Bank of America Lending & Community Involvement in Miami

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A Big Bank Helping a Miami Grocer in a Big Way

Family-owned businesses are the engine that drives the American economy. They comprise 35% of Fortune 500 companies, account for 50% of U.S. gross domestic product, and generate 60% of the country's employment and 78% of all new job creation. To keep this record of success going, family businesses, like all families, rely on their tight-knit relationships.

Allen Milam’s first job was a grocery bagger when he was 16 years old. His father was in the wholesale grocery business and, when Allen was 21, the two of them shared a common dream of one day owning their own grocery store. His father told him to learn the retail
side of things and then they would go for it. Eight years later, their dream became a reality.

In 1984, the Milams opened their first store in Miami. Allen was confident and thought he knew what he was doing, but it was still a nerve-wracking process getting
the business going. Through hard work and dedication, he was able to guide the fledgling market into a successful grocery store. Recognizing the rise in demand, Allen had a vision to expand to other locations throughout the city, but the hardest part of expanding the business was funding.

“When we were looking to expand, we needed a big bank to help us in a big way,” said Allen Milam, President and CEO of Milam’s Market. “Bank of America worked out a deal for us which made growing a lot easier.”

Bank of America assisted Milam’s with financing and leasing, allowing the grocer to expand into other parts of Miami and open up new stores, create employment, and
offer better opportunities to people in the communities they served. In turn, this support also helped Milam’s Market deliver better products.

“Milam’s is a small business with impact in Miami-Dade County. That was important for us to partner with them,” says Sig Birriel, a Senior Client Manager with Bank of America. “They have a strong team that produces results. I look for companies with a strong management team that know the market they participate in. They have discipline.”

27 years later, there are four new stores in Dade County. Allan Milam has never lost sight of the importance of building relationships with customers,
associates and with each other. It’s a family business and they work and live like a family. And for 27 years, it’s worked.

“Bank of America has always been there for us. They’ve made sure we had the money we needed to grow our business, to expand, to do whatever we needed to do,” says Milam.

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

Overcoming Roadblocks to Success in School

In Miami-Dade County, 22.9% of people under 18 are living below the poverty line. These kids are subject to broken neighborhoods where drugs and alcohol are easily accessible, making it even harder to break the cycle of poverty. Fortunately, there are places of refuge for these kids.

The Overtown Youth Center (OYC) is an after-school program that offers assistance with school homework and provides a variety of enrichment programs in the arts and sciences. Counselors at OYC get involved in the lives of the children by monitoring family situations and helping children overcome roadblocks to success
in school.

Yet, in 2008, Overtown Youth Center began to feel the effects of the greatest economic recession since the 1930s. Many of local funders began to cut back, making it difficult to keep programs running. They began
searching for other opportunities and applied for Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative grant program. Overtown won $200,000, which, among other things, enrolled OYC’s Executive Director, Tina Brown, in an emerging leaders training: three 4-day workshops on developing organizational management skills, managing strategic opportunities, forging alliances and building communities.

“I knew that I was destined to change the lives of children. That program really gave me the tools to do it in an effective manner,” said Tina Brown.

Overtown Youth Center is now in its 8th year of operation and continues to build on their multi-stakeholder approach in a carefully-designed program
that complements and builds upon the efforts of the public education system. What’s more, they are able to plan ahead with the support and advice from Bank of America.

“Our involvement really goes beyond writing a check,” said Maria Alonso, CSR Market Manager at Bank of America. “Bank of America is personally involved in fund-raising and looking at the long-term growth of this center and the model so that it really has a sustainable impact on the community.”

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

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Discovering Educational Opportunities in Ft. Lauderdale

Millions of tourists flock to Florida every year for the beaches, the amusement parks, the sunshine and the Everglades. Ask folks about their plans and you’re sure to hear excited kids talk about meeting their favorite mouse in person or happy adults explain how they’re looking forward to quiet time at beachside resorts. Not many people would tell you about plans to take advantage of top-notch learning opportunities in the Sunshine State, but Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) sends many kids, and parents, home with newfound enthusiasm for learning about the world around them and the forces that
affect it.

The museum engages tourists and locals alike through exhibits, programs and films that provide experiential pathways to lifelong learning in science. Bank of America has been proud to support MODS as both a donor and a lender over the years. In fact, Bank of America awarded MODS an anchor grant of $1 million in 2008 to support expansion of the museum’s facility, specifically a pavilion that provides easy access to visitor services as well as space for science demonstrations. And later this year, the museum will host the grand opening of the museum’s new EcoDiscovery Center that was also funded in part by that 2008 grant.
In order to stay relevant and exciting to visitors of all ages, the museum has taken a 2-step approach to smart growth. First, it built a broad base of support in the local community by actively recruiting teachers as museum members and by designing exhibits that help students better understand topics that are measured in Florida’s standardized testing program, FCAT. As a result of the museum’s close partnership with the Broward County Schools, over 90,000 children visit MODS annually in school groups—more than any other cultural institution in the region.

