The Miami Foundation announced Friday that its initial Give Miami Day initiative raised $1,239,362 for 300 nonprofit groups from nearly 5,000 donors who hailed from 45 states and eight countries.

The results “completely surpassed our expectations,” Miami Foundation President and CEO Javier Alberto Soto said in a statement, adding that planning is underway for a 2013 sequel.

Children’s causes led the tally, according to a foundation spokeswoman. Neat Stuff, a Miami nonprofit that provides new clothing for abused and neglected children, took in $45,875, and the Children’s Movement of Florida received the largest number of gifts at 252, raising $41,951.

The 24-hour online fundraiser, held Dec. 12, allowed prospective donors to explore searchable profiles of the participating nonprofits on a dedicated website, GiveMiamiDay.org.

Each donation between $25 and $10,000 will receive a 12.5 percent match from $100,000 contributed by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and $100,000 contributed by The Miami Foundation. The Marlins Foundation provided $15,000 in incentive prizes.

Other top fundraising totals were as follows: Jackson Memorial Foundation, $35,650 (eight donors); Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami, $34,025 (54 donors); Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade, $33,908 (73 donors); Jewish Community Services of South Florida, $33,753 (46 donors); the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, $31,079 (53 donors); Dranoff 2 Piano Foundation, $28,500 (25 donors); the Learning Experience School $25,056 (166 donors); Miami Science Museum $24,462 (61donors); Chapman Partnership, $24,286 (58 donors); and the Good Government Initiative, $22,660 (31 donors).

Complete results are at the Give Miami Day website.

Kathy Martin

Haitian dance

Ayikodans, the Haitian modern dance troupe that has made a powerful impression in its two visits to Miami, will return in February to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

The company’s Feb. 15-17 performances at the Adrienne Arsht Center will include a world premiere by company artistic director, Jeanguy Saintus, called Lamentation 13, a tribute to the Ayikodans’ history, and Eritaje 25, a compilation of repertory pieces.

The troupe has enjoyed strong support from Arsht Center and community leaders since 2010, when enthusiasm for its Miami performances and sympathy for its plight in the wake of the Haitian earthquake generated funds that kept it from closing.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16 and 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Arsht Center’s Carnival Studio Theater, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami. Tickets are $35; 305-949-6722, arshtcenter.org.

Jordan Levin

Free admission

The Norton Museum of Art will open its doors for free from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursday as a holiday gift to the community with a new exhibition, Say it Loud: Art by African and African-American Artists in the Collection. The show will includes dozens of paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper spanning the past century. Greg Jackson & the Mojo Band will perform Motown tunes as art of the Art After Dark event. The museum is at 1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach; 561-832-5196, norton.org.

Galena Mosovich

Names in the news

Kim L. Cavendish, president and CEO of Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Discovery and Science, has been elected chairwoman of the Giant Screen Cinema Association, which represents more than 260 organizations in nearly 30 countries. Cavendish is the first woman to lead the group’s 22-member board of directors.

Compiled by Miami Herald staff. Send news about theater to cdolen@MiamiHerald.com; dance, pop and Latin music to jlevin@MiamiHerald.com; visual arts to jwooldridge@MiamiHerald.com and classical music and jazz to kmartin@MiamiHerald.com. Add events to our calendar at MiamiHerald.com/events.