Dr. Zambrano and his family put a very heavy emphasis on charitable works and giving back to the community that they both grew-up in and that has given them so much. They focus a lot of their attention on involving their children to teach them from an early age that not only is giving back essential, it is fun and rewarding and makes connections that can last a lifetime and can change the lives of those they are helping.

IN OUR OFFICE

There are ways that Dr. Zambrano has incorporated his desire to give back through his office. He has sponsored contests throughout his 3 offices to search for the most charity-minded kids in his practice.

They submitted essays about how they give back, and the winning patients were awarded $250 to be donated to the charity of their choice, and another $250 for their personal use. Daniel Gologorsky from our Miami Beach office was our winner. But we were all thrilled to see how many of our patients were actively giving back to our wonderful community!

Our practice is a proud sponsor of a charitable campaign titled "Just Ask" which features a deserving person who has met incredible adversity in their lives and has perservered and really made something of themselves. This person appears with their story in an online newsletter (Just Ask Boo) that reaches nearly 10,000 local people, and it links to a Target registry that lists items they need to help with their goals.

For example, if a homeless teen has gotten into college, we sponsor them to help get the items they need to move into a dorm. Their stories are always amazing and inspiring!

There have also been many times when Dr. Zambrano has met a very deserving but very underpriveledged child through his various projects who he has done orthodontic work on at no charge. He has provided dental hygiene products to countless charities and charitable endeavors.

IN OUR FAMILY

PASSING OUT IPADS TO THE WOUNDED SOLDIERS IN THE MILITARY HOSPITAL IN DC!

Amy Zambrano joined creator of the not-for-profit "ipadsforsoldiers.org" Winnie Pritchett, General Cartwright, and Prichett's family to personally deliver 52 ipad 2s to the severely wounded soldiers in recovery at the Army/Navy hospital in Washington DC. The organization was created by Pritchett when her only son, Wes, was deployed to the most dangerous province of Afghanistan last Fall. He reported that the thing the soldiers wanted/needed the most were ipads. Because they are small and light weight, they can easily fit in their packs and taken into missions, replacing bulky computers, books, games, cameras, etc. The "face time" feature enables them to better communicate with their loved ones, and there are even military apps that help their missions! As money is raised, ipads are shipped overseas to the soldiers in the most danger, suffering the most losses, as both a tool to make life easier and a way to show these young men and women that they have not been forgotten, and that we appreciated their sacrifices. Pritchett has raised over $400,000 in less than a year and has delivered over 550 ipads to troops, both hospitalized and overseas. Amy is very passionate about helping this amazing cause. Please visit the website at www.ipadsforsoldiers.org.

HONORING FIREFIGHTERS ON 9/11

The Zambrano's mobilized 11 families from their "Island Angels" community service group to make a huge dinner for the local firefighters in their Key Biscayne department as a way of honoring their sacrifice and commitment to all of us on that special anniversary. Each child (over 20!) hand-made a special "thank you" card and the kids were given a full tour of the facility. It was a special night for both the honorees and the families that honored them!

DELANEY DONATES HER HAIR FOR LOCKS OF LOVE

One of the Zambrano's daughters, Delaney, decided with her best friend Lauren to grow and cut their hair to donate to "Locks of Love", and organization that makes wigs for children with cancer. Here are some pictures of her while getting it cut, and after the cut with Lauren!

OUR KIDS ARE "KIDS WITH HEART"!

Our kids are young, but we dedicate a lot of our family time to helping others. Our older daughter, Delaney, was awarded an incredible honor at just 8 years old! Nominated by her aunt, Delaney beat out countless teenagers throughout Miami (yes, she was just 8!) to win the "Kids with Heart" award given to the kid that gives the most back to their community. She has been an active participant in and also has initiated countless philanthropic efforts since she was just 5. She has worked with homeless, foster kids, orphanages, soldiers, the blind, seniors, cut her hair off for "Locks of Love", and many others. She has an inate sense of compassion and compulsion to help others. Her little sister Peri is following in her footsteps! We are so proud of them both!

LIBRARY FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES

Doctor Zambrano's family would say that one of their favorite family activities is helping others. Just this year, they took on the project of creating a library at the "New Life Family Shelter" where they had never had one before. "New Life" provides housing, meals, and other assistance to entire families who find themselves homeless. The day the Zambrano's unveiled the library, there were smiles from ear-to-ear on both children and adults alike.

PAY-IT-FORWARD

The Zambrano's initiated and funded a "Pay-it-forward" project for the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at St. Christophers Montessori School on Key Biscayne. Amy (Dr. Zambrano's wife) did a presentation on the importance of volunteering, even at a young age. Then kids were paired together and given $100 as "seed" money for the project. The kids were told to select a charity of their choice, contact them to see what was on their wish list, and determine what they would help them to collect (books, diapers, food, etc). They were instructed to "grow" the $100 by asking friends and family to donate some items, holding bake sales, getting businesses to match their purchases, setting up collection boxes in church, etc. Once they had collected all the items, they toured their charity and presented them with the items. They composed letters explaining that they were just doing this to be kind, and that all they asked in return was that the recipients "pay it forward" by doing something for someone else when given the opportunity, thus starting a chain of kindness. Then they all did presentations on their efforts. It was amazing!

