Welcome to the Inaugural Dad Dash 5K Run/Walk sponsorship opportunity from Partners for Youth South Florida (PFYSF) Foundation. I am thrilled to present this event in collaboration with DAD-Ease. Our foundation, with over 35 years of unwavering commitment to ensuring the healthy development of youth, is honored to partner with a company like DAD-Ease that shares our dedication to supporting fathers and families. Your interest in becoming a sponsor for the Dad Dash event signifies your commitment to making a real impact in our community. Your generous support will not only help us create a memorable experience for all participants but also contribute to our shared mission of empowering families and fostering positive relationships between fathers and their children. As an avid runner, the Chairman of PFYSF Foundation, and my most important role in life, Dad, I want to express my gratitude and excitement for considering this sponsorship opportunity. Your involvement will play a significant role in the success of the Dad Dash event and enable us to continue our vital work in empowering youth and families in South Florida. Please take the time to review the sponsorship packet provided below. It contains detailed information about the various sponsorship levels, benefits, and opportunities available for your consideration when it is convenient for you to do so. And, of course, reach out to us with any questions or to discuss how we can tailor a sponsorship package to best suit your needs and objectives. We can be reached at info@partnersforyouthfoundation.com or call +1.954.408.3841. We are excited about the potential of this partnership and look forward to the positive impact we can create together through the Dad Dash event. Your support means the world to us, and we are genuinely grateful for your consideration. Warm regards, Eddy Eddy Edwards, Chairman Partners for Youth South Florida Updated 05.09.2024: Sign up to join this even here.

We have a new name! What was once Partners For Youth Foundation is now Partners For Youth South Florida. We remain committed to empowering the youth in South Florida to achieve success. To reflect our new name and to look toward the future, we have updated our website to give it a more modern look. We've also updated its content to include current information about us. Please take a minute to visit our new website and tell us what you think. You can reach us at— Clinton DaCosta: crdacosta@partnersforyouthfoundation.com Eddy Edwards: irieed@yahoo.com Note, too, that we have made it easy to sign up for our mailing list to receive occasional emails and notifications for blog posts. A sign-up form can be found on every page, in the footer of our website. Please sign up if you have not already, and please encourage anyone you know who is interested in learning more about us to sign up, as well. Thank you!

We are excited to announce The Partners for Youth South Florida has received a community grant from Walmart Giving! We can't wait to see the difference this grant will make to the lives of the youth in our communities. We will be keeping you updated on how this grant is being used to enhance the lives of the youth in our communities, with stories & pictures throughout the year.

January 22, 2024 Marcia Rigg-Baker, founder, Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant leaves behind a lasting legacy of empowering young women across the Diaspora. Mrs. Marcia Elaine 'Mer' Rigg-Baker, former co-founder and principal of ABI Startime and the Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant, peacefully passed on Monday, January 15, 2024, after a period of ill-health. A native of Jamaica, Mrs. Rigg-Baker was born in Green Island, Hanover, on September 5, 1950. A former graduate of Rusea’s High School, in Hanover, she was employed to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and then at Barclays Bank, (Hanover and Kingston) before migrating to the United States in July 1980.

The board of directors of the Partners for Youth wishes to express our condolences to the family of Marcia Baker who passed away this morning, our thoughts and prayers are with you. May her soul rest in eternal peace. Marcia was the Matriarch of this organization, the Miss Jamaica Florida Pageant, and helped to establish an educational scholarship for a young woman graduating high school and accepted to an accredited college. “No matter her social standing, no matter her origin…she is a Queen. Her excellence, intelligence, and commitment make our society a better place, we honor her.” – Mrs. Marcia Rigg-Baker

Applications are currently available for the 2024 Anthony & Marcia Baker Scholarship. The deadline to apply is March 31st, 2024 at midnight EST. You can learn more and access the application here:

Photos of the PFY Kidz Zone at the recently concluded Jamaica Jerkfest.