With that solid foundation in place, the museum has been able to create and attract the types of exhibits and activities that make it an exciting tourist destination
as well as a valued member of the local teaching community. The high level of enthusiasm makes the museum a more attractive place to donate money and time, as well as a creditworthy investment for leading corporations.

When the new EcoDiscovery Center opens, the museum expects annual attendance to top 600,000, including 100,000 students on school field trips. The added classroom and lab space will quadruple the number of available locations for children participating in science demos.

Patrick Flynn, the Museum’s Executive Vice President for Development, points out that MODS’ relationship with
Bank of America goes beyond just financial support. “The $1 million facilities grant was certainly the king of the hill, but the generosity of the bank over time has been extraordinary. Bank of America has been the lead sponsor for our Wine and Culinary Celebration for years now. Bank team members have also been extremely generous with their time. From [Senior Vice President] Mark Peterson who sits on our board to the folks who help us by volunteering and serving as community ambassadors for our projects, we always feel like we’re working with trusted colleagues who are committed to helping MODS serve our community.”

Even though the Museum of Discovery and Science is a not-for-profit entity, it’s clear to see how its presence
has benefitted Fort Lauderdale and Broward County. “Bank of America enjoys working with businesses and charities that make a difference in our communities,” says Mr. Peterson, Senior Vice President at Bank of America and MODS Board member. “Our team is proud to support the phenomenal growth at the Museum of Discovery and Science.”

Join the conversation: Learn how we're working to help strengthen communities — on the Bank of America Facebook page

Miami Gallery

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Championing kids with special needs

It was Evelys Ubiera’s dedication to special needs programming that landed her the position of director of Camp Shriver Miami. The camp was developed as part of a six-city expansion of Special Olympics, the athletic camp for special needs kids begun by Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Ubiera’s vision to create more opportunities for students with special needs led her to grow the camp from a two-week program to a summer-long program. “I organized the whole camp from beginning to end. The camp is an inclusionary camp both for persons
with disabilities and persons without disabilities who come in as volunteers,” she said.

Special Olympics
Camp Shriver, in partnership with Miami Parks and Recreation is free of charge and aligns with the programming of Special Olympics. It serves not only as an interactive alternative for special needs students, but also as a training ground for participants in the Special Olympics.

“Our camp gives [participants] a summer full of activities so they’re not just sitting at home and watching TV,” Ubiera shared.
What makes Camp Shriver unique is its program’s focus on students from age 12 to 22. Ubiera noted that people with disabilities generally remain in school until they are 22 years old.

“A lot of your typical summer day camps in parks and recreation don’t have individuals with disabilities in their camps,” Ubiera said. She believes the reason is because special needs kids require more one-to-one supervision.

Appreciating the Recognition
Ubiera was nominated by a parent of one of Camp Shriver’s athletes for Bank of America’s Local Hero award. She is one of hundreds across the country who received awards last year as part of the bank’s
Neighborhood Excellence Initiative because of the positive impact they have on their local communities. Ubiera said the award will help to provide materials and supplies for the summer camp, which plans to grow to 150 students this summer.

“It’s nice [that Bank of America] recognizes individuals like myself that are doing a good deed for society," Ubiera said. “I’m usually the one trying to get my kids in the limelight. But it’s great to know that I’m actually appreciated.”

Job Training for Students
In addition to serving as camp director, Ubiera is also a full-time teacher, focusing on job training and placement
for her special needs students. “I want everybody in the community to see them as individuals and to see their abilities, not their disabilities,” she said.

Many of the organizations that Ubiera reaches out to for positions for her students are skeptical at first, but many ultimately agree to hire them. “I make sure that when I go apply for a job for one of my kids, I know that they’re ready. It’s knocking on doors and just getting that person to open their heart and let them in,” she said.

Growing Acceptance
As she works to get her kids employed, Ubiera feels society is becoming more accepting and responsive.
Publix Grocery, for example, is one of the retail stores instrumental in hiring her students.

“Overall the community is very accepting. It’s normal for anyone to walk into Publix and have their groceries bagged by a person with disabilities,” Ubiera said.

The teacher has shown a tremendous commitment in her work with special needs students, and she cherishes what they offer in return. “I learn from them unconditional love, unconditional dedication. These individuals are the most dedicated and loving individuals out there. They won’t give up,” she said.

See more about Bank of America's Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^® supports those helping students succeed in Miami

Since 1991, Breakthrough Miami has consistently demonstrated that low-income, minority students can achieve at the highest levels when they are encouraged to meet high expectations and provided the support and guidance to advance academically. Breakthrough Miami is an eight-year, tuition-free program of academic and personal enrichment designed to help talented middle school students overcome cultural, economic, and other barriers. The program utilizes the skills of high school
and college students as teachers and mentors during the summer and the school year.

ACCION USA provides microenterprises (small businesses with five or fewer employees) access to capital and financial education. Since launching in 2003, ACCION USA's Miami-Dade program has become one of the fastest-growing microlending programs in the United States, with over $10 million going to more than 1,200 individual small businesses. Clients receive individualized training and free financial education workshops.

Breakthrough Miami and ACCION USA Miami-Dade have
been awarded $200,000 each by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to improve academic achievement among minorities and provide capital to small businesses.

