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
| PIONEER $75,000 | MENTOR $1,000 |
| Anonymous | Lewis Aaron & Nigel Stirk |
| TRUSTEE $50,000 | Jose Alonso |
| Carol Marie Weber Family Foundation, Inc. | Alper JCC Miami |
| Community Foundation of Broward | Connie Barden |
| Florida Blue Foundation | Sam Blum |
| The Our Fund Foundation, Inc. | Ellie & Zach LLano |
| The Wildflower Foundation, Inc. | Rusty Collins |
| LUMINARY $25,000 | Russell Corbett |
| Dan Heininger | Cécilia de Almeida |
| Howard Greenfield Charitable Foundation | Olga & Ignacio del Valle |
| The Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis Foundation | William Dewald |
| The Joseph H. & Florence A. Roblee Foundation | Samantha Dietz |
| F. Lynn Leverett & Lane W. Park | Docurapid Corp. |
| Patricia McKay Verbeeck–In Loving Memory of Hope Eric Verbeeck | Michele & Jonathan Drucker |
| The Miami Foundation | Jess Hope Elias |
| Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation | Evensky & Katz Charitable Fund |
| The Raben/Pernick Family Fund | Florida Trust & Estate Counsel, PLLC |
| Andrew E. Zobler | Viktor Frengut in honor of Naomi & Ry Canning |
| VISIONARY $10,000 | Martha Fugate |
| Allegany Franciscan Ministries | GableStage |
| Baptist Health South Florida | Tori & Tom Gabriel |
| The Batchelor Foundation, Inc. | Liebe & Seth Gadinsky |
| The Brothers Jackson | Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau |
| Scott Huizenga | Emeritus Donors: James Gross & Bruce Healy |
| Joseph M. Kraus | Grove Bank & Trust |
| Emeritus Donors: Ed McAmis & Gerson Gonzalez | HALPERN | SANTOS | PINKERT |
| Paula Morabito & Maria Yip | Douglas Houghton |
| Raul R. Rodriguez | Lawrence R. Hyer – Donor Advised Fund at Our Fund |
| Sain Orr Royak DeForest Steadman Foundation | International Institute of Clinical Sexology |
| Anonymous | Kelsey Johnson |
| CHAMPION $5,000 | Jamie M. Joseph, Ph.D & Michael Krameisen |
| Patricia Caicedo & Eduardo Salazar | Kaufman Rossin |
| Jeffrey Davis & Michael Miller | Tracy Koço |
| Denise & John Gordon | Leesfield Family Foundation |
| Gulfstream Philanthropic Foundation | Alfredo & Cristy Leon |
| The Jack Kagan Foundation | Barry Long |
| David Knoble & Douglas Choo | Weston Lyons & Raul Vasquez |
| McCutcheon Foundation | Dr. John J. Martin Jr. & Forrest McSurdy |
| Jose Luis Pere & Trae Williamson | Maria Mas Blet |
| TD Bank | Evan McEwing |
| Tristarr Lifelong Learning Fund at Coral Gables Community Foundation | The Miami-Dade LGBTQ+ & Allied Chamber of Commerce |
| Cynthia & Emilio Vazquez | Thomas J. Murrell |
| The Walter and Adi Blum Foundation, Inc. | Robert Oldakowski & Luis Mendoza |
| The William R. Watts Foundation, Inc. | Noah & Natalie Pantaleon |
| Carol & Ed Williamson | Nicolas Pisano |
| Anonymous | Dr. Restrepo & Mr. Legeros |
| LEADER $2,500 | Bill Ross |
| Greg Baldwin & Jose Castro | Steven Santiago, MD |
| Tim & Meredith Birrittella | Hudson Santos |
| Tim Bush & Xavier Boyaval | Lee Schrager & Southern Glazer’s |
| Naomi Canning-In Honor of John Canning’s memory | Roxy-Cary Sora |
| Dennis Edwards & Mark Steinberg Foundation | Rachel Sottile |
| Enterprise/Taylor Charitable Entities | Laura White |
| Maria Gabriela Contreras | Dr. Terilee Wunderman |
| Barbara T. Gray | Anonymous |
| The Gruen Tolman Family Charitable Fund | |
| Key Biscayne Community Foundation | |
| The Margaret McCartney & R. Parks Williams Charitable Foundation | |
| The Mofsky-McLean Family | |
| Michael Guttman Fund | |
| Raymond Bravo Foundation | |
| Sports Grill | |
| Kevin Veilleux | |
| Tim Wagoner Family Memorial Education Fund | |
| Stephanie Yahn & Athena Hadjixenofontos | |
| Joseph Zolobczuk | |
| Hector Zuazo & Bob Medina |