Bahamian American, Terrell Reid, a member of The Miami Parking Authority Staff honored for her humanitarian efforts
MIAMI – At last Saturday’s Sant La gala, Terrell Reid, a director at Miami Parking Authority (MPA) was honored for her poverty advocacy work in Haiti. Ms. Reid is Director of Development at MPA. In that capacity she oversees development, redevelopment and public-private partnership projects for the Authority.
During the Sant La gala, Ms. Reid was honored with the “Humanitarian of the Year” award for her charity work in Haiti. Santa La Haitian Neighborhood Center’s mission is to empower, strengthen and stabilize South Florida’s Haitian community, through access for free services and resources, to ensure its successful integration.
On a trip to Haiti after the earthquake that devastated the country in 2010, Terrell was painfully impacted by the conditions in which most families lived. The lack of adequate housing, food, clean water, electricity and essentials touched her heart in a significant way. The life-changing trip made her realize her true calling in life, helping those in need.
With that resolve in mind, she and her partner founded “Giving Hearts with Love Foundation,” a South Florida-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the health and wellbeing and improve the quality of life of those in needy communities.
For the past two years, they have organized annual gospel concerts titled “Rise Up for Haiti,” headlined by renowned artists. The first concert in 2016 gathered about 4,000 people and the one in 2017 attracted approximately 10,000.
In addition to the concerts, the Foundation provides food, clothing, medication, and many other supplies to hundreds of families. Equally important, the Foundation works with youth in Haiti, empowering them to attend school and strive for success. Currently, 50 percent of school-aged children in Haiti are not enrolled in school and approximately 38 percent of the population cannot read or write.
In light of these sobering statistics, the Foundation believes that education can be a great catalyst for ending poverty in Haiti. Their goal is to eventually build a school in Haiti that will give children access to a quality education. To them, providing an appropriate education to these children is paramount.
“I, together with the entire MPA family, salute Terrell Reid for selflessly giving her time, efforts and service to make an impact on the progress of charity work in Haiti,” said Arthur “Art” Noriega, Chief Executive Officer. “I am grateful for the role that Terrell is playing in changing people’s lives in Haiti and for exemplifying the true spirit of MPA of working hard and giving back to the community we serve.”
