This Miami-Dade police officer has cooked for hundreds of sick children and their families

“Start with whatever you can,” is the advice Miami-Dade County Police Department Officer Elliott Scholes offers to those who are looking to give back in our community.

“It’s small moments that fuel big movements,” he said.

Scholes takes the police oath “to protect and serve” into his off-duty volunteering once a month at the Ronald McDonald House in Miami.

For nine years, he and his “Elliott & Friends” have brought joy, comfort, and company to the families and children staying at the facility during treatment for life-threatening illnesses at nearby hospitals.

“It’s satisfying, the feeling of giving back. That’s why I do it,” Scholes said. On Feb. 15, he prepared an afternoon barbecue, in the rain, for 20 families.

One of his favorite activities, he said, is to arrange the ice cream social.

“We provide crushed Oreos, gummy bears and everything you can think of to make a sundae. And for that fleeting moment, they forget what they are going through and remember that they are kids.”

Scholes was named February’s Volunteer of the Month at the Ronald McDonald House in Miami. He began volunteering with Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida when a mother in the Police Explorer Program asked if he would visit a little boy, a big fan of police officers, at the house.

During that first visit, he said he fell in love with the charity and has since continued to help, often by cooking meals for the families.

“After a long day of doctor appointments, dinner is the last thing I want to have to think about,” parent Kimberly Perry said. She has been staying at the house for seven months with her daughter Trinity who is receiving treatment for graft-versus-host disease following a bone marrow transplant.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for volunteers like Elliott who help families like mine,” Perry said.

To help him cook and serve meals, Scholes brings along his fellow officers and friends, as well as children.

“I love when other kids volunteer. It’s nice for the children staying here to be able to play with other kids that don’t care that they have an IV in their arm,” Scholes said.

In addition to his RMHC service, Scholes has spent 20 years rescuing dozens of German Shepherds. His charitable efforts also earned him the Tropical Financial Credit Union’s Good Citizens Award in 2016.

If you can give back too, go to www.rmhc.org to learn more.

March 7 is date for Villagers’ Garden Tour

Every year, The Villagers, founded in 1966, organizes a day of magical garden visits at private homes and it all benefits historic preservation in our community.

This year, “A 20/20 Vision of Tropical Splendor” will feature five properties in Pinecrest and Coral Gables from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., March 7.

“The tour this year is a curated collection of five heritage gardens, all carefully created by the homeowners, so it truly is a gardeners’ garden tour,” Tour Co-Chair Terry Cook said. “All show a patina that you can only get through patience and time.”

Tickets may be purchased from Villagers’ members or online for $35. The day of the tour, tickets will be available for $40 at 8525 SW 96th St. or at Pinecrest Gardens, 11000 SW 57th Ave.

Tour-goers will receive a map to each garden with information about landscaping highlights. Members of The Villagers also will be on site with insider details about the flora and fauna.

Participants drive their own vehicles between the properties. Note that the venues cannot accommodate wheelchairs, walkers or strollers, and carpooling and flat shoes are encouraged. There is no smoking or photography allowed.

Jody Crosland, Terry Cook, and Sheila Revell chair the Garden Tour Committee with assistance from Debbie Kavanaugh, Loyda Lewis, Fran Blake, Valerie Volpe, Paula Volpe, Bonnie Hutton, April Matteini, and Karen Buchsbaum.

Go to https://thevillagersinc.org/garden-tour-4/ to purchase tickets and for more information.

Calling all backgammon players

Twenty years ago a small group of backgammon players started meeting for weekly games at the Coral Gables Starbucks when it was at Miracle Mile and Ponce de Leon Boulevard.

Now they meet at Rice Mediterranean Kitchen on Giralda Avenue and call themselves “a friendly bunch of South Florida backgammon players.” Everyone is invited to join in.

“We are almost like a tiny United Nations, with players born around the world, usually in the Americas and Europe,” organizer Leo Bueno said. “The gender balance tilts to men, but we have several women players, including the president of the United States Backgammon Federation, Dr Karen Davis.”

The group is now looking to attract younger players and even has a special offer to cover the game entry fee of $10 for the first player under 18 who registers to play in the tournaments.

Players of all ages and levels are welcome to join in the fun and play live games, matches, chouettes, and tournaments. The group meets at 6:45 p.m. every Wednesday, at 164 Giralda Ave., Coral Gables.

“A couple of our players are national or likely world-class players,” Bueno said. “The rest of us just like to play backgammon!” There are no costs or membership dues. Tournaments have a $10 entry fee.

More at www.MiamiBackgammon.com or contact Bueno at 305-669-5260 or Leo@MiamiBackgammon.com

Call for historic preservation nominations

Dade Heritage Trust is accepting nominations for its 2020 Preservation Awards open to any individual, organization, business or agency involved in historic preservation in Miami-Dade County.

There is no limit on the number of nominations that an applicant can submit, and nominations can be made without the knowledge of the nominee(s). However, owners of properties, if not the applicant, must provide written consent. Self-nominations are accepted.

“We know protecting and preserving Miami-Dade County’s historic sites is not always easy,” Christine Rupp, executive director of DHT, said. “But it’s the incredible dedication by local organizations and individuals, year in and year out, to preserve these historic places for generations to come that are making a difference.”

March 10 is the deadline. Go to www.dadeheritagetrust.org for the application and more.

Congratulations to scholarship winners

Miami Palmetto Senior High School has announced its three Posse Foundation scholarship winners.

Mariano Gama (Syracuse), Fiorella Comparini (Franklin and Marshall), and Marissa Meyers (Davidson) all received tuition-free scholarships from the group that is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Florida Department of Education, the Foundation for New Education Initiatives, The Fortin Foundation of Florida and the New World Foundation.

Posse, a national foundation, offers Miami-Dade and Broward County residents full tuition to six different colleges starting with interviews of more than 1,400 students. Eventually there are 120 finalists for scholarships at Pomona, Davidson, Franklin and Marshall, Hamilton, Mount Holyoke and Syracuse.

Those awarded full tuition pledge to support each other throughout their four college years. Visit www.possefoundation.org for more.

If you have news for this column, write to ChristinaMMayo@gmail.com.