ASPIRA of Florida Welcomes its Quarter-Of-A-Millionth Website Visitor!
ASPIRA of Florida is excited to welcome its 250 thousandth website visitor! This benchmark number of a quarter of a million, reached during October 2012, reflects the effort our organization has put forth in bringing new and engaging content to our readers. In just over three years since the debut of our redesigned website we have seen expansive growth in website readership and are excited about the implications. Our ultimate goal is to keep those already involved with ASPIRA informed, while spreading the message of who ASPIRA is and what we do to the general public.
University of Miami's Frost School of Music and ASPIRA of Florida to Deliver Free Music Classes
ASPIRA of Florida Charter Schools, in collaboration with the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, announces free after school music classes will be offered to 6th-8th grade students enrolled at ASPIRA Raul Arnaldo Martinez and Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter Schools. Graduate student mentors from the Frost MusicReach program will teach the free music classes once a week on Wednesday afternoons, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., October 3 through November 28, 2012. 
Frost graduate students Geoffrey Saunders and William Longo were selected as faculty for the RAM and EMDH Charter Schools.
"We are so thankful to the UM Frost School of Music for their dedication to our community and giving youth an opportunity to be exposed to and learn from such a prestigious program," said George Cabrera, President and CEO of ASPIRA of Florida, Inc.
To read the full press release, click here.
ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. - Palm Beach Fundraiser Event
You are cordially invited to attend a fundraiser event coordinated by ASPIRA's Palm Beach Division. The fundraiser will take place on Friday, October, 26, 2012 and all proceeds will go to benefit the ASPIRA Scholarship Fund.
For more details regarding the event, please
click here.
El Sentinel's 10th Anniversary Event
Come
and celebrate El Sentinel's 10th anniversary on Friday, September 14!
The event is of no charge to attend and will include music, food and fun for the entire family. The anniversary celebration will be held at the ArtsPark at Young Circle in Hollywood, located at Hollywood Boulevard at U.S. 1.
Activities are set to begin at 5 p.m. and will go until 10 p.m. There will be kids activities from 5 p.m.-8p.m. and a live performance by Marlow Rosado y la Orquesta La Riquena at 8:30 p.m.
Looking forward to seeing you and your family there!
Bridging the Digital Divide
With Internet access becoming increasingly vital for success at school, at work and at home, ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. has joined in Comcast's efforts to bring affordable Internet service to the millions of students and families on the wrong side of the digital divide.
According to the Pew Research Center, only 41% of those with household incomes under $30,000 have broadband at home. The goal is to reach all families living without this essential technology.
As the nation's leading Internet provider, Comcast created and launched the Internet Essentials Program which serves to provide the tools and resources students need to succeed by connecting families to the Internet on an affordable basis.
Families with at least one child eligible to receive free or reduced price lunches through the National School Lunch Program may qualify for the Internet Essentials Program. Participating families pay only $9.95 a month, plus tax, with no price increases, activation fees or equipment rentals. Also, those involved in the program can buy a low-cost computer and receive Internet training at no additional charge.
As a community partner, ASPIRA is committed to spreading the word about this program and accelerating the process of getting Internet to the homes that need it most. Please be sure to do the same, so that together we can close the digital divide and ensure that all students are granted equal opportunity to succeed.
Read more about the Internet Essentials Program here.
ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. Joins AVANCE in the "Unlocking America's Potential Project"
On Tuesday, July 10, ASPIRA of Florida, Inc. joined newfound partner, AVANCE, Inc. for a live press conference to highlight the continued national expansion of AVANCE's Parent-Child Education Program (PCEP) through partnerships from across the country.
In addition to ASPIRA, other organizations including Amistades Inc. in Arizona, The Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative in Michigan and The Family Place Inc. in Washington, D.C. joined the live video stream conference to discuss the impact of AVANCE's presence within their respective communities.
Featured guest San Antonio Mayor, Julian Castro, and conference participants discussed how educational attainment programs directly align to ensure the country's economic competitiveness and national security.
Similar to ASPIRA, AVANCE, based in Texas, has provided innovative education and family support services to predominantly Hispanic families in low-income, high-need communities.
Both ASPIRA of Florida and AVANCE are working towards a future where all children and parents are given access to the tools needed to advance to their full potential, transforming the communities in which they live. By partnering with ASPIRA, communities in Florida will be offered another valuable resource to assist them in achieving their goals.