The grants are part of the foundation’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^®, which operates in 44 cities in the U.S, as well as London. In addition to financial support, the award provides the executive director and an emerging leader from each nonprofit with strategic leadership training to help them develop further as leaders taking on tough community challenges.

“The awards are part of an ongoing effort by Bank of America to stimulate economic vitality in Miami-Dade and in communities across the nation,” said Gene
Schaefer, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties Market President for Bank of America.

Additional honorees The Foundation also selected five “Local Heroes” for their community service work: Cleveland Bell of Miami, Margaret Gaines of Palmetto Bay, Shelby Hinds of Miami, Octavia Kearney of Miramar and Evelys Ubiera of Miami. Each is able to designate a $5,000 charitable grant from the foundation to the eligible nonprofit of their choice.

Five exemplary teens were named “Student Leaders” and selected to receive a paid eight-week internship at Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade. They are Nielsen
Dias, a Miami resident and senior at Coral Gables Senior High School; Lida Esfandiary, a Miami resident and graduate of Felix Varela Senior High School; Amalia Mariaca, a Hialeah resident and graduate of Westland Hialeah High School; Ronald Page, a Miami resident and graduate of Miami Central Senior High School and Jorge Riera, a Miami resident and graduate of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School.

Miami associate Joel Fiallo has been selected to receive the Volunteer Service Award. Joel, who is an Operations Team Manager for Miami Proof Administration, is a Volunteer Leader for the Greater Miami & the Keys Bank of America Community Volunteers Team.

More than $1 million in grants to Camillus House will help provide job training—and break the cycle of homelessness

Announcing an ambitious goal in 2004, Camillus House pledged to end chronic homelessness in Miami-Dade County over the next ten years by providing shelter, health care, and job training to 3000 homeless people each year. To help Camillus achieve this, Bank of America pledged $1 million in 2007 to help the organization build a new Career Center to help individuals enrolled in its Job Opportunity Bureau program develop the skills they need to get—and
keep—much-needed jobs. Over the past 50 years, the growth of Camillus House—and its impact on Miami’s most vulnerable population—has been considerable. In 1960, Camillus was started by the Brothers of the Good Shepherd as a soup kitchen and overnight shelter to help struggling immigrants. (Camillus House derives its name from Camillus de Lellis, patron saint of nursing, who devoted his life to the care of the poor and the sick.) Over the next several decades, Camillus has become one of the largest providers of health and social services to persons who are poor and homeless in Miami-Dade County.

Currently, the organization has 16 locations where it
provides a range of services, including housing for over 1000 people each night, and 465,000 free meals a year. Despite the fact that many of the homeless that come have to cope with mental illness, health problems and substance abuse, an impressive number have been able to move to permanent housing, get jobs and lead normal “mainstream” lives. In 2008 and 2009, for example, 63% of the men and 74% of the women who came through Camillus’ housing and treatment programs stayed off the street.

While food and shelter are typically the first ways to help persons who are homeless, jobs are what empower them and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. In 2012-13, Camillus House will open a new 340-bed
facility that will provide a range of services including temporary shelter, treatment for medical issues and substance abuse, and then permanent housing, job training and job placement. This approach ensures that clients will move through a “continuum of care” within a single residential setting.

Housed within the new Camillus House campus will be the 6,000-square-foot Bank of America Career Center—comprised of classrooms, computer lab and library—which will offer students educational programs to assist them with their career development goals. There will be formal and informal training, including resume development and job coaching for those who need jobs,
and job retention and promotion skills for those who have jobs.

According to Dr. Paul R. Ahr, Camillus House President and CEO, “The Career Center that we’re going to build with the Bank of America grant will give us a state-of-the-art career counseling center for individuals who not only are ready to break the cycle of homelessness and come off the streets, but also will prepare them to join the ranks of productive citizens.”

The leadership and community impact of Camillus House was also recognized with a Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Initiative grant in 2006. The $200,000 grant enabled Camillus to establish the Institute of Homeless Studies, a new division devoted to increasing the capacity of homeless providers to better
prepare their organizations to end homelessness. The new Institute, supported by this grant, convened an international symposium, “Applying Research to End Homelessness.” Camillus House also used the award to allocate operational and administrative support to developing and implementing Camillus’ plans for the new campus. Also, Bank of America associates have a long relationship with Camillus, spending hundreds of volunteer hours helping to feed the homeless.

The central focus of Bank of America’s involvement with Camillus House, however, remains workforce development and job training. Dr. Ahr said, “What separates the homeless from the rest of us is not their
character but their ability to take advantage of opportunities. The key element to keeping them out of homelessness is getting a job that allows them to rent an apartment and get on with their life. So when all is said and done, we’re in the opportunity business here.”

A Big Bank Helping a Miami Grocer in a Big Way

Overcoming Roadblocks to Success in School

Making a difference in the lives of South Florida's children

A father and son build a store from the ground up

Discovering Educational Opportunities in Ft. Lauderdale

Miami Image Gallery

Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^® in Miami

Championing kids with special needs

Neighborhood Excellence Initiative^® supports those helping students succeed in Miami

Camillus House

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