February 2022 - Page 2 of 2

Message From The President and CEO

February 3, 2022/in Blog

Blake Hall – CHI President and CEO

Dear Friends,

First I want to thank all for your amazing support received last year in celebration of CHI’s 50^th Anniversary. It was a very special milestone and your participation and donations made it another banner year in our fundraising efforts for the Children’s Crisis Center capital campaign.

As we head into the homestretch of our campaign I am proud to let you know that we are only $529,124 away from meeting our $5.5 million goal. This could not have been achieved without you — our superheroes — and for this reason, and in your honor, we have dubbed 2022 The Year of the CHI Superheroes.

The dictionary says the following about a superhero: “a morally righteous hero in a fictional work who possesses extraordinary abilities or supernatural powers and uses them to fight evil, as in comic books and movies.” Much of the definition is so appropriate as our donors are extraordinary, compassionate, morally righteous people who want to help these kids overcome their mental health issues.

In this e-newsletter, we proudly acknowledge superheroes such as Dr. Ora L. Strickland for her generosity and advocacy of the Children’s Crisis Center. We also highlight the CHI staff for contributing over $64,000 during our 2021 -2022 Employee Giving Campaign of which over $10,000 was provided to help the people of Haiti via the Ayiti Community Trust.

I am so proud of the work we are doing here at Community Health of South Florida, Inc. to provide high-quality comprehensive healthcare for kids and adults. I am excited to share with you our achievements throughout the year and look forward to seeing you soon.

Let’s continue to be SUPERHEROES and help those in need — together we can change the world for the better.

In Sincere Gratitude,

Blake Hall

President and CEO

Community Health of South Florida, Inc.

Superhero Feature Dr. Ora L. Strickland

February 3, 2022/in Blog

When Dr. Ora L. Strickland stood up in a Capital Campaign Committee to announce her generous donation of $10,000 she created momentum and inspiration. Her gift toward the Children’s Crisis Center (CCC) paved the way for others to do the same and to reignite the path towards creating a desperately needed place for children with severe mental illness.

Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) and Community Health Foundation are extremely grateful to Dr. Strickland for her guidance and participation on the committee and for her wonderful donation.

Dr. Strickland is Dean and Professor at the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. She is the Founding Editor of the Journal of Nursing Measurement, and she initiated the Nursing Citation Index, which was subsequently integrated into CINAHL, a leading nursing search engine. She was one of the founders of the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute for Nursing Research.

“I am very proud to give my support to CHI and the Children’s Crisis Center,” said Dr. Strickland. “The center is extremely important for the overall health of our community. It has been so rewarding to work side by side with my fellow capital campaign committee members and with the CHI leadership team. I have seen how every donation counts and takes us closer to bringing this center to a reality. Knowing that we are only $529,000 away from reaching our $5.5 million goal, I was personally inspired to do my part.”

The CCC will be the first comprehensive center of its kind in southern Miami-Dade. The 11,400 square foot facility will provide a haven for children suffering from mental illness. This in-patient, 24-hour, 20-bed facility will house a team of board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists, mental health clinicians, social workers, and counselors. The medical team will provide full-service comprehensive mental health care for children up to 17 years of age, regardless of their ability to pay.

“CHI is so fortunate for the support and gift from Dr. Strickland. She has been an exemplary advocate for the center and the need for increased mental health services and we cannot thank her enough. She is a true superhero,” said Blake Hall , President and CEO of CHI.

For more information on the Children’s Crisis Center and how you can join our circle of supporters please visit https://www.chisouthfl.org/give/ or call 786- 293-5504.

CHI Gives Back

February 3, 2022/in Blog

This past September 2021, CHI launched its 2nd annual Employee Giving Campaign. This year was special as employees had the opportunity to donate to a wonderful cause outside of CHI and the healthcare arena. To date, a total of $64,000.00 has been raised by the CHI Team of which nearly $11,000 was designated to the CHI for Haiti Fund benefiting the Ayiti Community Trust (ACT).

Dr. Guerda Nicolas, Co-Founder of the ACT visited CHI to thank the employees for their support and share insight on ACT’s projects in Haiti. The Ayiti Community Trust’s mission is to support and sustain development innovation in Ayiti (Haiti) in the areas of civic education, environment, and entrepreneurship. CHI employees presented Dr. Nicolas with a check for $10,854.84 to assist ACT’s Earthquake Relief Fund. This fund is focusing on providing emergency relief, recovery, and reconstruction in Haiti which is still very much needed after last year’s devastating storms. CHI is proud to help the people of Haiti. CHI is proud to give back.