ISLAND ANGELS

The Zambrano's started their own group of charitable-minded people in their community on Key Biscayne…hence the name "Island Angels". This is a network of people who want to help when their neighbors are in need. When anyone knows of someone going through a hard time (spouse died, had surgery and cant cook/walk dog, house fire, diagnosed with cancer, child sent to war, etc), they "nominate" them to the Zambrano's. The information is sent out to the network and whoever can/wants to help by providing meals, goodies, cards, or other help will jump in and do so. The effort has been so successful that nearly all of the recipients of the "Island Angels" help have asked to join the group to help others!!

MAKEOVERS FOR FOSTER KIDS

Casa Valentina is a wonderful organization that provides housing and mentoring for girls who have turned 18 and phased out of the foster care system, but are still unprepared to be on their own. The apartments they live in were old and the interiors/furnishings very run down. The Zambrano's stepped in with a group of wonderful friends and provided makeovers on all 3 apartments in the Coconut Grove building. The girls were wonderful and so appreciative, and the experience was a ton of fun!

ART SHOW FOR "TOUCHING MIAMI WITH LOVE"

"Touching Miami With Love" ("TML") is one of the Zambrano's very favorite local charity. It is an afterschool program in Overtown that is run with such love and such order…and the kids there are just wonderful and so appreciative to be a part of this phenomenal group! The Zambrano's took their kids to an art show that the teens had at their facility last year…the kids had painted all their own work, made greeting cards, and had photography which they were selling to make money for their summer camp. The Zambrano's were so impressed, they said they would like to bring the beautiful show to their own community of Key Biscayne. This past April, they did. Hundreds of people came to be exposed to these precious kids, their adorable work, and this incredible organization. All of the profits went to helping them with programming, etc, and it was a phenomenal success!

NEW VAN FOR TML

A key part of "TML's" efforts is that they pick-up all of the kids from the area schools each day and drive the ones who don't have parents pick them up home. So when their old 12 passenger van kept breaking down (not to mention could never fit more than a fraction of the kids at a time), they decided to start to raise the money they would need to get a new, larger, reliable one. When the Zambrano's heard, Amy started a little "online auction" for friends and family where people would donate items/services for the cause (think teeth whitening from Dr. Zambrano, homemade dinners, tennis lessons, financial planning services, etc) and people would email their bids. The auction itself raised $2200 in 3 days, which she was thrilled with! But when family friends the Devaney's heard about the effort, they wanted to give them a check for $20,000 additional which enabled them to purchase the large bus that they had dreamed of!

CHRISTMAS PARTY AT NEW LIFE

Spending the holidays in a family homeless shelter is no fun. The Zambrano's organize an annual holiday party through their school for these kids each year. The school kids at St. Christophers Montessori come together each year to get and stuff stockings for all the kids at "New Life" and then we take the kids that want to go in person to have a party with the kids…full of singing, praying, and of course, passing out those stockings! It is a holiday favorite for the whole family!!

UPDATING "TML"

When the Zambrano's first toured "New Life", the needs were obvious. In the past couple of years, they have reached out to family/friends to find contacts that would be willing to help to update the place and get it looking great! They have helped to procure new carpeting, area rugs, bookcases, trophy case, refrigerators, learning materials, the new van and more! Amy enjoys getting groups that are interested in finding out more about TML together and taking them over for a tour. The Directors of the center, Angel and Jason Pittman, are wonderful people who love to do the tours. If you are interested in joining a future tour, contact Amy at amyjaime@bellsouth.net. (show photos of interior of TML)

COOKIES FOR COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP FOR THE HOMELESS

One of the new charities that the Zambrano's have toured and fallen in love with is "Community Partnership for the Homeless" ("CPH"). This is a shelter that houses from 400-700 homeless men, women and families, and provides meals, education, childcare, etc. The tour is awe-inspiring!! Amy took her girlscouts there to see the facility and learn about the work they do, and while they were there, they passed out girlscout cookies to the residents in the dining hall!

FUN WITH GIRLS FROM "LITTLE HAITI"

Our troop had a blast hosting the girlscouts of "Little Haiti" out at Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne. The girls enjoyed nature hikes, a tour of the lighthouse (yep, we climbed to the top!), and a BBQ. It is great for kids from different backgrounds to spend some time and have fun together!! What a wonderful experience for everyone!

