In honor of the holidays, the Miami Dolphins celebrated "100 Yards of Giving" at the Dec. 23rd halftime show. The team recognized 50 Dolphins fans who embody the spirit of Teamwork at Work.
Teamwork at Work is a Dolphins initiative focused on leveling the playing field through the power of teamwork to inspire a healthier, more educated and united South Florida Community. These special fans remind us that football is a uniting platform to help others. The Dolphins thank you for being an inspiring and uniting force in our community and are proud to welcome the honorees below to the Teamwork at Work Class of 2018.
Alan Stang – Alan is a phenomenal volunteer with the Special Teams powered by AARP Volunteer program. Since the inception of the program, Alan has logged more than 4,000 volunteer service hours. His favorite volunteer activity is the Miami Dolphins Community Service Academy mentoring the youth participants and guiding them through their 40 hours of community service each week.
Alex Spriggs – In Alex's work with the SAVE group, he manages the organization's staff, assists the Executive Director, and puts on SAVE events throughout the year.
Altavious Powell – Altavious risked his life to save an elderly woman inside her home as it caught on fire. He used the cast on his arm to break the window of the woman's home and get inside to rescue her.
Andrea Gonzalez – Andrea is the captain for Team Carnival & Co-Chair of Carnival employee-driven service group the "Friends Uniting Neighbors" (F.U.N.) Team since June 2017. Having a philanthropic passion and love for cycling has allowed Andrea and Team Carnival to support the DCC by participating in all aspects and raising more than $150,000 since its inception.
Arabella Dunbar – Arabella is a young professional working in the social media field in the Miami area. Always having had a passion for activism, she joined the Gay8 team after attending three years ago and falling in love with their mission.
Ariel Roman – Ariel is the director of media & cultural affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in Miami. Though his responsibilities span several realms, the focus of this recognition highlights the strong ties with the Miami Dolphin's FOOTBALL UNITES™ and RISE programs. Through the vision and support of the Consuls, Lior Haiat and Guy Gilady, the Consulate fully participated in the program's implementation of the essential practice of "Teamwork at Work" throughout South Florida's rich mosaic of communities.
Bryan Cunningham – In his role as division manager for the Urban League of Broward County's Entrepreneurship Center, Bryan leads the agency's initiatives to create, develop and scale small, minority-owned businesses. Under his leadership, the Entrepreneurship Center has successfully served more than 2,000 clients and lent over $1.8 million in capital to minority-owned small businesses since 2017.
Christine Valls – Christine serves as managing director of sales for Florida, Latin America the Caribbean and U.S. Latin with American Airlines. Each year for more than 20 years, American Airlines donates travel to over 40 celebrity guests as a benefit to support the Miami Dolphins Foundation and Nat Moore Scholarship Endowment Program with its fundraising events. This enables both education initiatives to focus more on the financial impact to provide scholarships to graduating high school seniors in Miami Dade and Broward counties. To date, more than 100-plus students have been awarded scholarships to support either post-secondary education.
Clara Miller – Clara is the Special Teams powered by AARP Foundation Volunteer of the Year for 2018. Clara volunteers weekly at the VA Hospital because she believes that it is important to make sure our veterans stay socially connected.
Daniel Perisse – Daniel has been a volunteer with the Special Teams Powered by AARP Foundation for the last two years and has made a great impact. Daniel helped with our game day service project sponsored by Sysco, which provides a weekend backpack full of food for youth in need. He has also volunteered with the Miami Dolphins when the team packed hurricane preparedness packs for seniors in the South Florida Community.
Deb Dexter – Deb retired from the Air Force as a colonel after 26 years of active duty. Deb invites current and past military veterans as her guests to every Miami Dolphins home game for the past eight years as a Season Ticket Member.
Derek Auguste – Derek is an Army veteran who served as the volunteer platoon leader for The Mission Continues Miami Service Platoon for the past 18 months. In 2018, under his leadership, the Miami Service Platoon hosted 30 service events in the community, while empowering 392 new veteran and civilian members to join the platoon in service.
