A new foundation dedicated to assisting children of HIV/AIDS victims launched its first outing -- a one-hour cruise along Biscayne Bay -- with help from organizations and businesses in Miami Beach, North Miami Beach and Miami.As the afternoon sun set on the Miami skyline, Jamiah Byrd, 9, and classmate Tasha Burden, 9, giggled nervously as they boarded the second floor of a glass-bottom boat, the first boat ride for both.
But once the evening's cruise had gotten under way, excitement had quickly taken over any feelings of nervousness.
We're having a lot fun playing with our friends; this is pretty cool,'' said Jamiah, who attends Poinciana Park Elementary in Liberty City.
Along with about 30 children who boarded the Island Princess on Sept. 2, Jamiah cruised along Biscayne Bay past the impressive mansions and film sites on the Venetian Islands and Star Island.
The trip was made possible by a foundation aimed at helping children like Jamiah who have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS.
Jamiah's mother died in 2007. Six months ago, Jamiah's aunt founded the Nuna Kidz Foundation in her memory to help the surviving children of parents who have died well as those whose parents are battling HIV/AIDS.
Jarmisha Renee Wright, whose nickname was ``Nuna,'' died when she was 28, leaving behind five children, including Jamiah.
Jamiah's aunt, Jarkisha Callaway, said Nuna Kidz Foundation encourages families affected by HIV/AIDS to discuss the illness openly.
The first time Wright's family learned of her illness was when doctors told them after she had died, Callaway said.
When she died, I had to tell her children why she died,'' said Callaway, 31, of Cutler Bay.
The group also wants to help support the surviving children.
When I tried to get help from the community, I found that there was nothing out there in our community to educate and support children personally affected by HIV/AIDS,'' Callaway said.
I wanted for people to stop being ashamed about the disease and to be more open about it and how it affects the ones you love. I'm actually learning more about it now because of her death.''
Along with her mother, Jacqueline Uddin, 47 - whose two sisters also died after contracting the virus -- Callaway formed a partnership with the Hosanna Community Foundation, a nonprofit, Liberty City-based group that provides social services to youth and families throughout Miami-Dade County. The foundation, in association with the Hosanna Community Baptist Church, sent along nine children on the outing.
The kids shared an evening of fun that also included boxed lunches provided by Jerry's Deli on Miami Beach for the foundation's first field trip.
The foundation also got help from Miami Party Boats and the community outreach program at the Kabbalah Centre in North Miami Beach.
Jerome Baker, 11, had too much fun to be upset after one of his shoes had gone overboard.
I had a lot of fun seeing all the mansions and eating the chips that they gave us that I don't really care about my shoe,'' said Jerome, who attends Kelsey L. Pharr Elementary School in Liberty City and is one of Callaway's nephews.
The one-hour cruise left at 6:30 p.m. from Bayside Pier.
After three months of planning, volunteers from the Kabbalah Centre, a spiritual and educational center in North Miami Beach, held fundraisers to purchase school supplies, which were distributed to the children after the evening cruise.
Being a social worker, this comes naturally to me and it takes a lot of effort and teamwork, from ground zero, to create an event like this,'' volunteer Rivka Flowers said.
Leantwan Ford, 12, whose mother, Lakeisha Ford, died in 2001 of the disease, took in all of the excitement and then pronounced what he considered the coolest part of the trip: ``Seeing Scarface's house,'' he said.
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