ASPIRA of Florida's Year-End Agency Report for FY 11-12
ASPIRA of Florida's demographics and service information, as of June 30th, 2012, is available in this report. Access it here.
Join ASPIRA of Florida and Local Author Jorge Goyanes at Book Signing Event
You are invited to join us on June 12, 2012 for an ASPIRA Scholarship and Networking Fundraiser to be held at Cabana's Restaurant from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Come and meet a local new author, Jorge Goyanes in his recent release of Miami Beat. Mr. Goyanes, in his generosity, will be contributing a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his book to the ASPIRA Scholarship Fund.
Join us for wonderful hors d'oeuvres and drinks courtesy of Cabana Restaurant! If you cannot attend and would still like to donate, please feel free to do so using the link below.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Please donate today. Your contribution will be extremely appreciated.
ASPIRA Charter South Receives Red Ribbon Certification!
ASPIRA's South Leadership Charter School is now a Red Ribbon certified school from 2011-2014!
The Red Ribbon program is the largest universal prevention campaign in the nation.
According to their website, "the Red Ribbon Certified Schools (RRCS) program, led by Informed Families, the National Family Partnership and Florida State University's Center for Prevention Research, has been federally-funded and designed to assess and then celebrate effective efforts in the prevention of substance abuse among youth."
"It highlights the efforts of schools who work in collaboration with youth, parents, educators and the community as a team. Red Ribbon Certified Schools is about achieving academic excellence through prevention. It promotes team building to get parents, educators and students to work together towards creating a drug-free America."
This achievement goes to further exemplify what our organization is all about!
ASPIRA of Florida's Chess Team Celebrates Nationwide Success!
On the weekend of April 27-29, 2012, the ASPIRA Raul Arnaldo Martinez Charter School Chess Team traveled across the nation to compete in the National Junior High Chess 
Championship in San Diego, California.
The team placed first in the "Unrated Category", with four of its members finishing in the Top Ten. This great accomplishment is being celebrated across the campus: in the hallways, offices, classrooms, and especially the cafeteria, where "Chess Fever" is running high. Students are gathering in the morning, at lunch and after school to play chess. As a result, this year has proven to have the highest attendance of Chess Club members and nonmembers.
"All the students are winners because they had to qualify in order to participate in the National Tournament. They competed in the district, regional and state level championships to get there," said Mrs. Peña, principal of ASPIRA's Raul Arnaldo Martinez Charter School.
This is the second time the school is represented at the national level, having finished in fifth place three years ago in the Super Nationals Chess Competition in Nashville, Tennessee.
For the past eight years, The Chess Program has been an exceedingly successful extra-curricular activity at ASPIRA R.A.M. Under the leadership of Coach Alcides Núñez and Coach Jorge L. Trujillo, the Chess Team has participated various competitions with great results. This year alone, the team placed second in the North Regional Title I and State Chess competitions, with some members receiving individual recognition.
Undoubtedly, the 2011-2012 club members will be remembered as one of the top chess teams in school history.
We proudly congratulate Eddy Gedeon ,Staphon Sawyer, Edgar Gonzalez, Ricardo Gaspari, Imani Lorceus, Matthew Jean Francois, Jordan Lorceus , and Derris Demeritte for such a great job.
The team will be recognized and honored by the Mayor of the City of North Miami, Andre D. Pierre, Esq., and the City of North Miami Commissioners on May 8, 2012.
A big congratulations to the students, teachers, parents and staff involved for successfully representing ASPIRA nationwide!
6100 Blue Lagoon Drive, Suite 460
Los Angeles based street artist and female urban art icon, Sand One, returns to Miami to participate in the week of Art Basel 2012. Her work will be exhibited throughout the week in The Arts District galleries. The main highlight of Sand's trip to Miami will be painting a large scale educational based mural called "Book Smarts" at ASPIRA Eugenio Maria de Hostos Youth Leadership Charter School located at 1 Northeast 19th Street Miami, FL 33132. The mural will feature the artist's signature long lashed girl characters engaging in school activities. Sand emphasizes, "the intention behind the mural is to highlight the importance of reading. Reading is knowledge." 
"This is an exciting opportunity to have our students participate in a unique, hands on project that expands their learning beyond the classroom," said ASPIRA President and CEO, George Cabrera. "This would not have been possible without the vision and support of Captain George Guevara. We cannot thank Sand One enough for sharing her talent with our Aspirantes and for choosing the Eugenio Maria De Hostos building as her canvas to communicate the importance of reading."