On Friday, February 8, 2019, the HDS Foundation was honored to attend the Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention (FISP) 14th Annual Gala FISPY Awards. Miss Bryan, Producer of the DJ Laz Morning Show, was the evening’s MC.  In attendance were Presidents Harry Rosen and Jackie Rosen; all board members of FISP; the Mayor of Pembroke Pines, Frank C. Ortis; Commissioners from the city of Pembroke Pines; and various other guests from the community. Through education and resources, in addition to the FISPY Gala, FISP sheds a light on those who are affected by suicide and those who struggle with mental illness. 

At the event, the FISPY Mental Health Advocates Awards were given to Journalist Michael Mayo, HOPE Sunshine Club student Jason Tache’, and Memorial Hospital. The evening included a wonderful dinner and great musical entertainment. 

Carla Otiniano, Program Manager of the HDS Foundation, sat next to a mother who lost a loved one to suicide. The mother thanked the HDS Foundation for continuing support of FISP and she explained that this organization has helped her family tremendously. She candidly shared her experience and thanked FISP for helping her family in her time of need. Her two daughters dealt with this tragedy differently, but neither one dealt with the pain immediately. Rather, it affected them later in their life did and as a mother it was difficult to understand their pain and help them. With assistance from FISP, she was able to handle this sadness in a productive manner. 

For information on how you can contribute to FISP, visit them online at https://fisponline.org/. 

HDS Foundation was honored to be a part of this insightful gathering and will proudly continue their support. For more information on the HDS Foundation, visit us online at https://www.hdsfoundation.org/ or email Carla Otiniano, Program Manager, at carla@hdsfoundation.org.  

On Saturday, April 28, 2018, the HDS Foundation will be partaking in Tropical Nights 2018 presented by UM-NSU CARD. UM-NSU CARD has been supporting families affected by autism and related disabilities in our local communities with impactful and invaluable resources and supportive guidance. Tropical Nights 2018 will be held aboard the SeaFair Miami, which will sail around Biscayne Bay for the evening. Along with entertainment, at this casual chic event there will be a live auction, a raffle, and of course cocktails. UM-NSU CARD is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, which is going to be celebrated on board.

The HDS Foundation is a proud Coconut Palm sponsor of this event. We will be represented by Cristina Gilson, Chairman and President, Carla Otiniano, Program Manager and Board Members, among other guests. They are looking forward to having a great time for a great cause.

Though tickets are sold out, sponsorships are still available. For more information, visit https://www.tropicalnights.org.

April is World Autism Awareness Month. At HDS Companies, we kicked off the month by participating in Autism Speak’s Signature Event “Light It Up Blue” on Monday, April 2, 2018. Everyone in the HDS offices wore blue, showing our support and helping garner greater understanding and acceptance of those affected by Autism. The offices were also decorated in blue, with HDS and LIUB signs made out of blue lightbulbs, and other fun blue decorations adorning the walls.

In the afternoon, the employees gathered in the conference rooms to start the festivities. Blue puzzle piece lollipops, blue chocolate candies in lightbulbs, scrumptious cupcakes, and yummy packaged treats were distributed to everyone as part of the fun. Carla Otiniano, Program Manager of the HDS Foundation, opened the gathering by telling everyone how they could help spread the word of World Autism Awareness Month. She had selfie-signs available to all employees so they could take picture of themselves, post them to their personal social media accounts, and help spread the word. Cristina Gilson, CEO of HDS Companies, also spoke about the day and how excited she was with the participation and comradery of the employees.

Yessenia, an employee of the Miami office whose youngest child is affected by autism, said about the day, “Autism Awareness Month means a lot to me, being that I have a little boy with autism. I know the daily struggles of an autistic child. Bringing awareness to autism is an extremely important factor in life because this would help not only in being able to gain more studies and assistance for people on the spectrum. It also would help them immensely with their everyday life, such as going to a supermarket and people knowing and understanding how to approach them and interact with them. It would help in school settings, for other children to understand and help them interact with those on the spectrum without thinking they’re weird or incapable just because there different. I personally have known what it is to have to remove my child from a daycare only because they don’t understand him and feel they can’t deal with him. Therefore, I believe autism awareness month is so important, because more and more people are learning about the spectrum and people on the spectrum. One-day I am hopeful that everyone will know and understand Autism!”

Fun was had by everyone. Promoting Autism Awareness will continue at HDS throughout the month. If you would like to participate, take a selfie with the Autism Speaks selfie sign (available at https://www.autismspeaks.org/wam/how-to-liub) and tag it “LightItUpBlue!

Written by Nico Morales | Feb 8, 2018

I think that the term “Crazy 8” would be very applicable to the events of the recent Dan Marino Walk About Autism. This is due to the fact that I was invited by my coworkers at HDS to participate in the 8th Annual Walk About Autism alongside them, and that it was crazy how much fun of a great time I had before, during, and after the walk. We were all dressed up in our company T-shirts to commemorate this event dedicated to raising money and awareness for people affected by autism and other related disabilities. I can’t stress enough how important this cause is to me and all of my colleagues over at HDS. Our goal this year was to raise a total of $10,000 and I am proud to report that we beat that goal by raising over $11,400! One of the best things about this fundraiser is that 25% of all monies raised by the HDS Contenders goes directly to The HDS Foundation. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without all of the support from our friends and colleagues.

But we weren’t alone in our cause, for I ran into a plethora of familiar faces who were also attending the walk, such as my neighbors, my childhood acquaintance, my friend from Social GAIN, and even my beloved girlfriend and her older sister, who are also major supporters of pro-autism events like this.

One of the highlights of my time there was after the opening ceremony, when I got to meet Froggy. He is one of the radio personalities of Y100, one of my all-time favorite radio stations growing up, and I actually made him laugh with the nickname I thought of for him: Chief Toad.

I also frequented many of the booths set up by various sponsors and vendors, one of which I won a $25 voucher form to set up a tax-free savings account at Able United. It was such an unbelievably wonderful experience, and I don’t plan on forgetting it any time soon.

I am very excited for what next year’s walk will bring; hopefully, we can get an even bigger turnout.