One of Miami’s Community Newspapers
Phone: 305-669-7355
ENDALL GAZETT E K www.communitynewspapers.com
JUNE 14 - 27, 2011
‘Like pitching Frisbees,’ say Terra Disc Golfers
BY RICHARD YAGER
“I
t’s just like pitching a Frisbee,” laughed Santiago Perez, 7, taking his first tosses at Miami-Dade’s newest leisure sport — Disc Golf. Joining the Kendale Elementary student at Terra Environmental Research Institute on a bright Saturday in May were Samantha Diaz, 15, Terra sophomore, along with her younger brother, Michael. Terra students and their siblings were among more than 50 school-age youth trying out golf without golf clubs, practicing a Frisbee-like toss of round plastic disks at an open metal basket. Those are Disc Golf targets that replace teeing off fairway-to-green to sink a ball in a tiny cup. While their classmates crowded
13-year-old realizes his dream, becomes honorary firefighter
BY VICTORIA GALAN
T
A
–––––––––––––– See
DISC GOLF, page 4
he Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) and the Miami Dolphins Foundation are teaming up for another exciting summer of reading for people of all ages. The 2011 Summer Reading Program continues through Saturday, July 23, with a number of special events and programs in branches throughout the county. The program is divided into three themes: “One World, Many Stories” for children 12 and younger; “You Are Here,” for teens 13-18, and “Novel Destinations,” for adults. Children and teens are encouraged to read for two or more hours each week, which qualifies them to receive an entry ticket for the Grand Prize drawing.
Rodolfo Alegandro Caceres, 13, receives instructions from MiamiDade Fire Rescue Chief Herminio Lorenzo (right).
BY ALEXANDRA DE ARMAS
Terra sophomore Samantha Diaz, 15, gets Disc Golf lesson from George Alvarez.
MDPLS, Miami Dolphins Foundation present Summer Reading Program
dream came true recently for 13-year-old Rodolfo Alegandro Caceres at Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 47 when he was made an honorary firefighter. The seventh grader at Glades Middle School in Kendall was born with muscular dystrophy, a disease that progressively weakens muscles. “He’s always telling me that when he grows up he is going to be a firefighter,” said Lucy Caceres, Rodolfo’s mother. “He is not a kid of a lot of words. But if you see his body language and those that know him, we
look for a certain smile; it is really small, but he has had it since yesterday.” Rodolfo spent the day going out on calls with the rest of “the guys,” really experiencing what it’s like to be firefighter. He made a special stop at his school, where the band and his friends welcomed him. “This is extremely important to us,” said Chief Herminio Lorenzo. “Any time we can welcome someone new to our fire department it is a great day, especially when it’s someone who we care so much for.” This life-changing and unforgettable experience has changed Rodolfo’s life. “We rarely see him this happy…there are no words,” Lucy Caceres said as she wiped tears from her face.
–––––––––––––––––– See
READING, page 4
www.westkendallbusiness.com