Dionne Harris – Dionne is a veteran of the Miami Dolphins staff and a committed member of the volunteer program. She and her family volunteered for hurricane relief efforts, holiday shopping for kids, Million Meal pack and many more events. Dionne is always the first one to sign up to give her free to time to help those in need.
Ed Cannatelli – Ed believes community service is both a passion and duty for his business. His business's community service projects are focused on three key causes: positive social change/impact development, social justice and education. His philanthropic commitments have helped organizations such as Wounded Warriors Project; Make a Wish Foundation; and The Boys and Girls Club of America.
Eida Rodriguez – Eida is the Team Mom of the Kendall Hammock Warrior 10U of the Miami Xtreme Football League. She has been a rock for the Kendall Warriors U10 Football Team for several years. Most recently, Eida's mother recently lost her battle with cancer. During her mother's battle, Eida continued to orchestrate all aspects of the team from hospital rooms and the bedside to ensure everything the team needed was accounted for.
Elsa Figueredo – Elsa is the marketing and public relations manager for Doctors Hospital. Doctors Hospital, located in the heart of Coral Gables, has been providing high-quality healthcare for nearly 70 years. It is home of the nationally ranked Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute renowned for its joint replacement, foot and ankle treatment, and pediatric orthopedic and spine care. Led by John Uribe, M.D., the Institute is the "go-to" sports medicine treatment center for the Miami Dolphins.
Franklin Sirmans – Franklin is the director of the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). Franklin was instrumental in initiating the PAMM Art Detectives Program, an arts education program that promotes critical and timely dialogue between youth, police, and community, using contemporary art as the catalyst. The program is collaboration between Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™, The Links, Inc. Greater Miami Chapter, Miami-Dade County Police and City Law Enforcement, and Breakthrough Miami.
Fritz Postlethwaite – Fritz is an inaugural member of the Special Teams powered by AARP Foundation program. He has volunteered for every Dolphins Cancer Challenge and Million Meal Pack event, and oversees the Game Day Service project sponsored by Sysco which provides a weekend backpack full of food for youth in needs. Fritz, a cancer survivor, managed the Boca start/stop for DCC before overcoming his own battle with cancer.
Giancarlo Robletto – Giancarlo is a team captain for the Guest Experience 100 Level Team. Giancarlo consistently goes above and beyond on game days, and even assists in the office on non-event days. Giancarlo has an amazingly positive attitude and never says "No" when given a challenge.
Jamal Engram – Jamal is the chief of communications for the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project. The 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project has awarded millions of dollars in college scholarships to help hundreds of young men achieve their dream of earning a college degree or post-secondary certification. Jamal's work and dedication to the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project increased followers on the social media platforms and built awareness of this organization throughout the United States.
Jeff Peck – Jeff is a celebrated supporter of the Miami Dolphins Foundation. Serving on the Dolphins Cancer Challenge Advisory Board and Chair of Fins Weekend, Jeff's commitment to the South Florida community is year-round. His DCC team, Team Gene and Ali, is one of the longest participating family teams in honor of his parents. They recently won the Team of the Year Award at the Heavy Hitter Reception where they increased both their participation and fundraising by more than 50 percent this year totaling their DCC VIII contribution to more than $90,000. Jeff's father unfortunately lost his battle to cancer and his mother, a cancer survivor, cheers him on from the sidelines year after year.
Jim Castle – Jim is the founder of Grampy's Charities and has been a loyal Season Ticket Member for the past nine years. He donates his tickets for every game to the Ronald McDonald House and has helped raise money to purchase a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile for Southwest Florida. Grampy's Charities raised money for Save the Kid Fund's initiative Robbie's Riders Program, which was created to build bicycles for children who would be unable to ride a bike on their own.
Jim Kolar – Jim works with the Veterans Association to provide assistance for veterans who suffer from a variety of conditions. Jim gives them a place to live to ensure that they feel like they can live independently. Jim also assists them with meals, and takes 12 veterans out to every Dolphins home game. The reason Jim became a Miami Dolphins Season Ticket Member was to give back to heroes of our country.