MAKING FUN FIELD TRIPS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE

A big part of helping others is asking people in a position to do great things to do them! The Zambrano's have organized field trips for the kids from "New Life" and "Touching Miami with Love" to the Key Biscayne Nature Center. These trips are about ½ day trips where the kids are all picked up in a bus, given lunch, and treated to a day of fun and learning about the ocean, the mangroves, and the environment. The kids just love it. Recently they arranged for the kids from "His House" Orphanage to enjoy a night out at the "New World Symphony". And it was a day at the movies for the teens at "TML" when their beach day got rained out! It's always wonderful when these fantastic places will open their hearts and their doors to these kids that need it so much!

BIKE FOR 7 YEAR OLD SHELTER RESIDENT!

When Dr. Zambrano found out that 7-year old Chelsea, a resident at a local family shelter, was about to have a birthday and that a new bike was on the top of her wishlist, he and his family picked-out a brand-new bike with all the bells and whistles! It was a wonderful surprise for a wonderful girl!

WHEELS FOR WUNDERKIDS!

The Zambrano’s know that a lot of people "upgrade" their kids wheels at Christmas (outgrown bikes, skates, etc). To capitalize on all those "used wheels", they started an initiative called "Wheels for Wunderkids". For several months they collected anything with wheels…bikes, trikes, skates, scooters, skateboards, and all the safety gear that goes with it in the hopes that they could get enough for every child at the "New Life Family Shelter" to select what they wanted. On Saturday, February 19, 2010, they bussed the kids from "New Life" to the big park on Key Biscayne and each child was not only allowed to pick whatever their heart desired, but was able to use it for a couple of hours at the park and then treated to a pizza picnic by the Zambranos. After the picnic, the Zambrano family loaded up all the items into a couple of trucks to deliver them to the shelter. The kids were all standing in the street outside the shelter anxiously awaiting the arrival, and erupted into cheers as the trucks turned the corner! It was an incredible day for all involved.

A GAS GRILL FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE "NEW LIFE SHELTER"!

There are lots of families that are living in and passing through the wonderful "New Life Family Shelter" in midtown Miami. They have a small dining room where they are given their meals. The Zambranos thought it would be fun to surprise them with a gas grill that could facilitate big barbecues to get a break from the dining room. They were thrilled!!

HELPING DONNEISHA GET TO WORK!

Donneisha Smith is a hard-working girl who came through a difficult childhood to preserve in college, and ended-up in Miami Beach. She was riding an old bike over 70 blocks each way to a job, and then it was stolen. The Zambrano’s showed up the next morning after the theft with a new, reliable bike to surprise her with… she didn’t have to miss even an hour of work! Then they took it a step further and created an online auction to raise $3200 as a down payment on a car for her!

AMY AND HER “ISLAND ANGELS” HONORED BY CASA VALENTINA FOR MAKEOVERS!

After finishing all the makeovers on the apartments at Casa Valentina (a phenomenal program that takes-in girls that have recently been phased out of Foster Care and are ill-equipped to live on their own), Amy Zambrano and her group of “Island Angels” were honored by them at a lovely luncheon.

PERI AND AMY FOLLOW DELANEY’S FOOTSTEPS AND DONATE FOR “LOCKS OF LOVE”!

After being inspired by her older sister who donated her hair to “Locks of Love” a year and a half ago, Peri (now 7) decided last summer that she would like to grow hers to do the same. She asked her mom (Amy!) who agreed to join her. Then Peri’s friend and 2 of Amy’s friends joined in. In January 2011, they all cut their hair and posed in front of a sign they made that showed the friends and family they were honoring by cutting their hair.

YELLOW RIBBONS FOR WES AND OTHER SOLDIERS!

When the Zambrano’s neighbor, Wes Pritchett (graduate of West Point) was deployed to Afghanistan, they wanted to do something to show their family here that we support them and their son, and all the others making such great sacrifices. With a group of helpers, they put giant yellow ribbons, each with a laminated picture of wes, on every tree on their block (the block they share with Wes’ parents). The Pritchett family was surprised and touched when they turned down the street to see the gesture. Every time they drive to/from their house and get out to walk their dogs, they are reminded that we all stand with them.

ANIMAL SHOWS FOR THE KIDS!

Instead of spending money buying her friends’ birthday presents, Amy spent that money to have an animal show come to visit the wonderful kids at “Touching Miami With Love”, an incredible afterschool program in Overtown, and then to do the same show for the kids at “New Life Family Shelter”. She surprised her friends having the birthdays by having them show-up at “TML” and see first-hand how much the kids enjoyed this special “in-house” field trip! It was amazing!

HELPING CASA VALENTINA RESIDENT REGISTER AT TARGET FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD SHOPPING SPREE!

When Casa Valentina superstar Pierlus won a local Community Service contest through “Just as Boo”, the Zambranos stepped-in to take her to register for all of the items she needed for college, etc. While registering, they found out that the item that Pierlus most wanted and needed to continue her pursuit of her Forensic Science degree was a high-tech digital camera, they bought it for her with all the accessories so she could start using it right away. She was so thankful, and the joy was really the Zambrano’s!!