Founding Donor and Purpose of The Kiaora Society
Ed McAmis, an attorney and philanthropist, was a champion of the work of YES since our inception. To honor Ed as our first private contributor, we named our donor society after the street on which he lived, Kiaora Street. Coincidentally, “Kia ora” is a Maori word that conveys “welcome, hello friend, thank you” making our chosen name uniquely fitting. On June 3, 2023, Ed passed away. You can learn more about Ed and his commitment to our mission, and contribute in honor of Ed.
We encourage our donors to be part of our work by participating in dialogues and courses throughout the community.
Thanks to donors’ incredible generosity and commitment to making the world safer for our youth, we are not confined by the financial priorities of foundations. Instead, we have become leaders for the entire community, staying on the razor’s edge of innovative services and programs.
Please Click the Logo to Join or Renew Your Kiaora Donation
Donors of our Kiaora Society contribute $1,000 or more each year. The generous support of Kiaora donors forms the lifeblood of our work and empowers us to take our education programs where they are needed most. As a donor to our Kiaora Society, you are our partner in creating a safer world for all youth. A major benefit of being a Kiaora donor is that our courses are all complimentary to you.
Also, supporting YES Institute with your Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is simple and impactful. You can recommend a grant directly from your fund to help us continue creating safe, inclusive communities where every person is free to be themselves. Your generosity fuels education and dialogue that changes lives.
When making a recommendation, please use the following information:
Legal Name: Project Y.E.S., Inc. dba YES Institute
Tax ID (EIN): 65-0646667
Mailing Address: YES Institute, 5275 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143
| TRUSTEE $50,000 | MENTOR $1,000 |
| Carol Marie Weber Family Foundation, Inc. | Lewis Aaron & Nigel Stirk |
| Community Foundation of Broward | Jose Alonso |
| Florida Blue Foundation | Alper JCC Miami |
| The Our Fund Foundation, Inc. | Connie Barden |
| The Wildflower Foundation, Inc. | Sam Blum |
| LUMINARY $25,000 | Ellie & Zach LLano |
| Dan Heininger | Rusty Collins |
| Howard Greenfield Charitable Foundation | Russell Corbett |
| The Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis Foundation | Cecilia de Almeida |
| The Joseph H. & Florence A. Roblee Foundation | Olga & Ignacio del Valle |
| F. Lynn Leverett & Lane W. Park | William Dewald |
| Patricia McKay Verbeeck–In Loving Memory of Hope Eric Verbeeck | Samantha Dietz |
| The Miami Foundation | Docurapid Corp. |
| Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation | Michele & Jonathan Drucker |
| The Raben/Pernick Family Fund | Jess Hope Elias |
| Andrew E. Zobler | Evensky & Katz Charitable Fund |
| Anonymous | Florida Trust & Estate Counsel, PLLC |
| VISIONARY $10,000 | Viktor Frengut in honor of Naomi & Ry Canning |
| Allegany Franciscan Ministries | Martha Fugate |
| Baptist Health South Florida | GableStage |
| The Batchelor Foundation, Inc. | Tori & Tom Gabriel |
| The Brothers Jackson | Liebe & Seth Gadinsky |
| Scott Huizenga | Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau |
| Joseph M. Kraus | Emeritus Donors: James Gross & Bruce Healy |
| Emeritus Donors: Ed McAmis & Gerson Gonzalez | Grove Bank & Trust |
| Paula Morabito & Maria Yip | HALPERN | SANTOS | PINKERT |
| Raul R. Rodriguez | Douglas Houghton |
| Sain Orr Royak DeForest Steadman Foundation | Lawrence R. Hyer – Donor Advised Fund at Our Fund |
| Anonymous | International Institute of Clinical Sexology |
| CHAMPION $5,000 | Kelsey Johnson |
| Patricia Caicedo & Eduardo Salazar | Jamie M. Joseph, Ph.D & Michael Krameisen |
| Jeffrey Davis & Michael Miller | Kaufman Rossin |
| Denise & John Gordon | Tracy Koço |
| Gulfstream Philanthropic Foundation | Leesfield Family Foundation |
| The Jack Kagan Foundation | Alfredo & Cristy Leon |
| David Knoble & Douglas Choo | Barry Long |
| McCutcheon Foundation | Weston Lyons & Raul Vasquez |
| Jose Luis Pere & Trae Williamson | Dr. John J. Martin Jr. & Forrest McSurdy |
| TD Bank | Maria Mas Blet |
| Tristarr Lifelong Learning Fund at Coral Gables Community Foundation | William Mathisen |
| Cynthia & Emilio Vázquez | Evan McEwing |
| The Walter and Adi Blum Foundation, Inc. | The Miami-Dade LGBTQ+ & Allied Chamber of Commerce |
| The William R. Watts Foundation, Inc. | Morcate Family |
| Carol & Ed Williamson | Thomas J. Murrell |
| Anonymous | Robert Oldakowski & Luis Mendoza |
| LEADER $2,500 | Noah & Natalie Pantaleon |
| Greg Baldwin & Jose Castro | Nicolas Pisano |
| Tim & Meredith Birrittella | Dr. Restrepo & Mr. Legeros |
| Tim Bush & Xavier Boyaval | Bill Ross |
| Naomi Canning-In Honor of John Canning’s memory | Steven Santiago, MD |
| Dennis Edwards & Mark Steinberg Foundation | Hudson Santos |
| Enterprise/Taylor Charitable Entities | Lee Schrager & Southern Glazer’s |
| Maria Gabriela Contreras | Roxy-Cary Sora |
| Barbara T. Gray | Rachel Sottile |
| The Gruen Tolman Family Charitable Fund | Eugene Sulzberger |
| Key Biscayne Community Foundation | Laura White |
| The Margaret McCartney & R. Parks Williams Charitable Foundation | Dr. Terilee Wunderman |
| The Mofsky-McLean Family | Anonymous (3) |
| Michael Guttman Fund | |
| Raymond Bravo Foundation | |
| Kevin Veilleux | |
| Tim Wagoner Family Memorial Education Fund | |
| Joseph Zolobczuk | |
| Hector Zuazo & Bob Medina | |
Every attempt has been made to acknowledge our donors with gratitude. If we omitted your name, listed you incorrectly, or at the wrong level, please contact [email protected].