View all of the photos from our Mother’s Day event.

Cleveland Bell III, executive director of Riverside House, with Chuck Colson, keynote speaker at the 1983 prayer breakfast.

On April 21, 2012, we lost a brother and a dear friend with the passing of Chuck Colson. Early on in his life he earned notoriety for his role as one of the Watergate Seven, however, it was his contribution to the nation in his role in raising awareness of prison ministry that will be forever remembered.  I had the pleasure of getting to know Chuck over the years through project collaborations and will always be grateful for his hard work and determination to bring credibility to prison ministry.

One of our first encounters was in 1983 when Chuck graciously served as the keynote speaker for our annual prayer breakfast at the Miami Springs Villa.  At the time, there was a lot of buzz around Chuck when he released his first book, “Born Again.” Critics wondered if his newfound faith in Jesus Christ was just a PR hoax.  Not one to avoid controversy, I knew that it would be special to hear him speak.

As it turns out, Chuck was completely devoted to his faith and ready to bring international attention to it through Prison Fellowship.  What was once viewed by the general public as a lost cause and publicized by the faces of mobsters, prisoner reentry suddenly became mainstream. Chuck was able to change the face of the reentry and garner overwhelming support from the community.  He was also an innovator. He was the first to develop a bible study booklet for inmates, to create a program for 3-day retreats inside prisons, and to assist the families of inmates through the Angel Tree Program.

Chuck’s accomplishments and contributions to prison ministry reach far and wide and have touched thousands of individuals around the world. On a personal level, he certainly made an impact in my life in my own pursuit of curbing recidivism though a faith-based approach.   I give thanks to God that Chuck was able to grace us for as long as he did and I pray that we may never forget his legacy. May he rest in peace.
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” – Revelation 14:13
 

Must be able to anticipate project needs, discern work priorities, and meet deadlines with little supervision, as well as be willing to work occasional evenings and weekends.

The special events coordinator should have a love for special event management, provide outstanding customer service, be an enthusiastic professional, passionate about helping the community, be in support of our mission, and be able to build relationships with internal and external customers.  Experience in coordinating church-related events or church-related fundraising is a plus.

Event Planning and Production

• Assist with negotiations for space contracts and book event space, arrange food and beverage, order supplies and audiovisual equipment, make travel arrangements, order event signs, and ensure appropriate décor (florals, linens, color schemes, etc.) to meet the quality expectations of our organization
• Aggressively gather information on each project to achieve quality event productions.
• Conduct research, make site visits, and find resources to help staff make decisions about event possibilities.
• Create and revised room layouts for each event.
• Propose new ideas to improve the event planning and implementation process.
• Serve as liaison with vendors on event-related matters.
• Assist with managing on-site production and clean up for events as necessary.
• Prepare nametags, materials, notebooks, packages, gift bags, registration lists, seating cards, etc.
• Close out all events as required.

Event Administration:

• Assist with preparing budgets and provide periodic progress reports to directors, marketing team and fundraising staff for each event project.
• Keep track of event finances including check requests, invoicing, and reporting.
• Coordinate appointments and visits to see our space, and scheduling of events on the calendar.
• Prepare and modify event contracts as requested

Qualifications:

• Excellent communication skills, including writing, proof reading skills, and speaking.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and work assignments from a variety of staff and volunteers.
• Excellent interpersonal skills both in person and by phone, with high professionalism.
• Ability to accomplish projects with little supervision.
• Fantastic customer service ethic and high expectations for quality.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred; significant work experience can substitute for the degree.
• Experience managing projects
• Demonstrated experience coordinating special events.
• Proficient using the latest versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and mail merges; email and web searches.

Tallahassee, FL – April 25, 2011

Vicki Lopez Lukis, a partner in the firm Sylvester Lukis & Associates LLC, a leading government relations firm in Miami-Dade County, announces the opening of its Tallahassee office.

“We are excited to open another office in Tallahassee to serve the growing number of clients, which have interests in state government affairs,” said Vicki Lopez Lukis, the managing partner of the new office.  “The office will focus on providing strategic consulting and business development services, as well as government relations and public affair at the state level with an emphasis on corrections and criminal and juvenile justice issues.”

Sylvester Lukis & Associates’ extensive experience in both state and federal legislative and executive branches includes criminal and juvenile justice, corrections, appropriations, healthcare and transportation.  In addition, the firm specializes in community outreach, utilities, infrastructure, information technology, international business, law enforcement and federal, state and local government affairs.

The Tallahassee office is located at 403 E. Park Ave and can be reached by phone at 305-216-7794 or email at Vicki@lukisassociates.com.

About Sylvester Lukis & Associates LLC:

Sylvester Lukis & Associates LLC is a well-established government relations and public affairs company.   The firm was established in 1985 in Washington, D.C. to provide federal government relations services on behalf of local governments in Miami-Dade County.  It expanded its practice to Miami-Dade County in 1996, where it has engaged in statewide political consulting and fundraising, external affairs, government relations and public affairs on behalf of national, state and local clients.   In 2006, the firm expanded its practice/focus to include public policy development, consulting and advocacy work in the area of corrections, criminal and juvenile justice reform.

