It was an afternoon defined by tea, confections, warm conversations and pink hardhats. On Monday, in recognition of International Day of the Girl and National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Embrace Girls Foundation hosted a tea party in honor of Florida developers Joseph and Alexandra Milton. A series of events culminated in this special day.
Joseph Milton’s father, Jose Milton, was a Cuban-American architect and builder who emigrated to Miami in the 1960′s and successfully created a real estate empire. Joseph Milton is the current president and CEO of J. Milton & Associates.
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The Milton’s were introduced to the Embrace Girls Foundation by Steven Gurowitz, CEO of the luxury interior design firm Interiors by Steven G. Gurowitz and Milton have a decades-long friendship and business relationship. Gurowitz has been a faithful supporter of Embrace since the WPLG Local 10 Community Relations Department connected him with the nonprofit last December for holiday gift giving. Gurowitz was compelled to share his experience with Milton and invited him to see the foundation in action. Milton obliged. A few meetings with Embrace Girls Foundation Founder and CEO Velma Lawrence and Milton was, as they say in his line of work, “sold.”
“Velma is real,” said Joseph Milton. “Just go be with her and see it.”
“The Miltons’ support of and enthusiasm for our mission is exciting,” Lawrence said. “We have a great staff and team of volunteers who are key to our success. It is truly a blessing when your work is embraced and appreciated.”
Lawrence, along with 13 girls who are part of the Embrace program, organized the tea party in the Rose Café at the Milton Tower on Sunny Isles. Afterward, the Milton’s guided the group on a grand tour of the block-long properties to offer a glimpse of the inner workings of the real estate development business.
“This is an opportunity to introduce the girls to the world from a professional point of view,” said Milton. “They’ll have the opportunity to find out what it’s like to be a CEO, a designer, a developer, an architect, or operate an office building.”
“Velma protects these girls like I have seen few people do,” said Alexandra Milton. “You can only do that when you have that relationship with God. You can’t buy that.”
The Embrace Girls Foundation is a nonprofit providing educational and social programming to hundreds of girls at several public and private schools in South Florida. For more information about the foundation, visit embracegirlpower.org.