Friends and Neighbors: Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash against drunk driving Feb. 8 at Tropical Park

Victims, survivors and supporters will join in the upcoming “Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash” community-wide 5K to save lives and honor those killed or injured in drunk-driving crashes.

The walk/run fundraising event is the fifth organized by the MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) affiliate of Miami-Dade County.

“This annual event serves as a critical call-to-action for the surrounding community,” Janet Mondshein, executive director of the MADD Miami-Dade Affiliate and event co-chair, said in a news release. “Not only does it pay tribute to victims and survivors, but it educates the public about preventing future tragedies. Our goal is to work together to save lives and ultimately eliminate drunk driving.”

The Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash will be from 7:30 a.m. to noon Feb. 8 at Tropical Park, 8200 SW 124th St. in Kendall. It will include a festival with food, rides and games for children and teens. Also scheduled are a Miami-Dade fire-rescue helicopter, police dog demonstrations by the Hialeah Canine Unit and the Miami-Dade Police Department’s “BatMobile” used in drunk driving investigations.

Participants are encouraged to register in advance. The cost, which includes a T-shirt, is $25 for adults and $20 for youth under 21 for the walk, and $30 for all in the run. To register, create a team or become a sponsor, visit http://www.walklikemadd.org.For more info, call Mondshein at 305-273-3744, ext. 3744 or 786-348-9147.

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

For 22 years, photographic portraitist and filmmaker Scherley Busch has documented Florida’s recent history to present the accomplishments of our women leaders. Her mission as a visual storyteller is “to create an archive for our future generations and to present the lives and accomplishments of role models who serve as positive, motivating forces.”

She does this through Florida Women of Achievement’s photo exhibitions, educational programs, and the film series “Portraits of Inspiration.”

The first film, The Power Nun, recounts the inspirational life of Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin, president emerita of Barry University, as she opened doors during the women’s movement to inspire countless lives.

“Florida Women of Achievement shines a light on real life role models who set examples that show the next generation how they can utilize their own talents to influence the world in whatever arena they choose, just as their remarkable predecessors have done,” Busch said in a news release.

The first screening of The Power Nun will be at 7:15 p.m. March 31 at the Miracle Theatre, 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. For donation info and sponsorship opportunities visit http://www.floridawomenofachievement.org/ or call Busch at 305-661-6605.

DADE LEGAL AID

Hundreds of South Florida’s intellectual-property lawyers, law students, engineers and other techies took part in the fifth annual Patently Impossible Project, an innovative race to assemble a patented invention.

Jaime Rich Vining, Chair of the Intellectual Property Committee of the Dade County Bar Association, spearheaded the event that was held at the Frost Museum of Science to help support Dade Legal Aid.

Team Akerman took the first-place prize, with students from the University of Miami School of Law coming in second. The teams had only a paper bag filled with tiny parts, a screwdriver and a patent registration to work with. The Akerman team was the first to successfully assemble a battery-powered duck that crossed the finish line. There were more than 300 guests in attendance cheering and placing “bets” on their favorite contestant.

Funds raised from the “bets” and silent auction items donated by generous local businesses raised money for Dade Legal Aid, the nonprofit law firm that provides free legal services to low-income persons in Miami-Dade County.

“The demand for legal services has never been greater due to the continuing economic challenges here in Miami-Dade County,” Executive Director Karen Ladis said in a release. “We greatly appreciate the incredible efforts of Jaime Rich Vining, the Intellectual Property Committee and everyone who attended and supported us so that we can provide a continuum of critical services to at risk children, teens, the elderly, victims of domestic violence, veterans and other vulnerable members of our community.”

For more about Dade Legal Aid and to learn about its Put Something Back projects, visit http://www.dadelegalaid.org/

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS

A grant donation from the P.L. Dodge Foundation will make it possible for 35 to 40 children of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade to participate in the Miami Symphony Orchestra’s (MISO) Music Art Challenge.

The program combines music, the visual arts and storytelling and the participating students, in grades 3-8, attend Project Learn After School at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade’s Hank Kline Club. The program started Jan. 14 and will include three more sessions.

“We are very thankful to the P.L. Dodge Foundation for its generous grant, which has made it possible for our youth to participate in The Miami Symphony Orchestra’s Music Art Challenge,” said Alex Rodriguez-Roig, president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, in a release. “The program presents an unparalleled opportunity for youth to explore and engage their interest in classical music, visual arts and storytelling with the esteemed leaders of the Miami Symphony Orchestra.”

The P.L. Dodge Foundation concentrates on funding projects in Miami-Dade County, especially those that benefit children and families. It was started in 1963 by Miami neuropsychiatrist Dr. Percy L. Dodge, a long-time crusader for better treatment of the mentally ill.

For more about the Music Art Challenge and the community leaders involved, visit http://themiso.org/music_art.php

NEW NEIGHBORS

The dedicated volunteers of the New Neighbors club, originally part of the Welcome Wagon that started over 50 years ago, continue to hold interesting ways for residents to meet.

Members will welcome guests at a luncheon starting 11 a.m. Feb. 11 at the Killian Palms Country Club 9950 SW 104th St.. Cost is $26 and reservations are required by noon, Feb. 6. Write to ritafosse@yahoo.com or call 305-595-0213.

At the event, Lourdes Valentin will present her one-woman cabaret show singing in English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. She is also a songwriter who composes for guitar and piano. For more about New Neighbors visit http://newneighborssouthdade.webs.com/

This story was originally published January 28, 2015 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Friends and Neighbors: Walk Like MADD/MADD Dash against drunk driving Feb. 8 at Tropical Park."