March 11, 2015

Dear University of Miami Family,

I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to give a big shout-out to the students, faculty, and staff who came together to transform a neighborhood treasure, Charles R. Drew K-8 Center in Liberty City, over the weekend.

Friday’s “UM Day of Service” brought out more than a hundred of our colleagues and friends to join our partners at the Miami Children’s Initiative in a team effort to build, paint, wash, and plant a more welcoming and enjoyable community environment in our own hometown.

Then on Sunday as the culminating exercise of the Clinton Global Initiative University taking place on campus, hundreds of students and volunteers from all over the world were welcomed back at Charles Drew and Liberty City for the Clinton Foundation Day of Action, which was led by President Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton.

Words can’t capture the overwhelming spirit of goodwill and common purpose that spread out from the simple but heartfelt gestures of all the participants. For our UM faculty, staff, and students, it was a perfect experience of transforming lives through service.

So I invite you to take a look at this wonderful gallery of images that speak volumes about what we can do when we work together to make a difference, one generous and thoughtful deed at a time.

At the U, we transform lives through teaching, research and service

Thank you for sharing your hearts, hands, and minds.