Jim Sayih – Jim created Special Compass to include adaptive athletes and persons of any disability in all sporting events. Michael, Jim's son, is diagnosed with cerebral palsy and is the President of Special Compass. At the age of 5, Michael participated in his first Duathlon Race with Jim and Michael's brother, Adam. They have participated in countless races since, and are excited to return to the Dolphins Cancer Challenge in April of 2019.
Jo Ann Mazzeo – Jo Ann's work with The Keyes Company supports many local charities as well as partnering with the DCC. Last year the company supplied Thanksgiving turkeys to more than 115 families, partnered with Move for Hunger to donate over 6,375 pounds of food, and donated 250 bags of school supplies this year to help serve 1,800 homeless students in St. Lucie County.
Kathy Oliva – In 2016, Kathy's son passed away from a motorcycle accident. He was wearing his beloved Dolphins hat when he passed. Ever since, Kathy has continued to honor her son at each and every Miami Dolphins tailgate with his friends and family.
Lindsey Sierra – Lindsey is the assistant principal at Eagle Ridge Elementary in Coral Springs with more than 17 years as an educator and instructional leader. Lindsey is passionate about blending curriculum and social emotional learning. For the past six years, Lindsey has been implementing the ADL's "No Place for Hate" as a school-wide initiative. ADL's No Place for Hate has become the foundation for teaching youth about social thinking and emotional awareness.
Lt. Patricia R. Brown – Patricia is a 28-year member of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and current executive officer for the West Detention Center. She works with the National Organization of Black Law Executives South Florida Chapter (NOBLE) in partnership with the Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™ program. Patricia relishes in volunteerism and mentorship. She serves as a mentor with Take Stock in Children Palm Beach County and received mentor of the year for 2016.
Luis Anaya – Luis enjoys providing others with the opportunity to experience Dolphins games who otherwise would not have the opportunity to do so by flying various families from Puerto Rico to South Florida to enjoy the games with him and his family.
Lynda Roberts – Lynda has been a mentor to youth for more than 35 years, assisting within the communities where she works and lives. She is passionate about ensuring that every child has the tools to succeed in life and become model citizens in their community.
Melissa Bales – Melissa is captain of Team eMBolden Events and is entering her seventh year with the DCC. Melissa has raised more than $30,000 as a Heavy Hitter ride Marshal and participant. She has spearheaded relief efforts for hurricane victims in Puerto Rico and the Florida Panhandle by assisting with the transportation of millions of pounds of supplies, search and rescue teams, hundreds of people and pets.
Michael Freeling – Michael has been a Season Ticket Member for more than 21 years. For 12 years he has been both a national volunteer leader & Florida volunteer leader with ADL. This year, as the current ADL Florida Leadership Chair, Michael fostered the partnership between ADL Florida and the Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™ Program by including students and ADL Florida's leadership team in the Miami Dolphins FOOTBALL UNITES™ Cultural Diversity Tours.
Michael Wright – Michael volunteers with the Special Teams Powered by AARP Foundation every game day. He helps with the game day service project sponsored by Sysco, which provides a weekend backpack full of food for youth in need. Michael also volunteers every year with our Million Meal pack event.
Officer Alex Paul – Alex is a Miami native and has been an officer for more than 3.5 years. Thank you for your dedication to the South Florida community.
Officer Jason Mulvey – Jason is a 24-year veteran of the Coral Springs Police Department and has been a school resource officer for 18 of those years. Jason has helped develop and run the Summer BreakSpot Camp which has served almost 500 children to date. The Summer BreakSpot camp provides mentoring, enrichment, public safety education, and meals to children.
Officer Natalie Buissereth – Natalie has been a police officer for 11 years and is most proud of her work in establishing a victim advocacy program, assisting with the improvements in the hiring and recruiting process and her work with youth in the community. Natalie is assigned to the Community Policing Section and serves as the executive director of the Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) of North Miami.
Officer Scott Hadley – Scott is the executive director of the Miramar Police Athletic League since 2006 and has overseen the growth of all youth sports programs throughout the City of Miramar, growing from 900 to 5,800 kids served annually. During his career with Miramar Police Department Scott received: the Excellent Police Service Award; the Distinguished Police Service Award; the Distinguished Citizenship Award from Nonprofit Organizations in Broward County; several letters of Commendation; eight Unit Citation awards; and the Life Saving Award in 2018.