2023 Anthony and Marcia Baker Scholarship Awardee Growing up in South Florida, I have had the opportunity to observe many disparities within my community. One of the disparities I have seen is the quality of care given to the people in the community. Many of the people in my community have a lack of trust in healthcare professionals due to past experiences. I have also witnessed many students who have the potential to be successful academically, and go on to be successful professionally, fall victim to their environment. I believe that if more academic resources were invested into the youth, and if more African Americans become health professionals, it will bridge the gap between patient care and patient trust while preserving the culture. It is because of this belief that I want to impact the next generation by pushing the importance of academic success. To do this, I decided to pursue a career as a Pediatrician, by majoring in Biology Pre-med. It is very important to me to not only be successful in my life, but to give back to underrepresented communities. Most minority students struggle in science and other areas that may not be presented to them in a way they can understand it. My parents knew that this may have been the same for me due to my environment, so they pushed the importance of science. I grew up doing exciting science projects at home that kept me interested in learning more about science. Majoring in Biology while taking a Pre-med track is the first step in bridging the health and educational gaps in my community. I want people to feel comfortable while receiving the care they need because they see someone that looks like them caring for them. I want students of any age to know that it is okay to indulge in areas outside of their normal box, such as subjects like science, math, and even reading. As a Pediatrician I will be able to encourage learning while gaining the trust of the children I care for. The children that will be our future. My dream of becoming a doctor is linked to my dreams of helping others aspire to being the best version of themselves possible. I would love to not only expose children in my office to living a healthier life, but I want to help encourage them to not limit themselves because of the environments they grew up in or situations they were exposed to. I want to take their focus off material things and push the importance of improving their quality of life through academic excellence. I believe they can be whatever they want to be, no matter how unbelievable it may seem. To assist them on their own personal journey, I plan on providing new educational experiences for the youth through programs that help them build knowledge in areas they would struggle in. I also want to offer scholarships that will give them the opportunity to go to college and not be burdened by the cost. All these opportunities will be provided through my non-profit mentoring organization, which I plan to start in the future. I am not a perfect student, but I am imperfectly the perfect version of myself. I learned through my personal experiences to NEVER give up. Through all the obstacles I have faced in finding who I really am, I learned that failures can fuel success (if you learn from them). Everyone’s journey through life is different. Many of us are heading to the same destination, but we must take a different path to get there. This scholarship will assist me in achieving my dreams of becoming a Pediatrician by helping me pay for college. I know that in college, I may experience obstacles and situations that I have not seen before, but I am determined to give it my all. I am determined to impact the next generation by linking academic success to healing our communities. The next generation will have the potential to change the world, and I plan to be an investor in their success.

2023 Anthony and Marcia Baker Scholarship Awardee How I plan To Impact The Next Generation With pursuing my degree in Animal Sciences, I aim to eventually earn my Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine (DVM). Through my pursuits, I plan to impact the emotional well-being of the next generation by supporting pet ownership. For many people, animals are family members, which can heavily influence their emotional state if an event would occur. When considering this factor, Veterinarians have just as impactful a job as human doctors have. As well, just the mere component of having the ability to save a life is an extremely powerful ability. Being able to impact a being in such a drastic measure such as life or death to me is both amazing and frighting. Growing up in South Florida, I was surrounded by people of many backgrounds, both culturally and financially. With this being said, with my degree in the field of Veterinary Medicine, I would like to establish my own practice that is able to accommodate for people of all financial backgrounds. Just as it is costly for humans to receive medical help, it can be just as costly for animals. Therefore, with my degree, if I am able to establish my own practice and provide care to an extended member of the family of many humans, for a financially accommodating cost, I feel as if I would be able to impact many communities. Another impact I strive to make is to encourage more underrepresented groups to pursue careers in STEM. My mother immigrated from Jamaica before I was born, and was able to earn a Biology degree. Because of her experiences, I was lucky that at a young age I was able to be connected to scientific thinkers that developed my love for animals. However, I noticed that I never saw people that looked like me in many animal-related fields, which discouraged me at a young age. As I grew older, I gained the passion to be the person that will encourage other young girls that look like me to love animals and not be discouraged to pursue any field that they would like to, no matter what circumstance.

Please enjoy this video from our event.

More information coming soon.