Exhibition features stories of impact, timeline and more in Community Gallery
Twenty years represents the typical growth cycle of human beings from birth to adulthood. So when The Children’s Trust celebrated its 20th anniversary on Sept. 10, the milestone took on added significance considering the organization is charged with serving all Miami-Dade’s children, even before they are born to when they become adults.
To celebrate the anniversary, The Trust joined with HistoryMiami Museum to put together The Children’s Trust 20th Anniversary Exhibition in the museum’s Community Gallery. The exhibition is free and open during regular museum hours through Dec. 11.
Miami-Dade residents first voted to create a mechanism to fund children’s programs and initiatives in 1988, but failed to approve the measure. Former Miami Herald publisher David Lawrence Jr. then rekindled the effort at the beginning of this century and on Sept. 10, 2002, the voters overwhelming approved the measure establishing The Trust.
Lawrence’s role in shepherding The Trust into existence and through its initial years is explained in a short documentary on the history of the organization entitled The Children’s Trust – 20 Years Nurturing Greatness that is featured in the exhibition.
The exhibition also includes several different facets, starting with a timeline of all the important and milestone dates in the history of the organization, while center panels highlight the impact The Trust has had including engaging over 2.2 million children, families and providers, distributing over 3.4 million books, making possible 4.2 million student visits to Trust-funded school health clinics, and making available over 14.2 million meals and snacks.
While the facts and figures compiled over two decades speak to the community-wide impact of The Trust, the exhibition also tells the story of three children whose lives have been impacted by The Trust. The children all overcame obstacles to develop into well-rounded and healthy adolescents and adults and are achieving inspiring successes. Their faces will be part of the exhibition and their stories are told on a monitor that is part of the Community Gallery.
Other features of the exhibition include memorabilia compiled over the history of The Trust and a proclamation approved by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the Board of County Commissioners declaring Sept. 10, 2002, as “The Children’s Trust Day.”
“We are excited to enter our 20th year of serving children and families in Miami-Dade,” said James R. Haj, president & CEO of The Children’s Trust. “This exhibition will feature the leaders who laid the groundwork for this critical work and some of the powerful stories of the children who have blossomed through the years in Trust-funded programs and initiatives. It truly showcases who we are and what we’re about.”