonprofit organizations, Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida (NHSSF) and the Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation. 

 
 Maria Esperanza (middle) and her husband Melanio Rojas (left of Maria) cut the ribbon on their purchased home. Arden Shank, CEO of NHSSF(behind Melanio) and Willie Logan (behind Maria), President of Opa-Locka CDC join Armando Fana (right of Willie Logan), Field Director of the Miami US HUD Office and Mercedes Marquez (in front of Armando), Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development, US HUD.

Douglas M. Gaither (left), Management Consultant of NeighborWorks America and Arden Shank (right), CEO of Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida join Maria Esperanza (home buyer, second from the left) and Armando Fana (second from the right), Field Director of the Miami US HUD Office at the Opa- locka CDC ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

 
 Oliver Gross, President of New Urban Development, LLC , a wholly owned subsidiary of the Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc., speaks on the importance of the NSP2 funds for a better South Florida. Arden Shank(left) and Willie Logan (right).

The Reverend Al Sharpton is scheduled to participate in the upcoming political forum sponsored by the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP on Monday, October 18, 2010 at New Birth. The forum, which is sure to be well-attended, starts at 6 pm. The church is located at 2300 NW 135 Street, Miami.

There are a number of important races and amendments on the ballot. Don't miss the forum and come out so you can be an informed voter. Please spread the word.

Nathan B. Young Elementary is in a contest sponsored by Nature’s Path that allows them to win $10,000 cash and other prizes valued at an additional $15,000. Please go to Justmeans.com; vote for the school’s project and help them win these much needed dollars. More important, help Opa-Locka win a sustainable means of healthy nutrition.

Voting is free and only requires you to register online to vote. During a time of budgetary concerns and constraints for our public schools, this is an excellent way to help our children. Please vote and spread the word. Voting ends June 15 so there is no time to waste. Let’s help N.B. Young Elementary and the city of Opa-Locka win!

Opa-Locka Community Garden's Idea

The city of Opa-Locka, FL is a food desert in desperate need of a source of fresh produce for its residents. No supermarket chains are there, and the few stores that sell produce have an overpriced selection that is usually half-spoiled; nothing “certified organic” is to be found anywhere. Raymond Sands (principal of Nathan B. Young Elementary- NBY) approached the city of Opa-Locka to request an adjacent property for a butterfly garden and the entire community became inspired by the hope to turn it into a local source of organic food also.

The city agreed to allow Dr. Sands to use the 46’ x 96’ plot for a garden that would extend onto school property and be open to the community at large. This location will become the site of a farmer’s market where produce will be sold to help sustain the garden with additional funding. Both the garden and the market will have the ability to greatly offset, and potentially rid, the city of Opa-Locka’s branding as a “food desert.” In addition, the garden will be utilized by school members (students, teachers, parents and staff) to integrate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine) education into the curriculum. 

For the past six months, second graders at NBY have taken part in “Plant a Thousand Gardens,” an initiative between The Education Fund and The Market Company that installed three raised garden beds with plants that included tomatoes, eggplants, sweet potatoes, basil, and rosemary. These gardens proved to be a valuable asset, providing educational and edible material for the school community while integrating the curriculum in language, math and science. The planned garden will extend these benefits to the entire student body and the community at large. [Read more…]

Click here to vote! Spread the word! DEADLINE – TUES. JUNE 15!

Related links:

· Nature’s Path Foods

· N.B. Young Elementary School

· Opa-Locka, Florida

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