Volunteer of the Month:

Roger Bartlett, Angela Stewart, Lenor Ryan, Marely Alicea, Omar Cruz

The Shops at Midtown Miami helped the Lotus House maternity wing during December with a diaper drive, netting the organization 3,020 free diapers!  The program was initiated by Midtown and promoted through GoShopStar.com, an online rewards program for Midtown’s shoppers.  Members were asked to print a coupon and bring a package of diapers with them to the mall’s drop off location. For each package donated, The Shops at Midtown Miami donated another package. In addition, the center pledged $10 worth of diapers for every new ShopStar member registration from December 10 – 23, 2010. Current members were encouraged to refer their friends to the rewards program, and signs were placed throughout the center soliciting new members and promoting the diaper drive. – Thank you to the entire team at the Shops at Midtown Miami for this extraordinary gift to Lotus House!

Past Honorees:

Mallory Blum

A blessing to the mothers and babies at Lotus House, 13-year-old Mallory Blum awed everyone with her enormous donation of much needed baby supplies for the shelter. Lotus House is home to as many as 20 infants and toddlers at a time, meaning there is always a high demand for basic baby supplies. In preparation for her Bat Mitzvah social action project, Mallory reached out to all of her friends and family requesting donations for the shelter. She collected everything from diapers, blankets, bottles and strollers, to beautifully handmade hats and bibs and so much more. To top it off, she also collected monetary contributions of over $3600! Thank you Mallory!

Tom Cabrerizo, CFH Group

Lotus House has a new “roof over its head,” thanks to generous efforts by Tom Cabrerizo, founder and CEO of CFH Group, a Miami-based real estate development and management company that currently oversees the day to day operations of over 5,000 units in the company’s residential portfolio and over one million square feet of commercial property throughout the Southeast. With hurricane season underway, that much-needed donation could not have been timelier. “Our facility was in need of repairs – costly undertakings that may otherwise have been impossible without a donation of this magnitude,” said Lotus House President Constance Collins Margulies. “We are extremely thankful to Tom and everyone at CFH for providing such an immeasurable gift.” Cabrerizo also helped ensure regular maintenance of the shelter.

Shelby Hinds, chef

Shelby came up with the idea for the Valentine's Day sale after she heard that she would receive $250 for being chosen by the Soroptimist International of Coral Gables as the runner-up for the Violet Richardson Award. The award, which she will donate to the Lotus House, is given to young women who have done exemplary work in the community. "At first I wanted to match it,'' Shelby said. "But then I decided to set my goal for $1,000.'' "I was completely blown away,'' said Constance Collins Margulies, president of the Lotus House. "To see someone her age with such a sense of social consciousness is uplifting to say the least.'' Beyond donating the cakes, Shelby has also gone to Lotus House to teach classes to the women who live in the shelter.