Officer Sylvia Caceres – Sylvia has always demonstrated a high level of professionalism throughout her career in law enforcement. She is a military veteran serving several years with the United States Army. She is also the first female K9 handler in the history of the Miami Gardens Police Department.
Officer Vicki Plowden – Vicki has been with the Miami-Dade Schools District for more than 20 years. She leads a diversified career with the Miami-Dade Schools Police department and stands ready to bridge the gap between students and the law enforcement community.
Osline Pascal – Osline has worked with YWCA of Greater Miami-Dade, Inc. for more than 20 years and currently serves as the center director for the Cain Tower Day Care Center in Downtown Miami. Osline is an advocate for children and women, and her commitment to a life of service to others inspires everyone.
Paul Schneider – Paul has been with Waste Management (WM) for 30 years and in his current position as sales director, has played an intricate role with the relationship between the Miami Dolphins and Waste Management. For the past 15 years, WM has supported the education initiative of the Miami Dolphins Foundation and Nat Moore Scholarship Endowment Program by serving as a partner of the Miami Dolphins organization, and contributing more than $500,000 to enable the Foundation to provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors in Miami Dade and Broward counties.
Rich Raphael – Rich is a police officer and the president of Miami Xtreme Football League. The Miami Xtreme Football League's mission is to provide youths an opportunity to play football and cheerlead in a supervised, organized, and safe environment; to promote the ideals of sportsmanship, scholarship and physical fitness; and to aid and assist in combating juvenile delinquency by providing and promoting the physical and emotional well-being of young athletes.
Roderick "Rocky" Gillis – Rocky is the Broward County Athletic Association High School Athletic Director recognized for his dedicated service to public education for more than 20 years. Rocky has been a teacher, a coach and an athletic administrator at both Pompano Beach High School and Blanche Ely High School, as well as at the district level.
Ryan Paton – Ryan co-founded and volunteers as the director of operations for Honor Flight South Florida, which has flown more than 1,100 of our local WWII and Korean War Heroes to their Memorials in Washington, DC. Additionally, Ryan founded Cocktails with Heroes, which raised more than $70,000 to serve our nation's oldest veterans.
Silvana Erbstein – Silvana is the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Regional Director for Miami-Dade County and Puerto Rico. She has been a National and International Public Health and HIV Prevention advocate for more than 30 years working with communities in need, agencies, and providers of services to improve health outcomes in populations.
Stephanie Sands – After the murder of her nephew, Trayvon Martin, Stephanie focused her time and expertise working with the Trayvon Martin Foundation transforming tragedy into change. Stephanie works with the community and various agencies and organizations to facilitate the Foundation's mission of minimizing senseless gun violence, strengthening families through holistic support, S.T.E.M. Education for women and minorities, and mentoring.
Victor Diaz-Herman – Victor is the chief executive officer at Pridelines, South Florida's oldest LGBTQ service agency and Miami's LGBTQ Community Center. He is one of 15 members of the National LGBTQ Task Force's National Action Council and board member of Equality Florida. Victor is the recipient of the Miami Foundation's Miami Leaders Fellowship, the Victory Fund's LGBTQ Movement Leaders Fellowship, and the SAVE Dade (now SAVE) Young Luminaries award.
Winsome Thompson – Winsome has been a Member of the Hard Rock Stadium Guest Experience Team for more than 10 years. When she is not working at Hard Rock Stadium, she works in the Broward school district with special needs children.
Yolanda Bethune – Yolanda is the program director of the Liberty City Warriors Optimist Football and Cheer programs. She has been coordinating youth athletics programs for more than 12 years.
Zoe Terry – Zoe is the creator of Zoe's Dolls. Zoe gives away little brown dolls to little brown girls, because when she was in Kindergarten she was bullied because of how she looked and teased because of her "puffy" and "kinky" hair. Zoe wants little brown girls to know that their image is beautiful.
