South Florida Medical Director Strikes the Right Note for Haiti
COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (May 17, 2010) – VITAS Innovative Hospice Care is presenting a benefit concert in Coconut Grove for Food For The Poor’s Haiti relief efforts. The concert, on Friday, May 21 from 6 to 9 p.m., will be at Flavour, an old church that has been converted into a lounge and nightclub.
A live band, playing soft rock from the ’60s and ’70s, will provide the entertainment. There will be a suggested $10 donation at the door for the charity, and in addition, half the proceeds from beverages sold that evening will go directly to Food For The Poor.
The nonprofit has operated in Haiti since 1986 and works to serve the poorest of the poor in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Dr. Freddie Negron, Senior Medical Director at VITAS in Dade-Monroe has been a longtime donor of Food For The Poor. The doctor is also a musician and will be playing guitar and vocals for the evening.
“I wanted to do something for Haiti beyond what I regularly do to help through Food For The Poor,” said Dr. Negron. “I thought of a benefit concert. This way, VITAS can reach out to Haiti and invite our large and rather close-knit community to get involved and assist with the recovery efforts. Haiti needs our help, and we cannot forget that.”
A high percentage of the hospice care’s staff is Haitian. Dr. Negron pointed out that one of the key corporate values at VITAS that guides their employees is: “We take care of each other.” The doctor says donating to Food For The Poor and hosting this benefit concert is part of taking care of one another.
“We are so grateful for the way Dr. Negron and VITAS want to make a difference in the lives of those living with such dire needs in Haiti,” said Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma.” The earthquake obviously had a horrible impact among the Haitian community in South Florida, and this company’s efforts will go a long way in Haiti.”
Aloma, who turns 60 on the date of the event, plans to celebrate his birthday by inviting family, friends and former students to join him at Flavour and help raise money for the people of Haiti. The charity’s Executive Director taught for more than 21 years at St. Thomas Aquinas, a prominent Catholic High School in Fort Lauderdale, and still maintains close contact with many of his past students.
For more information about the benefit concert sponsored by VITAS, please call (305) 445-6511. Flavour is located at 2895 McFarlane Road, Coconut Grove, Fla. 33133.
Food For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organization in the United States, does much more than feed millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian agency provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.
Contact:
Aimee Vignola
Public Relations
(954) 427.2222, ext. 6079