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.
NOTE: Starting Saturday, November 14, at 12:01 AM and until Thursday, November 19 at 11:59 PM, all donations will be processed through our 2026 Give Miami Day page. Thank you for your support!
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 |
| Anonymous | Ellie & Zach LLano |
| LUMINARY $25,000 | Rusty Collins |
| Dan Heininger | Russell Corbett |
| Howard Greenfield Charitable Foundation | Cecilia de Almeida |
| The Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis 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 |
| GUARDIAN $15,000 | Viktor Frengut in honor of Naomi & Ry Canning |
| The Batchelor Foundation, Inc. | Martha Fugate |
| The Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation | GableStage |
| The Joseph H. & Florence A. Roblee Foundation | Tori & Tom Gabriel |
| Anonymous | Liebe & Seth Gadinsky |
| VISIONARY $10,000 | Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau |
| Allegany Franciscan Ministries | Emeritus Donors: James Gross & Bruce Healy |
| Baptist Health South Florida | HALPERN | SANTOS | PINKERT |
| The Brothers Jackson | Douglas Houghton |
| Scott Huizenga | Lawrence R. Hyer – Donor Advised Fund at Our Fund |
| Joseph M. Kraus | International Institute of Clinical Sexology |
| Emeritus Donors: Ed McAmis & Gerson Gonzalez | Kelsey Johnson |
| Paula Morabito & Maria Yip | Jamie M. Joseph, Ph.D & Michael Krameisen |
| Raul R. Rodriguez | Kaufman Rossin |
| Sain Orr Royak DeForest Steadman Foundation | Tracy Koço |
| CHAMPION $5,000 | Leesfield Family Foundation |
| Patricia Caicedo & Eduardo Salazar | Alfredo & Cristy Leon |
| Coral Gables Community Foundation | Barry Long |
| Jeffrey Davis & Michael Miller | Weston Lyons & Raul Vasquez |
| Denise & John Gordon | Dr. John J. Martin Jr. & Forrest McSurdy |
| Gulfstream Philanthropic Foundation | William Mathisen |
| The Jack Kagan Foundation | Evan McEwing |
| David Knoble & Douglas Choo | The Miami-Dade LGBTQ+ & Allied Chamber of Commerce |
| McCutcheon Foundation | Morcate Family |
| Jose Luis Pere & Trae Williamson | Thomas J. Murrell |
| TD Bank | Robert Oldakowski & Luis Mendoza |
| Cynthia & Emilio Vázquez | Noah & Natalie Pantaleon |
| The Walter and Adi Blum Foundation, Inc. | Nicolas Pisano |
| The William R. Watts Foundation, Inc. | Dr. Restrepo & Mr. Legeros |
| Carol & Ed Williamson | Bill Ross |
| Anonymous | Steven Santiago, MD |
| LEADER $2,500 | Hudson Santos |
| Greg Baldwin & Jose Castro | Lee Schrager & Southern Glazer’s |
| Tim & Meredith Birrittella | Roxy-Cary Sora |
| Tim Bush & Xavier Boyaval | Rachel Sottile |
| Naomi Canning-In Honor of John Canning’s memory | Eugene Sulzberger |
| Dennis Edwards & Mark Steinberg Foundation | Laura White |
| Enterprise/Taylor Charitable Entities | Dr. Terilee Wunderman |
| Maria Gabriela Contreras | Anonymous (3) |
| Barbara T. Gray | |
| Grove Bank & Trust | |
| The Gruen Tolman Family Charitable Fund | |
| The Juan Antonio “El Nene” Mas, Jr. 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 Restaurants | |
| Kevin Veilleux | |
| Tim Wagoner Family Memorial Education Fund | |
| Stephanie Yahn & Athena Hadjixenofontos | |
| 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].