FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Carolina Schwarz

Voices For Children Foundation

Tel: 305.324.5678

VOICES FOR CHILDREN FOUNDATION WELCOMES NEW BOARD CHAIR YOLANDA C. BERKOWITZ

February 15, 2006- Miami, FL- Voices For Children, the fundraising arm of the 11^th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem, welcomes its new Board Chairperson, Yolanda C. Berkowitz. She replaces outgoing Chair, Richard Simring, Esq., who completed his two year tenure last December.

Mrs. Berkowitz has been a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer since 1995, directly advocating for the best interest of abused and neglected children involved in court proceedings. A devoted child advocate and member of the Voices’ Board of Directors since 2002, she has pursued new and creative fundraising initiatives such as A Day in the Tropics, a tour of exceptional local homes and gardens followed by an afternoon lunch. Mrs. Berkowitz also produced and hosted, together with husband Jeffrey, the fundraising dinner An Intimate Evening with Dave Barry. Now in its second year, this invitation only event with the Pulitzer Prize winner is expected to raise $100,000 for abused and neglected kids and will feature special guests and a live auction conducted by Jeff Berkowitz and Dave Barry.

“I am delighted and honored to be serving as the Board Chair for Voices For Children during this challenging and exciting period. Through my ten years as a Guardian Ad Litem volunteer, I have been deeply committed to working to alleviate the defenseless situation of most abused and neglected children in the court system. Serving as the leader of the GAL Program’s non-profit arm will significantly enhance my impact in helping children, giving me a new opportunity to further the mission of our joint organizations,” said Yolanda Berkowitz.

Born in Cuba, raised in Chicago and with extensive international experience in marketing, product development and production and sales staff management, Mrs. Berkowitz has long been involved in various not-for-profit organizations, always giving something back to her community. She enjoys time with her family, her many pets, and particularly enjoys traveling with her husband and two step-children, Michael and Andrew. “She is a self-starting, compassionate human being. Her passion and enthusiasm are contagious. We are honored to count on Yolanda’s leadership,” added Nestor Rodriguez, Voices For Children’s Executive Director.

The Voices Board of Directors is comprised of 22 community volunteers who serve as the governing body that maintains a system of decision-making checks and balances for the organization and ensures programmatic and administrative oversight of operations and finances. Mrs. Berkowitz will serve for two years.

Voices For Children Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises funds to ensure that every abused, abandoned and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court appointed Guardian Ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their accompanying health, educational, and social needs. Guardians Ad Litem are trained, court appointed volunteers who serve as the representative voice for abused, abandoned and neglected children involved in juvenile court proceedings. While an average of 2,100 children are served by the approximate 500 Guardian Ad Litem volunteers yearly, there are nearly 3,800 children involved in court proceedings who need representation. Be A Voice, visit www.voices4.org.

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