Sylvester Lukis – Partner

Sylvester Lukis has over 30 years of legal and consulting experience in intergovernmental and political affairs at the federal, state and local levels.  In 1980, Mr. Lukis was appointed Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. State Department’s Cuban Haitian Task Force, where he was responsible for coordinating policy development and implementation among several federal, state and local governmental agencies in response to the mass immigration influx of Cubans into Miami from the Port of Mariel, Cuba.  Other appointments include Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, and prior to that, Special Assistant to the General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this capacity, he was primarily responsible for providing legal assistance to the agencies administering health, education and welfare programs at the federal level.  Mr. Lukis holds a law degree from New England School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Western New England College. He has been a member of the District of Columbia Bar since 1975.

Vicki Lopez Lukis – Partner

Vicki Lopez Lukis is a well-respected authority in criminal and juvenile justice issues with a focus on increasing public safety and reducing corrections costs.  She has spoken nationally and internationally numerous times to various organizations and stakeholders.  Her expertise includes prisoner reentry and girls in the juvenile justice system and she consults with local, state and national government officials, policymakers and stakeholders on these issues. She currently serves as a consultant to The Pew Charitable Trusts, specifically their Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project, which helps states advance fiscally sound, data-driven sentencing and corrections policies that protect public safety, hold offenders accountable and control corrections costs. This consulting work is in partnership with Florida TaxWatch and its Center for Smart Justice.  She served as the vice chairman of the Florida Department of Corrections’ Reentry Advisory Council.  She also serves on the Prison Rehabilitative Industries and Diversified Enterprises (PRIDE), Inc.’s Board of Directors. In 2005, she was appointed by Governor Jeb Bush as Chairman of the Governor’s Ex-Offender Task Force, which was funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  She was a consultant to The Rockit Fund regarding employment restrictions for ex-offenders.  She is affiliated with the Florida Juvenile Justice Association through her work with the Girls Advocacy Project.  Ms. Lukis is a former Lee County Commissioner.  She is an alumna of Leadership Florida, Lee County and Miami.  She began her professional career in public accounting and expanded into investment banking before entering public service.  Ms. Lukis is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a major in Accounting.

Marta Orozco and Volunteer, Katya Sotomayor

Riverside House’s Dessert Nights is an ongoing initiative that began some years back and recently surfaced again in July 2010.  This fund raising event is designed to introduce Riverside House graduates to the community that supported them while they were in the program.  Additionally, the introductions serve to create long-term relationships between the graduates and the community.

With three events underway, all have collectively raised monetary donations as well as numerous in-kind donations such as clothing, household goods, and toiletries.  Many of those who attended the events also made commitments to volunteer with Riverside House as chaplains, clerical workers, heads of program activities, etc.

The next Dessert Night will be held Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 6PM at Riverside House.  For more information and/or if you are interested in hosting a future dessert night, please contact Marta Orozco at (305) 326-9799 x109.

Maria Alonso,Cleve Bell,Gene Schaefer,Thea Goldman

In October Mr. Cleveland Bell III, executive director of Riverside House, was awarded as a recipient of Bank of America’s 2010 Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Awards in the Local Hero category. The awards honored 13 individuals in four different categories. Recipients of the awards are individuals who improve Miami’s community and make the city a better place.

As noted by Brian Moynihan, CEO and President of Bank of America, in the event’s program, “At Bank of America, we combine our resources, expertise and partnerships to strengthen the communities we serve, acting as an economic engine to help set opportunity in motion. By investing in outstanding community leaders through our Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, we are helping make local communities better places to live, work and do business.”

Gene Schaefer,Octavia Kearney,Cleve Bell,Evelys Ubiera,Peggy Gaines

Congratulations on your accomplishments, Mr. Bell!

Join First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables, Florida as it hosts an exciting guest, Mike Slaughter and Discovery Fair event on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Guest speaker, Mike Slaughter, will be speaking about ways to recapture Jesus’ mission to reach out to the world around us in God’s love.  Attendees will be encouraged to seek volunteerism opportunities from over 18 social service organizations represented, one being Riverside House!  For more information regarding the event’s details, please click here.

Mike Slaughter

Mike Slaughter, lead pastor at Ginghamsburg Church, is the three-decade dreamer of Ginghamsburg and the spiritual entrepreneur of ministry marketplace innovations. His life-long passion to reach the lost and set the oppressed free has now made him a tireless and leading advocate for the children, women and men of Darfur, Sudan, named by the U.N. as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today. Mike’s call to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted will challenge attendees to wrestle with God and their God-destinies.

When Mike arrived at Ginghamsburg Church in 1979, worship attendance hovered at 90 with 118 members and an annual budget of $27,000. Now, 4000 attendees on average worship weekly at Ginghamsburg and the multi-million dollar budget helps resource a faith community committed to serving the poor, lost and disenfranchised.

“Rehabilitation with Dignity” was a dream of Roberto Perez, a lay preacher; Reverend O. Dean Martin, Pastor of the Riverside United Methodist Church; and Jack Sandstrom, Director of the Dade Community Correction and Rehabilitation Department. Together, they envisioned a halfway house that offered the means for those with a first-time offense the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Cleveland Bell III

Cleveland Bell III became Executive Director of Riverside House in July of 1977. As a former ex-offender, Mr. Bell was no stranger to the feelings of frustration, anger, and rebellion often felt by those with similar backgrounds. Through the continuous outpouring of Mr. Bell’s personal life experiences with fellow men and women, and, the dedicated, hard work of staff and Board members, the ministry of Riverside House has reached thousands of ex-offenders through jail groups, out-client participation, prison outreach, and inner-city activities.

Today, Riverside House is a private, non-profit organization that has been successfully operating as a coed community residential reentry facility for over 35 years.